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Columbus HAZMAT team seeks state homeland security grant for new radiation and air-testing gear
Summary
A Columbus Division of Fire HAZMAT technician said the department applied for a State Homeland Security Program grant to acquire radiation detectors and air-sampling test equipment to improve identification of explosives, chemical agents and fentanyl on-scene.
Derek Lotz, a HAZMAT technician with the Columbus Division of Fire, told attendees at the division’s awards banquet that the department put in an application under the State Homeland Security Program for specialized detection equipment intended to improve responder safety.
"We were able to put in for some new radiation equipment, which will be very beneficial to our firefighters," Lotz said. He added the grant request included instruments "that will allow us to do testing for explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, and even be able to pull those products out of the air and test them out of the air." Lotz said earlier detection would help identify fentanyl products more quickly "therefore keeping our responders safer."
Lotz described the breadth of HAZMAT runs the team handles, from small fuel spills to rail incidents and potential white-powder threats. He said the station’s HAZMAT team typically has 10 people on duty each day and that the requested equipment would expand the team’s ability to sample and analyze airborne hazards rather than relying solely on liquid or solid samples.
The department did not announce the grant award status at the banquet. Lotz said the application was submitted through the State Homeland Security Program, a federally supported grant program many jurisdictions use to request equipment that benefits terrorism- and hazard-response capabilities.
If funded, the equipment would be used for on-scene testing to guide responder protective measures and evidence collection; presenters emphasized the goal of reducing exposure risk to crews while improving the speed and specificity of identification.
No dollar amounts or award timelines were announced during the presentation.
