Large-scale hazardous materials training underway

Members of the Kalispell Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team are conducting a joint training scenario today on the grounds of the Flathead Valley Community College with members of the Montana National Guard 83rd Civil Support Team. The Civil Support Team, which is comprised of 22 full-time HAZMAT technicians and is deployed to deal with both weapons of mass destruction and to aid local first responders with hazardous materials, is in town from Fort Harrison, near Helena.

Day one of the training on Tuesday revolved around hands-on experience with the various equipment and the opportunity to experience how they work in different environments. Day two, today, will be applying the learned technical and tactical skills during a simulated scenario.

“”When we typically train on a large-scale exercise, we are attempting to capture all the elements that would be in play in a real world incident,” Kalispell Assistant Fire Chief Jon Campbell said.