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Deputy chief outlines move to online MSDS system; commissioners assent to phased transition
Summary
Deputy Chief Altman told the commission the department will begin shifting chemical safety data sheets (SDS/MSDS) into a commercial e‑binder, keeping physical binders as an OSHA‑recommended backup. The change is intended to improve access during hazmat responses and provide automatic update notices from manufacturers.
Deputy Chief Altman told the Public Safety and Fire Commission that the Marshfield Fire Rescue Department will begin transitioning its material safety data sheets (MSDS/SDS) into a commercial electronic “e‑binder” while keeping printed binders as a backup. The move, Altman said, would make up‑to‑date SDS material available to responders on scene and provide notifications when manufacturers update sheets.
Altman said the Municipal Electric Association arranged the program and that participation is available because the city has a municipal electric utility. He described the e‑binder as a searchable database of more than two million chemicals that the department could access on mobile devices during hazmat responses where the exact chemical is not locally stocked.
The change was presented as an operational decision driven by safety and access. Altman said he called OSHA’s Madison office to confirm that printed SDS must be “readily available, 24 hours a day” for emergencies, and that OSHA told him printed binders are still required if the department cannot “guarantee your Internet will never go down and all the computers will work.” Altman said his plan is to keep the printed binders as the guaranteed backup while using the e‑binder for updates and rapid chemical lookup during hazmat incidents.
Commissioners verbally agreed to proceed with a phased transition, and Altman said the new health and safety committee will begin migrating content: printing updated sheets supplied by the vendor, removing obsolete paper sheets, and placing the e‑binder content on apparatus and station computers. He said the department will keep printed binders until it can reliably demonstrate redundant electronic access.
The presentation emphasized the e‑binder’s operational value for hazmat responses beyond station inventories, and included an assurance that the department will retain physical copies if the Internet or on‑scene terminals could be unavailable. No formal ordinance or vote was recorded on the item during the meeting.
