Aiken County Hazardous Materials Team - Aiken County, South Carolina.

On January 6, 2006, two freight trains collided in Graniteville, South Carolina resulting in a massive chlorine release.

The Aiken County HAZMAT team was a player on a national stage as the affair became a national incident.

Despite the assistance of the Aiken County HAZMAT team and a few others, the resources of the state government were quickly overwhelmed with both Graniteville and South Carolina turning to the federal government for assistance.

The incident lasted nearly a week and resulted in nine deaths, hundreds of injuries and the evacuation of over 5,000 residents.

The incident is remember as one of the worst train and industrial accidents in U.S. history.

As of late the team has been suffering hardship of it's own as it's main response truck frequently breaksdown, leaving the team with no way to respond to HAZMAT incidents.

In 2010, the county was set to decide if it should continue to supply funding to repair the vehicle.

The Aiken County HAZMAT team has asked the county for as much as $185,000 for a brand new HAZMAT truck.

Follow this link to watch a news story on this issue:
http://www2.wjbf.com/news/2010/jun/30/aiken-county-hazmat-truck-down-out-service-ar-475323/