The Hazardous Materials Response Team
The Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) was activated in 1988. The HMRT Coordinator is Captain Mike Walsh. The HMRT is deployed out of Fire Station 1 and is currently staffed on each shift with a Captain, Lieutenant, two (2) Fire Apparatus Operators and seven (7) Firefighters (Haz-Mat Specialist).
The HMRT is a dual function company composed of thirty-three members divided into three shifts. The HMRT provides basic fire suppression and emergency medical first responder service as well as response to hazardous materials incidents.
The HMRT provides specially trained personnel at the site of a hazardous materials release who can perform the proper corrective actions to end the threat of a release or potential release. The HMRT is also the main response arm of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Domestic Terrorism program, trained to identify agents, assist in the collection of samples, and supervise mass decontamination operations performed by the Fire Suppression Division of the San Antonio Fire Department.
HMRT provides guidance and assistance to first responding fire companies and is the liaison for the San Antonio Fire Department with city, state, and federal responding agencies at the scene of hazardous materials incidents. In addition, the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) has donated a response vehicle and equipment (Haz Mat 3) to provide guidance to mutual aid partners outside the city as part of the regional response plan.
Responding with one command vehicle, one equipment vehicle, and a specialized emergency truck and trailer configuration, a multitude of equipment and expertise can be brought to the scene of a hazardous materials incident throughout the city. In addition, all San Antonio Fire Department firefighting personnel are trained to the Hazardous Materials Operations level, the Weapons of Mass Destruction operations level, and have received continuing education in mass decontamination operations. This first responder and specialized team configuration provides for fast response and assistance to those in need.