NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Nashville Fire Department is now credentialed as a State Type 1 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high yield explosives (CBRNE) team.
It took them over 5 years to get the designation.
What does this mean?
This designation acknowledges the Nashville Fire Department's ability to handle hazardous materials and dangerous situations involving CBRNE.
It came from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).
"The Nashville Fire Department has had a HazMat team since 1978, making NFD’s team one of the first in the country.” NFD and Nashville Office of Emergency Management Director, Chief William Swann, said. “With this first-of-its-kind credentialing from TEMA to NFD we are certifying that we are better trained and equipped to handle various dangerous situations."
NFD officials told NewsChannel 5 that they have the most HazMat specialists on their team than any other department in the state, and it requires around 600 hours more training than the standard for trained personnel.
"This qualifies NFD to be utilized as not just a state-wide resource, but could include a resource for neighboring states with the unique equipment, and personnel that go through the rigorous training to mitigate any CBRNE/HazMat incident," NFD told us in a statement.
They said the threat landscape is more complicated now than any time in history, and CBRNE is no longer just confined to "theater of battle in war."
"Foreign states have brought CBRNE to our communities around the globe and these threats will be more complicated in coming years. With NFD training against these threats and getting the very latest technologies to counter these threats puts Nashville on better footing of resilience," NFD officials say.
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-Carrie Sharp
