Trumbull HazMat unit shuts down

Staff report

NEWTON FALLS

The Trumbull County Fire Chiefs Association on Wednesday took its personnel from the Trumbull County HazMat team and Trumbull County Fire Investigative Unit, effectively shutting the units down, over lack of workers’ compensation coverage.

But Richard Bauman, chief of the Newton Falls Joint Fire District, said the fire chiefs are working out an arrangement to get the forces back up, possibly as early as today.

One resolution will be to get waivers from enough departments to provide a minimum of six firefighters for the HazMat team and two for the investigative team.

The waivers would indicate that their government body will cover the individual while on duty with the HazMat team or investigative unit, Bauman said.

Meanwhile, further discussions are taking place among county officials, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the fire chiefs to resolve the issue long-term, Bauman said.

The issue came to a head after a Hubbard firefighter was taken to a hospital for treatment during the response to a train derailment in Newton Falls in March.

That’s when it was discovered the HazMat team was not providing workers’ compensation coverage, Bauman said.

“We want to make sure our people are covered in the event of an injury or incident,” Bauman said.

If a HazMat situation arises before something can be worked out, assistance will be requested from the fire department at the 910th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve base in Vienna and from HazMat teams and fire investigative units outside of Trumbull County, Bauman said.