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HazMat Specialist?!?!?!
I am trying to get my arms around the term HazMat Specialist. I see more and more titles of HazMat Specialist that don’t even belong to any chemical company. I have done some research on the subject but still just don’t get it. Please don’t think I am a book worm here.. but the two documents that I looked at contradict each other. 29 CFR 1910.129 (OSHA) defines a specialist as “Employees who, in the course of their regular job duties, work with and are trained in the hazards of specific hazardous substances, and who will be called upon to provide technical advice or assistance at a hazardous substance release incident to the individual in charge, shall receive training or demonstrate competency in the area of their specialization annually.” It goes on to further say Hazardous materials specialists are individuals who respond with and provide support to hazardous materials technicians. Their duties parallel those of the hazardous materials technician, however, those duties require a more directed or specific knowledge of the various substances they may be called upon to contain. The hazardous materials specialist would also act as the site liaison with Federal, state, local and other government authorities in regards to site activities. Hazardous materials specialists shall have received at least 24 hours of training equal to the technician level and in addition have competency in the following areas and the employer shall so certify:
NFPA 472 leans more toward the container the hazardous material is in. You can be a specialist i
1. Tank Car
2. Cargo Tank
3. Intermodal Tank
4. Flammable liquids
5. Flammable gas
6. Radioactive material
I am also seeing more WMD specialist pop up in news articles. What document are they looking at??
What does it take to be a specialist at your HazMat team?
NFPA 472 leans more toward the container the hazardous material is in. You can be a specialist i
1. Tank Car
2. Cargo Tank
3. Intermodal Tank
4. Flammable liquids
5. Flammable gas
6. Radioactive material
I am also seeing more WMD specialist pop up in news articles. What document are they looking at??
What does it take to be a specialist at your HazMat team?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Kohrmann on
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On our team, Hazmat techs that have been sent to addition training might be called a specialist in that specific reponse area. I for example went throught TTCI's, in Pueblo, CO, Highway Response Specialist School, so on a tanker roll over response, if I wear there, the IC would use those that went throught that specific training as the lead techs.
We have guys that are have gone to specialist school for Highway, Rail car, Advanced Decon, WMD, Radiological and IC.
Emergency Response Training Center or TTCI in Pueblo, CO is a great place to go for specific training. We are lucky, because it's right here in Colorado, but I have been to several classes there with guys from all over, even Canada and Europe. All the classes we send guys to are also grant funded from the state and Feds.
http://www.hazmattraining.com/ Ther web site -
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Permalink Reply by Kristy Oxholm on
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Our team does not have "specialists" per se. We are similar to Bryan in that we may have someone in a lead role in a response because they have had extra training in a certain area. My understanding of specialist is more the person that works with and is trained in only one (or more) specific areas. An example of this is a couple of guys that used to be on my FD. They were propane specialists. That was their full time job and they were trained by their employer in emergency response to propane incident. We would use them as specialists in propane, but that would not carry over into any other material. (That said, some companies have people trained in more than one chemical.) Another example would be the employees of a natural gas company that are trained in emergency response to natural gas pipeline emergencies. Just being an employee of the gas company does not make you a specialist, you also have to be trained in emergency response.
I think sometimes when you hear the term specialist it is used generically, not by the true definition. For example a new agency might say they interviewed a "fill in the blank" specialist. These people are not necessarily specialist by CFR or NFPA definition, but by the agency's definition! -
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Permalink Reply by firefighter444 on
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we don't have a specialist class in our departement, our levels are hazmat awareness, hazmat opps, and the tec level, i have never heard of a specialist level
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Permalink Reply by Jake Fireman on
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Here in California, we have an organization named CSTI. Salifornia Specialized Training Institute. To be a SPEC....You first must be a FRO, Then take 160 hours of TECH course, then another 80 to be SPEC. Those are the basic requirements to be certified. In my department you have to serve a minimum of 4 years as a tech to be promoted to SPEC
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