Hazardous Materials Response Teams
Every county in Pennsylvania must have a minimum of one National Incident Management System Type II state-certified Hazardous Materials Response Team.
Counties can have an unlimited number of state-certified teams tasked with hazardous materials, but must have a minimum of one Type II.
State-certified teams are the only entities allowed to conduct hazardous materials incident response in the commonwealth. State-certified teams can only be officially dispatched to an incident by the county emergency management coordinator or their designated delegate.
Hazardous materials clean-up contractors are not considered response elements in Pennsylvania, unless they are sponsored by one of the 67 counties in the commonwealth and have been certified by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
The team is comprised of hazardous material experts who specialize in detecting, containing, and removing any release or potential release of hazardous substances in order to control or stabilize an incident.
Teams must certify as one of the following National Incident Management System team types:
Type I – The highest level of certification. Teams at this level may respond to and mitigate any incident in Pennsylvania, including weapons of mass destruction hazardous materials incidents.
Type II – All counties are required to have a minimum of one Type II team. At this level, teams can respond to and mitigate both known and unknown hazardous materials incidents, except those which have been determined to be weapons of mass destruction.
Type III – The lowest level in Pennsylvania, Type III can respond to known hazardous materials incidents only, and cannot mitigate incidents that present a vapor or chemical hazard. Those incidents require the highest levels of personal protective ensembles and respirator protection (Level A).
Use the coverage map to see certified Hazardous Materials Teams in Pennsylvania and determine who responds to incidents in your area.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency's certification program requires Hazardous Materials Response Teams to recertify every four years.
Certification is conducted in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Incident Management System team typing for hazardous materials response teams, National Fire Protection Association standards, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
All state-certified personnel are required to meet federal requirements for Hazardous Materials Response Teams and technicians as outlined by the National Incident Management System.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency also requires all personnel to train in accordance with National Fire Protection Association standards for:
- Hazardous materials awareness
- Operations
- Technicians
- Safety officers
- Incident commanders
For information about the Hazardous Materials Response Teams, email Brian Feist at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team
This highly trained aerial search and rescue team provides an air asset for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation to respond to natural and manmade disasters.
The Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, k nown as PA-HART, is a joint partnership between the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, along with credentialed civilian rescue technicians.
PA-HART can respond at the request of a county emergency management coordinator.
For information about the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, email Gregory Davis, External Operations Director at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Incident Management Team
A Type 3 Incident Management Team composed of commonwealth employees who are trained to respond to incidents.
Assists the authority having jurisdiction in management of the incident, so that it can be turned back over to that authority.
Maintains a cache of equipment to support incident management capabilities without placing a burden on the affected jurisdiction.
Equipment can be configured in different ways to support a particular incident. Main components include:
- Office Trailers with Satellite Communications capability (2)
- Office Trailers for work space (2)
- 32' Cache trailer that serves as the mobile logistics section (1)
- 24' Trailers to haul the Western Shelter Tents (2)
- 20' “Short Team Trailer” (1)F-350 Prime Movers (5)
- F-550 Prime Mover with mobile fueling capability (1)
- 24' Box truck with lift gate (1)
- Western Shelter 1935 Gatekeeper shelters with HVAC (2)
- Western Shelter 20’ Shelter with HVAC (2)
- Cache palletized for truck shipment (1)
Pennsylvania Emergency Management is the lead agency, with a strategic partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Incident Management Team to share team members.
The team is supported by other commonwealth agencies, including:
- Department of Aging
- Department of Corrections
- Department of General Services
- Department of Health
- Department of Human Services
- Office of the State Fire Commissioner
- Pennsylvania State Police
When major emergencies or disasters occur and effect areas of the commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Incident Management Team has the following team response capabilities:
- Two Rapid Assessment Units to gain situational awareness, determine the need for an incident management team(s), advise the State Emergency Operations Center of any other previously unidentified shortfalls in resources or organization, and provide technical incident management assistance. This unit onsists of two to four team members filling various Incident Command System positions in a four-wheel drive vehicle capable of self-sustaining operations for three days.
- Two All-Hazard Incident Management Teams Advance to assist the local, county, regional, and/or state incident commander with incident management operations. An all-hazard (Type 3) team consists of eight Incident Command System positions, staffed with eight or 16 team members capable of 12- or 24-hour operations in two four-wheel drive vehicles with command trailers. The team will be capable of self-sustaining operations for three days.
