Hazmat Technician

Hazardous Material Responder, Technician

Support the mission of the Department of Emergency Services; to promote and assist in providing safety and security to Chester County citizens so they can work, live, and grow in a healthy and safe community. The Hazardous Material Responder, Technician will respond to releases or potential releases of hazardous materials for the purpose of mitigating and stabilizing the incident.

All Department of Emergency Services employees are essential personnel and may be required to work during non-business hours for extended periods of time. Essential employee duties may involve assignments within the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), deployment to a field location, or other duties as required during periods of emergencies or training/exercise. Emergency assignments may be performed under adverse conditions, continue for periods ranging from a few hours to several weeks, and may require travel.

This position requires availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Essential Duties

• Be able to operate in specialized chemical protective clothing and operate specialized control equipment.
• Adhere to HMRT Standard Operating Procedures.
• Attend team training sessions or other training as required or available to maintain skills at the Hazardous Materials Technician level as defined by Department of Emergency Services policy.
• Respond to hazardous material spills, releases or potential spills or releases or to unknown substances that could be a hazardous material and complete appropriate mitigation steps as directed.
• Assist in conducting and documenting hazard and risk assessments.
• Assist with routine checks, inspections, maintenance, and documentation of HMRT apparatus, supplies, and equipment.
• Assist with the Emergency Operations Center's activations and drills.
• Perform other duties, tasks, and special projects, as assigned.

Qualifications/Preferred Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED).
• Six or more months of job related experience and/or training.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 470 Hazardous Materials Technician or equivalent or ability to obtain within one (1) year of hire
• Complete any on-boarding requirements as defined in the HMRT Standard Operating Procedures.
• All DES employees must successfully complete the following FEMA course within 6 months of hire:
• IS100 – Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS200 – ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• IS700– National Incident Management System, An Introduction
• IS800 – National Response Framework, An Introduction
• IS2200 – Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
• Basic first aid training and certification (or ability to obtain within 1 year).
• CPR training and certification (or ability to obtain within 1 year).
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team and proceed with objectives.
• Accurate and detail oriented with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Complete an annual Hazmat physical.
• Ability to establish priorities and remain focused on daily operations
• Flexible, with an ability to carry multiple tasks to completion on time.
• Able to use common sense judgement to carry out written or verbal instructions.
• Exhibits a willingness to learn new tasks.
• Professionalism, integrity, and honesty with an ability to handle confidential matters.
• Preferred Skills, Knowledge & Experience:
• Associate degree in chemistry, fire science, or another related field.
• Two or more years of job-related experience, strongest preference for roles in emergency management or the public safety field.
• General knowledge and understanding of County of Chester policies and procedures.
• General working knowledge and understanding of the County of Chester and the Department of Emergency Services' mission, vision, values, and goals.
• General working knowledge of Chester County public safety agencies, their mission, vision, and goals as well as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Additional Information

Relevant background checks, clearances, physicals, drug tests, and any other assessments or evaluations will be conducted after an offer of employment is given per County policy. Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have:

• Basic Office Suite Skills (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Explorer).
• Basic Outlook Skills (Email and Calendar)
• Ability to quickly learn internal proprietary software used by the fire services division, and the department of emergency services. (Inova, Everbridge, PeopleSoft).

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to stand, sit, walk, work with machinery, talk, see, and hear. At times the employee will need to bend, twist, or rotate at the waist, kneel, stoop, crouch, or squat, climb stairs, lift items weighing up to 50 pounds, push and carry items, work with an uncommon level of noise, and smell. The special requirements for this position are:

• Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less).
• Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors).
• Ability to recognize and identify the audible and visual signals.
• Depth perception (three-dimensional vision ability to judge distances and spatial relationships).
• Ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus.
• Able to function while wearing respiratory protection face mask.

Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet but can be moderate to loud depending on the assignment. Work assignments can change rapidly.

• Will be required to work outside for extended periods in all weather conditions at all hours of the day and night in order to mitigate hazardous materials emergencies.
• Will need to inspect outside damage to structures and/or environment.
• Will be required to operate a motor vehicle; at times this may include hazardous driving conditions.
• May be exposed to fumes or airborne particles.
• May be exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals.
• Will be exposed to burnt materials that normally include hazardous smoke and fumes.
• Ability to attend meetings on site and off site (various hours).

Other: Will occasionally be required to work extended hours, nights, weekends, and holidays. Driver's license required to drive from site to site.