Stoneham Fire Department Hosts Training For Massachusetts District 2 HAZMAT Team

Stoneham MA

08 May, 2022

1:07 AM

Description

Press release from the Stoneham Fire Department: May 5, 2022 Chief Matthew Grafton and the Stoneham Fire Department are pleased to report that the District 2 State Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Team conducted a realistic training exercise in Stoneham on Tuesday in a vacant restaurant. Thanks to the generosity of Stoneham Ford, which recently purchased property at 170 Main St. — the former China Moon restaurant — Stoneham firefighters and the state HAZMAT team trained in a former restaurant that is slated to be torn down. All six state HAZMAT teams train together at least once a month, including the District 2 team with members from Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Lexington, Lynn, Malden, Massport, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Needham, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Saugus, Somerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop and Woburn. "I want to thank Stoneham Ford for providing a great opportunity to train in a realistic environment. Their generosity will help make our community and our neighboring communities safer," said Chief Grafton. "I'm also grateful for all of our mutual aid partners from District 2, Cataldo Ambulance, Rigaku Analytical Devices, and our partners at the DPW, police and health departments. I also thank Firefighter Jim McLaughlin, the Stoneham Fire Department's HAZMAT technician and member of the District 2 HAZMAT Team, who was essential to making this training a reality." The first drill simulated an incident in which a restaurant employee was seriously injured as a result of accidentally mixing cleaning chemicals together, similar to an actual incident that claimed a life and injured 10 other people in Massachusetts three years ago. Firefighters involved in the training scenario were not told in advance what it would entail, and learned details only from dispatchers as they were responding. Stoneham Firefighters from Group 4 arrived at the building and had to treat a simulated victim who was down in the restaurant, and preliminarily identify the substances involved in the call and the level of HAZMAT response that was needed. Once Stoneham Firefighters requested a Tier 1 response from the District 2 HAZMAT Team, that Team responded and conducted further analysis of the hazard, requesting an upgraded Tier 2 response that brought additional state HAZMAT equipment and support to the scene. The HAZMAT team then safely contained and disposed of the chemicals involved. Stoneham Firefighters who took part in the training were Capt. James Marshall, Lt. Mike O'Sullivan, and Firefighters Dean Blauvelt, Steve Buitkus, Mike Paone, Mike Coughlin, Stefanie Fields, Will King, Paul McIntyre, and Brent Last. Lunch was provided by Cataldo Ambulance, which provided an ALS Ambulance and Tango 2 rehabilitation unit for the simulation. Additionally, Louis Famous Roast Beef and Pizza of Stoneham surprised firefighters by delivering 20 free pizzas after an employee noticed the training underway. The second drill simulated the discovery of a clandestine chemical lab in which someone was producing compounds used in the manufacturing of explosives. This press release was produced by the Stoneham Fire Department. The views expressed here are the author's own.