Naperville Fire Department 125th anniversary, 1874-1999

              HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE TEAM
rlazardous materials are not new. Since the incepdon of the fire service, firefighters have responded to an array of spills, leaks and potendal releases from a variety of flammable, toxic, cor¬ rosive and reacdve substances. The term "wash down" has survived the decades of advancement and enlightenment to remain a part of today's fire service vocabulary. Fortunately, the term no longer denotes our actions as highly trained responders!
In the early years, firefighters roudnely handled gasoline spills following traffic collisions and dealt with natural gas leaks inside residences. On occasion, a house would explode or a car would catch fire, but for the most part we could handle anything that the public presented us. The miti¬ gation of calls in years gone by was as commonplace then as today's zero tolerance "incidents." If it were not for a series of tragic releases in far off lands and the significant firefighter death toll involving pressurized containers in the 1970's, the fire service may have never evolved to where it is today.
The driving force for the eventual development of the Naperville Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was based, in part, on a proposal to test bum cyanide film chips at the Combustion Engineering facility, located in the far northwest corner of the City. The controversy was played out at a Naperville City Council meeting with much lively debate. One outspoken Councilman even went so far as to say that he would "stick his head in the smoke stack to show how safe the test would be!" While the test bum never took place, political awareness and public concem were peaked.
Fire Chief Amold Hodel directed Lieutenant Terry Jelinek to survey area businesses to determine the chemicals that could be found within the community. The risk analysis was intended to deter¬ mine if there was a need for an in-house hazardous materials response team based on the chemi¬ cals stored, used and transported throughout Naperville. Lieutenant Jelinek was benefited in his search by invoking the newly established Community Right-to-Know Laws. Based on surveys retumed, the Department discovered that gasoline and natural gas were not the only hazardous materials in the community. Amoco Research alone had enough Material Safety Data Sheets to fill a three-drawer file cabinet.
The next contributing factor to support the inevitable decision was a spill in a residential area between Washington and West Streets, north of 75th Street. A semi-tmck delivering car parts to a homeowner was also transpordng a 55-gallon dmm of a concentrated pesdcide for delivery to another commercial account. The car frame slid forward and punctured the container. The driver, unaware of the leak, drove through the subdivision leaving a toxic path. A homeowner discovered the chemical at his curb and quickly pulled his garden hose to wash down the material. Unfortunately, the person was overcome and was unable to complete the wash down before fire¬ fighters arrived. The Fire Department took control and gathered resources. When the material was identified, an evacuation of the neighborhood was ordered. The Mayor lived in the neighborhood and was evacuated along with his consdtuents. The Naperville Emergency Services and Disaster Agency joined the efforts as we teamed on the job. The Illinois Environmental Protecdon Agency arrived as did many other governmental agencies. The Water and Waste Water Department pro¬ vided assistance with personnel and materials to cover and neutralize the spill. With the approval
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