HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TECHNICIAN 1

Definition

Under direction of a Hazardous Materials Technician 2 or supervisor in a Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Program responds to and may take a lead role over lower grade technicians or a team of technicians from other agencies 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.
• Implements emergency response plans and procedures.
• Performs those emergency measures taken to contain hazardous materials and prevent damage to public health, safety, welfare, and the environment resulting from releases or potential releases of hazardous substances and materials.
• Identifies, classifies, and verifies known and unknown hazardous materials using field monitoring equipment and instruments.
• Contains hazardous material releases by plugging, patching, or other measures to stop the release of hazardous material(s) substances into the environment.
• Operates more sophisticated field monitoring equipment such as HAZ. CAT. (chemical identification) kit, organic vapor analyzer, either photoionization or flameionization units, and so forth, to assess environmental conditions for potential health and safety.
• Attends training sessions associated with assigned duties.
• Trains lower level Hazardous Materials Responders on the basic use of instruments, equipment, and gear.
• Maintains an assuring and calming attitude during periods of stress and emergency.
• Follows established safety rules, regulations, precautions, policies, and procedures in work assignments.
• Prepares and/or assists in the preparation of timely and 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.
• Prepares correspondence in the course of official duties.
• Performs site inspections to determine compliance with existing hazardous materials rules and regulations.
• Maintains essential records, files, and equipment.
• Maintains equipment, vehicles, and program facilities.
• 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-200.

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

Two (2) 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 appropriate chemical protective gear to Level A, as well as any other specialized personal protective equipment to be used at the scene of a hazardous materials incident.
• Knowledge of those procedures for making hazard and risk assessments.
• Knowledge of the chemical, toxicological, biological, and radiological affects of hazardous substances into the environment.
• Knowledge of established safety procedures and guidelines.
• Knowledge of criteria required for recommending reduction of risk at a hazardous materials incident.
• Knowledge of the field maintenance and testing procedures for the monitoring equipment such as combustible gas meters, organic vapor analyzer, and so forth.
• Knowledge of the physical and psychological stresses that can affect users of specialized protective clothing.
• Knowledge of the testing, maintenance, and storage procedures for chemical protective clothing up to and including Level A.
• Knowledge of safety procedures for personnel wearing Level A chemical protective clothing.
• Knowledge of procedures for inspecting and maintaining self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Knowledge of the procedures for maintaining and testing the tools and equipment such as air compressors, generators, self-contained breathing apparatus, and so forth.
• Knowledge of information needed to develop and implement a decontamination procedure.
• Ability to develop a site safety plan.
• Ability to classify, identify, and verify known and unknown materials by using advanced monitoring equipment including organic vapor analyzer, passive dosimeter, personal air monitoring equipment, and photoionization detectors.
• Ability to function within an assigned role in the Incident Command System.
• Ability to understand and interpret chemical, toxicological, biological, and radiological terminology.
• Ability to follow established safety rules, regulations, precautions, policies, and procedures in work assignments.
• Ability to perform specialized hazardous materials containment within the capabilities of the resources and personal protective equipment available.
• Ability to implement record keeping and perform incident termination procedures.
• Ability to function as the safety officer at the scene of a hazardous materials incident.
• Ability to define the basic emergency medical care required at the scene of a hazardous materials incident.
• Ability to interpret and apply the rules and regulations pertaining to the production, transportation, storage, use, and disposal of hazardous materials.
• Ability to perform a hazard analysis and develop a plan to handle a hazardous materials incident from any facility that uses, stores, or manufactures hazardous materials, or a transportation corridor.
• Ability to evaluate information received from onsite and offsite sources and implement appropriate action in response to the information received.
• Ability to select and interpret pertinent data on each hazardous material using information sources provided to the technician.
• Ability to prepare clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• 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 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 Associates'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 thirty-two (32) semester hour credits in the areas listed may be substituted for two (2) years of 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.