After writing this column for the past 15 years, I have come across several fire departments across the country that are not only unique but are proactive as well. Sometimes, after hearing about a new delivery, I travel the road back to one of those departments to investigate and write an addition article about the organization.
One of those organizations is the Broward (FL) Sheriff’s Office’s Department of Fire Rescue (BSO DFR).
Department History
The BSO DFR was created in October 2003 when all operational and administrative responsibilities were transferred from the Broward County Board of County Commissioners to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. The department’s more than 700 personnel provide fire suppression, fire protection, EMS, and educational programs for most of the unincorporated areas of Broward County and also, through contract agreements, to the municipalities of Weston, Pembroke Park, Cooper City, Lauderdale Lakes, Dania Beach, and Deerfield Beach. They also cover the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the Port Everglades area. Port Everglades is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, is a leading container port in Florida, and is among the most active cargo ports in the United States. Port Everglades is also south Florida’s main seaport for receiving petroleum products including gasoline and jet fuel.
According to Division Chief Robert Quitoni, who is in charge of fleet and equipment, and Fleet Coordinator Victor Goizueta, the BSO DFR began the process of designing a new haz-mat vehicle to meet its needs both in the Port Everglades area and throughout the county in 2012. Quitoni stated that they had a basic featherlite trailer pulled by a commercial tractor and wanted a more compact vehicle with a command center built into the body, which would be more conducive to their operations. The process took between six and eight months.
In addition to the fleet services division chief and maintenance fleet coordinator, the chief asked for volunteers from the haz-mat company to be part of the apparatus design and spec committee. Together, they worked with the local dealer, Hall-Mark, and E-ONE on the design.
Funding for the unit was obtained through the Florida State Sheriff’s procurement program. By doing this, manufacturing would remain in Florida with a local manufacturer, in this case E-ONE, as long as they are part of the program. Things went much more quickly because the department did not have to go out to bid, and it also saved time with visiting the factory only a few hours away. E-ONE also had a local dealer, Hall-Mark, which BSO DFR has a maintenance agreement with.
Vehicle Features
“The new haz-mat unit, known as Haz Mat 17, was designed with a great deal more capability than our older unit,” states Quitoni. “We wanted the command area of the unit to be big enough to have all of the crew members sit in the cab area and begin evaluations of an incident while responding from quarters. We wanted them to have wireless capability, satellite TV, cell phones, computers, a weather station, a bigger generator, a light tower with closed-circuit television (CCTV), and canopies on both sides of the body of the truck.”
The vehicle also has additional storage compartments as well as coffin compartments on top. It is able to carry Class A and B suits as well as all of the other equipment that personnel need to operate.
“Our committee traveled to E-ONE in Ocala several times, for the prebuild conference, the mid-build, and a final inspection,” Quitoni says. “We have nothing but good things to say about E-ONE and Hall-Mark. They helped us out throughout the process. All in all, the build took about eight to nine months. What is good about Hall-Mark is that they perform all of our maintenance in house, which saves us the time of having to physically drive to their facility.”
Traditionally, Haz Mat 17 will respond to the accidental or intentional release of dangerous biological, chemical, or nuclear agents into the environment. On any given day, the unit can respond to liquid and gaseous agents spills that are the result of container failure, collisions, and human error. It has a 20-foot boom with CCTV camera that can reveal from a distance what is occurring on scene.
The unit is part of the BSO DRF special operations command and is housed at the regional hazardous materials team station in Ft. Lauderdale.
“The training for the unit was developed by us in conjunction with Target Training Solutions,” Quitoni says, “and was put into a PowerPoint® presentation. All firefighters and officers are put through this three-day course to learn the operation and capabilities of this new unit. All of the haz-mat team members also go through several hundred hours of additional training to be part of the team.”
Improved Service
The unit has worked out well for the department. It will probably handle more than 500 runs per year, responding throughout the 528 square miles of the county and surrounding Port Everglades areas.
As you can see, this fire department has, as I like to say, a target rich environment. With an international airport and the Port Everglades area to be concerned about, members really have to be proactive in the area of hazardous materials. The essential design of the vehicle was the result of a great deal of preplanning on the part of the chiefs, fleet director, and committee members. Because of this, the new vehicle should serve BSO DFR well into the future.
Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (NY) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol, and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. He is a life member of the IAFC.
The vehicle has an inside storage area behind the command area in the cab. (Photo by Mike Jachles, Broward County Sheriff Fire Rescue.)
BSP DFR Hazmat 17 Specs
Broward (FL) Sheriff’s Office Department of Fire Rescue
To read more from Bob Vaccaro, visit www.firefighternation.com/author/bob-vaccaro.
