The mission of the Hanford Fire Department (HFD) is to support the activities of the Hanford Site by providing emergency incident management, fire suppression, fire prevention and fire safety education, emergency rescue, emergency medical service, hazardous materials response, respiratory protection equipment maintenance and service, and maintenance and testing of the site's fire detection and suppression systems.
Scope and Objectives
Scope
The Hanford Fire Department's work scope includes the preservation of life by immediate on-the-scene emergency medical treatment of the sick and injured, control and extinguishment of fires, stabilization and control of hazardous materials incidents, on-scene incident command and control, and continuation of an active fire protection testing, inspection and maintenance program that minimizes potential property losses and eliminates unsafe conditions within the 560 square mile Hanford Site.
Objectives
- The objectives of the HFD are to ensure emergency life safety and the protection of site property and the environment through the performance of:
- Incident command and control
- Fire suppression -- structural and urban interface
- Emergency medical response, treatment and patient transport
- Hazardous materials spill or release response, containment, and control
- Chemical and biological agent identification, monitoring, containment, and decontamination
- Confined space and high and low angle technical rescue
- Functional testing and preventive and corrective maintenance of life safety fire protection systems
- Preventive maintenance and repair of emergency warning sirens
- Pre-fire planning and inspections of facilities and ignitable and reactive waste sites
- Fire and life safety permitting processes
- Fire prevention, fire investigation, and employee fire prevention education
- Pre-incident risk assessments and analysis to include design and plans review
- Respiratory protection equipment servicing, modification, maintenance, and repair
Overview
The Hanford Fire Department (HFD) is an industrial fire department which provides emergency response support to the 560-square-mile Hanford Site in south central Washington. This means that we must be qualified to meet the requirements of a municipal department as well as the unique specialities of a nuclear/industrial complex such as Hanford. A large risk on this site is posed by wildland fires and hazardous materials incidents. Thus, the fire officers and firefighters must be multi-disciplined and cross-trained to fill a variety of duties.
Unique to the fire and medical emergency services are a number of federal, state, and nationally recognized competency and consensus standards, mandated by Department of Energy (DOE) Orders, which are used in designing and delivering training programs. Some of these are:
- DOE Orders and Implementing Directives (DOE Orders 420.1 and 440.1A; RLID 420.1)
- Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR 1910 & 29 CFR 1926)
- State of Washington (WAC 296-305 & WAC 246-976)
- Mid-Columbia EMS Council (All EMS Training/ Certification)
- National Fire Protection Association (Codes and Standards)
- Site Specific Training (General employee and facility specific)
The HFD is the authority having jurisdiction to implement actions deemed necessary to prevent loss of life, minimize damage, and terminate various site emergencies such as fires, hazardous waste events, and emergency medical incidents.
Specific functions of the department include: incident command and control; fire suppression; emergency medical services and ambulance support; technical rescue; hazardous materials identification, containment, and stabilization; fire prevention and code compliance; ignitable and reactive waste site inspections; fire investigations and inspections; corrective and preventive maintenance of life safety fire protection systems; acceptance and operational assurance testing of life safety fire protection systems; and operability assurance of respiratory protection equipment.
All emergency response personnel meet the requirements of NFPA 1001, Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, as a minimum, and National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Wildland Firefighter II, National Red Card qualifications.
The HFD Hazardous Materials Response Team personnel meet the NFPA 471 and 472, Professional Qualifications for Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents Standards at the Technical Level. Team personnel have also been trained to respond to military chemical and biological hazards incidents.
Technical rescue personnel have been trained to perform confined space and low and high angle rope rescues.
Emergency medical responders are trained to the EMT level and, with our nine paramedics (most of whom are nationally certified), are available to respond to the emergency medical needs of the site population on a 24-hour basis.
Organizational Structure
The Hanford Fire Department has four program elements: the Operations Division, the Fire Systems Testing and Maintenance Division, the Managerial and Administration division, and the Fire Prevention Division.
The Operations Division is responsible for fire suppression, hazardous materials response, emergency medical response, and special rescue support activities, and operates on a 24-hour a day, 3-platoon work schedule in four strategically located fire stations.
The Fire Systems Testing and Maintenance Division is responsible for the functional testing, inspection, and preventive and repair maintenance activities for Hanford Site fire alarm and suppression systems to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) standards and requirements. In addition, this element performs annual inspection of site fire extinguishers, provides emergency response backup for suppression, ambulance and hazardous materials response support, and maintains all firefighter training certifications.
The Fire Prevention Division is managed by the Hanford Site Fire Marshal and is responsible for all fire prevention activities, including the building tour and inspection program. This position maintains authority to issue corrective actions and enforce the fire prevention program for the Hanford Site.
The Fire Prevention Division also:
- Performs those senior level management activities necessary to ensure that the interests of the Hanford Site are maintained in accordance with prescribed fire protection and prevention criteria;
- Provides technical expertise to achieve the DOE's fire protection goals and requirements; and
- Establishes requirements that provide an acceptable degree of life safety to DOE and contractor personnel and to the public from fire in DOE facilities.
The Managerial and Administration Division is responsible for the financial planning, administrative, training, safety, and logistical program requirements of the Hanford Fire Department.
This element:
- Provides administrative, professional, and technical support to all fire department programs; determines long range strategic plans for the fire department; plans and implements personal and professional development and motivational programs to enhance career growth opportunities;
- Ensures that all Hanford Fire Department activities are performed in a manner ensuring the safety of department personnel; provides continuous oversight to all department programs;
- Provides overall leadership and control of fire, hazardous materials and medical emergencies as the senior command officer in charge; and
- Assures that the necessary equipment and resources are available for the efficient and effective operation of the Hanford Fire Department.
Contact the Hanford Fire Department: HanfordFire@rl.gov
