Hazardous Materials

Special Operations

Mission Statement 

To protect the citizens and first responders of Omaha and the surrounding metropolitan area from chemical, biological and WMD incidents by providing Hazardous Material and WMD Technician level service.

Benefits of the Hazardous Material Response Team:

• Immediate response to chemical, biological, and WMD emergencies to insure public protection
• Professional emergency management with public safety the primary concern
• Public protection with cost recovery from the responsible parties and users of the service

Hazardous Materials Response Units

The Omaha Fire Department currently maintains two Haz-Mat units:

• Rescue 1  
• Rescue 2

The Omaha Fire Department currently maintains a mass casualty decontamination system:

• Rescue 65 and Task Force 65

In addition to performing duties of truck and engine companies, the Haz-Mat Teams and Task Force members also respond to hazardous materials incidents, high angle rescue, confined space rescue, and trench rescue. The Team's functions as a rapid intervention team at working fires and other incidents.

With the exception of the De-Con Team, all units are equipped with state-of-the-art chemical protective clothing, communication devices, chemical detection instruments, and electronic sensing units.

Related Links: 

DOT Guide book 

Chemtrec

CNN report on CBN, 911 - List of countries commonly cited by experts as having probable or known involvement in chemical and/or biological weapons