- Combination of a Rapid Assessment Unit and All-Hazard Incident Management Team Advance to gain situational awareness, assist the local, county, regional, and/or state incident commander with incident management operations, determine the need for any additional incident management team(s), advise the State Emergency Operations Center of any other previously non-identified shortfalls in resources or organization, and provide technical incident management assistance for two or more incidents at a time. This combination response will consist of a two to four member RAU in a 4-wheel drive vehicle; plus an IMT-A of eight ICS positions staffed with eight or 16 team members capable of 12 or 24 hour operations in two 4-wheel drive vehicles with command trailers. Both Team components will be capable of self-sustaining operations for three days.
- All-Hazard Incident Management Team to assist the local, county, regional, or state incident commander(s) with incident management operations for Type 1, 2, or 3 disasters, incidents, emergencies, and/or events. An All-Hazard IMT consists of 18 ICS positions staffed with 19/ or 37 team members capable of 12 or 24 hour operations with five 4-wheel drive vehicles with command trailers. The IMT will be capable of self-sustaining operations for three days.
- Technical Specialists to provide guidance and assistance to the local, county, regional, or state emergency operations with technical support in operations, planning, logistics, and/or finance and administration. Operation Section Chiefs, Planning Section Chiefs, Resource Unit Leaders, Food Unit Leaders, and other position specific specialists are the typical technical specialists that will be deployed. Their mission is to bring expertise and experience in a specific area of incident management to the local, county, regional, or state incident management organization.
Incident/Event Management
- Provide incident command technical assistance during major natural and manmade emergencies and disasters, or planned events. Can be provided for local incident and unified command, regional counter terrorism task forces, area operations, state agencies, and state joint field offices for management operations.
- Provide incident management technical assistance to state agencies when unified command is required by the incident or event.
- Establish and operate an area command for state resources deployed during a major emergency or disaster.
- Provide incident management operations for:
- Mass casualty operations
- Multiple county Department of Environmental Protection/Environmental Protection Agency response to multiple hazardous materials incidents
- Multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency large-scale exercises
- Provide personnel to incident management organizations at the local, county, region, area, or state levels. Can fill the following positions during incident and events: branch directors, division/group supervisors, and strike team/task force leaders.
- Provide incident management support during national emergency or disaster to Emergency Management Assistance Compact resources deployed out of state.
- Provide incident management support during a state major emergency and disaster to intrastate mutual aid resources deployed in the commonwealth, state Emergency Operations Centers, activations. We provide command staff, section chiefs, branch directors, resource unit leaders, situation unit leaders, facilities unit leaders, division/groupsupervisors, and strike team/task force leaders.
- Manage relocation operations for the State Emergency Operations Center. when needed.
- Provide a rapid assessmentteam for situational awareness during incidents and events to the State Emergency Operations Center, other state agencies, and area offices.
- Provide technical specialists for other local, county, region, area, and state incident management organizations. We can help with these subject areas: law enforcement, fire operations, rescue operations, hazardous materials operations, safety operations, and emergency medical service operations.
Multi-Agency Coordination
- Assist counties with emergency operations centers and multi-agency resource center operations. Provide incident command technical assistance during major emergencies and disasters.
- Establish and manage a state multi-agency coordination system at the state level or in the field.
Catastrophic Logistics Response
- Establish and manage a logistical staging area for the commonwealth in coordination with federal operating staging areas.
- Assist counties with establishing and managing county staging to support point-of-distrubution operations.
- Establish and manage points-of-distrubution in identified disaster areas.
- Provide situational awareness and contingency planning for impending and ongoing statewide emergencies or disasters.
Email Incident Management Team Administrator Gregory Pijar with questions or for more information about the Pennsylvania Incident Management Team.
Urban Search and Rescue
The Pennsylvania urban search and rescue system is comprised of teams that are coordinated primarily through the eight regional task forces throughout the state. Pennsylvania has one Federal Emergency Management Agency team: PA Task Force 1.
The Pennsylvania Emergency management Agency sets standards for and oversees managing of urban search and rescue teams. However, they are managed operationally at the regional level.
They range in size, the smallest team consisting of six members and the largest at 20 members. Most have around 10 individuals.
To be consistent, all in-state teams follow the same standards that the federal teams do. While the in-state teams don't contain all of the same positions as the federal teams, they adhere to federal position descriptions where applicable.
Pennsylvania Task Force 1 is coordinated through the Philadelphia Fire Department, and is one of 28 federal teams available nationwide.
The task force responds within Pennsylvania as well as throughout the nation, as needed, for disasters and other emergencies.
To get involved with Task Force 1, you need to be part of either the sponsoring agency (Philadelphia Fire Department) or a participating agency such as one of the other fire departments or other organizations that support the team.
Task Force 1 will occasionally solicit for membership from the in-state urban search and rescue system when they have positions available that are not filled from their primary pool of candidates.
Use the online form to contact Task Force 1, or call them at 215-683-9245.
