HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TECHNICIAN 2

Definition

Under direction of a Hazardous Materials Specialist or supervisor in a Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Program, responds to and/or supervises a team of lower grade technicians responding to releases of hazardous materials requiring the use of chemical protective equipment Level D through A for the purpose of protecting public health, safety, welfare, and the environment; is responsible for the issuance of complete and comprehensive incident reports; does related work as required.

Examples of work

• As a member of a team, responds to hazardous materials emergencies on a 24 hour, 7-day a week basis.
• Performs and/or supervises a team in the emergency measures taken to prevent damage to public health, safety, welfare, and the environment resulting from releases or potential releases of hazardous substances and materials.
• Prepares technically accurate reports regarding responses to hazardous materials emergencies.
• Supervises the preparation of technically accurate reports by lower level technicians regarding responses to hazardous materials emergencies.
• Supervises work operations and/or functional programs, and has responsibility for employee evaluations.
• Trains staff on assigned tasks.
• Operates field monitoring equipment to assess environmental conditions for potential health and safety hazards in a hazardous environment including, but not limited to, organic vapor analyzer, passive dosimeter, personal air monitoring equipment, and photoionization detector.
• Maintains an assuring and calming attitude during periods of stress and emergency.
• Maintains and, as required, supervises the maintenance of equipment vehicles and program facilities.
• Participates in meetings, hearings, seminars, conferences, training sessions, and other gatherings associated with assigned duties.
• Supervises the staff in following established safety rules, regulations, precautions, policies, and procedures in work assignments.
• Performs and/or supervises the inspection of sites to determine compliance with existing hazardous materials rules and regulations.
• Contains and/or supervises the containment of hazardous materials by plugging, patching, and overseeing other measures to stop the release of hazardous material(s) substances into the environment.
• Identifies, classifies, and verifies known and unknown hazardous materials using field monitoring equipment and instruments.
• Prepares and/or supervises the preparation of correspondence in the course of official duties.
• Maintains and, as required, supervises the maintenance of essential records, files, and equipment.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and computerized information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Requirements

Applicants must show completion of Eighty (80) hour Level 3 Haz-Mat Technician training course and basic Incident Command System ICS-300.

Course must be in compliance with any one of the following: National Fire Protection Association 471 standards; revised NFPA 472 standard; 473 standard New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management Occupational Safety and Health Administration Regulations 29 CFR 1910-1206 (q) 6ii. United States Department of Transportation

Experience

Four (4) years of experience responding to and containing releases, spills, or other incidents of exposure to hazardous materials including those involving potential acute hazards to public health or environmental contamination. Such situations will include, but not be limited to, all reports of spills, discharges, and other releases into the environment of oil, petroleum products, and other hazardous materials from any source or cause including pipeline or tank ruptures, train derailments, highway accidents, deliberate illegal dumping of waste (whether free-flowing or drummed), and releases from residential, commercial, government, and industrial sites.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a valid New Jersey driver's license.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of the Incident Command System as it relates to containment of hazardous materials.
• Knowledge of procedures for using self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Knowledge of the relationship and coordination required at state, county, and local levels, as well as with other intra and interstate and federal agencies concerned with or responsible for emergency response programs relating to the discharge and/or release of hazardous materials and/or substances.
• Knowledge of the methods and equipment used to control releases of hazardous materials.
• Knowledge of criteria required for recommending reduction of risk at a hazardous materials incident to a level within the capabilities of available resources.
• Knowledge of the concepts and principles of environmental investigations and sampling techiques, and of the use and calibration of specific equipment and recording, measuring, and testing devices used in monitoring and assessing environmental conditions during periods of emergency.
• Knowledge of federal, state, county, and/or laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards for all aspects of hazardous materials emergency response.
• Knowledge of information needed to develop and implement a decontamination procedure.
• Knowledge of training principles and techniques.
• Knowledge of procedures to follow under the Incident Command System in hazardous materials containment situations.
• Ability to function within an assigned role in the Incident Command System.
• Ability to use and direct the use of self-contained breathing apparatus and other personal safety equipment.
• Ability to follow established safety rules, regulations, precautions, policies, and procedures in work assignments.
• Ability to interpret and apply the rules and regulations pertaining to the production, transportation, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials.
• Ability to prepare clear, accurate, and concise correspondence in the course of official duties.
• Ability to select and use all levels of chemical protective clothing, in addition to any other specialized personal protective equipment provided by the authority having jurisdiction.
• Ability to maintain an assuring and calming attitude during periods of stress and emergency.
• Ability to maintain physical fitness, as required, to perform the essential functions of the job. Fitness shall be determined by a specialized medical physician and as established by applicable health and safety regulations.
• Ability to prepare clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to maintain essential records, files, and equipment.
• Ability to schedule and organize work activities for others.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

Appointees may be required to attend training for additional certifications in a specified timeframe as determined by the appointing authority.

Such training may include but not be limited to: NFPA 1001, Basic Firefighting or equivalent; New Jersey Emergency Medical Technician Certification or equivalent.

An Associate's degree from an accredited college with a major course of study in Biological, Chemical, Environmental, Fire, or Physical Science, or Engineering or minimum of 32 semester hour credits in the areas listed may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.

<b>SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS</b>:

Appointees will be required to carry a personal paging device and must be able to respond to hazardous materials emergencies on a 24 hour, 7-day a week basis.

Appointees will be required to participate in the department's medical surveillance and physical fitness conditioning program pursuant to OSHA Regulation 29 CFR 1910-120 (f).

Appointees will be required to obtain a special driver's license from the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles to operate the type of vehicles assigned to the program within six (6) months of being hired.

The responsibility for ensuring that employees possess the required motor vehicle license, commensurate with the class and type of vehicles they operate, rests with the Appointing Authority.