Hands-on hazmat training inside 'a big, old garbage bag'

"If there's a vapor cloud, or something else blocking their vision, it's imperative these guys always know where their partners are." -- firefighter Glenn P. Jerka

By Andrea L. Buchanan ~ Southeast Missourian

Hazards can take any shape, from a 35-gallon drum leaking flammable liquid to poisonous vapor seeping from an industrial site.

And the country's post-Sept. 11 mindset leaves firefighters even more mindful that they need to be trained for any type of emergency, said training officer Fred Vincel of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

Friday, about 50 firefighters from several different regions participated in a hazardous material training course, suiting up in several layers of protective clothing and tackling simulated emergencies.

Jackson firefighter Robby Greif learned first-hand how tough it is to patch a leaky pipe wearing three or four layers of gloves.

For most, Friday's eight-hour class was a refresher course. But for Greif, who recently completed his 40-hour classroom trainingfor hazardous materials, it was his first time to suit up.

He said wearing the oxygen mask, hard hat, gloves, boots and a sealed hazardous materials suit was a learning experience.

Firefighters are used to heavy equipment and clothing, but a hazmat suit, which one firefighter described as wearing "a big, old garbage bag," is not for the claustrophobic.

Survival by instincts

With no peripheral vision, limited dexterity and muffled sound, emergency workers have to rely on instincts developed in their training to take over in times of emergency, said trainer Glenn P. Jerka.

"That's why it's imperative they get the 'suit time,'" Jerka said.

Working in teams of two, firefighters checked each other's blood pressure and body temperature before and after each 20-minute exercise.

Though many joked that they felt a bit silly, the men held hands while walking the several yards from the truck bay to the testing station.

Jerka said he wanted the hand-holding to become second nature to those in the hazmat suits.

"If there's a vapor cloud, or something else blocking their vision, it's imperative these guys always know where their partners are," he said.

Jerka is program manager for the environmental emergency response team at University of Missouri's Fire and Rescue Training Institute. He was called to Ground Zero on Sept. 11 and spent 10 days on the scene.

Jerka and his crew set up training stations in the parking lot of Cape Girardeau Fire Department, using water to simulate leaking chemicals or pressurized air to simulate poisonous gas.

Firefighters were required to patch holes in leaky pipes and barrels and make other items safe for transport.

The $3,600 training program Friday in Cape Girardeau was paid for through the state's emergency management agency.

In addition to firefighters from Cape Girardeau and Jackson, men from Sikeston, Kennett and Perryville also attended the class.

Vincel said the long-term goal is to have more regional training with as many different fire departments as possible. In a big emergency, more than one department would be called to respond together anyway, he said.

"We're all in this together. It's good to get to know the guys you're relying on," Vincel said.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160