Hazardous Materials Response
The Council Bluffs Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team is a regional asset. Currently, the team contracts with seven counties in Southwest Iowa to provide coverage for hazardous material incidents. The team also serves as one of three State WMD Hazardous Materials Teams for deployment at the direction of the Governor in the event a WMD incident occurs. The Council Bluffs Fire Department has trained its firefighters to respond to hazardous materials releases at two levels.
The first level of training is Hazardous Materials Operations; this level of training gives a firefighter the knowledge to protect the public and themselves from a hazardous materials release. All personnel is trained to the operations level.
The next level of training is Hazardous Materials Technician; this level of training allows the firefighters to perform offensive actions to stop a release and contain the spill. Over 50 of our personnel are trained to this level.
Technical Rescue Response
In addition to HazMat, the Council Bluffs Fire Department trains firefighters to deal with Technical Rescue operations.
- Personnel receives specialized training for both "confined space" and "high angle" rescue incidents.
- The Technical Rescue Team acts as the emergency response team for many of our local businesses and industries.