Dunn County LEPC reviews hazmat training, new calibration equipment and 13 closed spill reports

Menominee Fire representatives updated Dunn County’s Local Emergency Planning Committee on recent hazmat training, equipment and staffing and provided a six-month rundown of 13 spill incidents, all reported closed.

Matt Poliak, Menominee Fire, told the LEPC the department “did conduct that training on June 18 at ConAgra. It was a simulated ammonia release.” He said the exercise included both full-time and off‑duty crews and ConAgra response teams and that organizers plan to run another exercise with the facility in the next year or two.

Poliak also said the department acquired a new meter calibration station “for all of our hazardous meters” through the county hazmat grant, which simplifies what he described as a monthly calibration process for about “12 meters that require a monthly calibration.” He described a Dec. 9 hazmat meters refresher taught by an instructor from Fox Valley Technical College and said the trainer will likely return annually.

Poliak reported five new hires, with three still completing schooling, and said those additions will raise daily staffing levels from nine toward ten per shift; he said the Menominee City Council approved three additional staff and the department expects to train the new staff to hazmat operations and eventually tech levels over the next two years.

Coordinator Jason Spetz gave a chronology of 13 spill reports since the June meeting and stated that, to his knowledge, all cases listed are now closed. Incidents included a June 15 underground fire-system leak with water containing PFAS (reported as 3,000 gallons), a June 19 milk release on I‑94, a June 25 human‑error PFAS release (~30 gallons), a July 4 release of 5,000 gallons of 28% nitrogen fertilizer at a private residence, a July 9 vehicle crash releasing 25 tons of dry fertilizer, a July 15 processed cooling-water release at Cardinal Glass (reported as 1,200 gallons in the LEPC summary), several diesel fuel spills in late summer and fall (ranging from about 15 to 70 gallons), a September 11 sanitary/industrial waste manhole leak (about 30 gallons) and November trucking leaks of manure. Spetz said many of the reported incidents originate via the Wisconsin DNR hotline and that the DNR maintains a public spills website with reports and photographs.

Matthew Crowe, environmental compliance manager at Cardinal Glass, clarified the July 15 event, saying the release was process cooling water routed to the municipal system and not raw sewage; the facility used hoses and a manhole to divert about 4,500 gallons until a sewer line was repaired.

The committee did not vote on operational policy during the update; members discussed opportunities for industry-hosted exercises and training and for the county to pursue additional grant-funded tabletop training.

What’s next: the LEPC is awaiting the result of a Wisconsin Emergency Management grant application for $9,000 to support a countywide hazmat tabletop exercise; if awarded, staff expect to schedule larger-scale training in 2025–26.