The Danville Fire Department has recently upgraded their Hazardous Materials Response capabilities from an Operations Level Team to a Technician Level Team.  This upgrade enables the Hazardous Material Technicians to operate, if deemed safe, in a offensive mode compared to the Operations Level Team that operates at strictly a  defensive mode.  This team will now be able to respond to incidents, and if deemed appropriate, may opt to take measures that include such things as patch and plug leaks, cap off leaking valves and doing the offensive measures that may be needed to actually stop leaks.  In the past the Operations Level Team was limited to Dyking and Damming spills to avoid the spill from extending, as well as placing absorbents on the spill to help stop the spread until Technician or Clean Up Teams could arrive to mitigate the incident.  Even though the Technician Team may operate in an offensive fashion, a Environmental Clean Up Company will still be notified to conduct the actual clean up of the product.

      Danville has 23 personnel trained to the Technician Level and their primary response area will consist of Vermilion County. Although their primary response area is Vermilion County, the team belongs to a  a Statewide MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) response team which makes them subject to responses Statewide or Nationwide in the event of a major Incident.  MABAS was requested to send mutual aid personnel to New Orleans in Sept-Oct 2005. During this response, Danville Fire sent 5 personnel to New Orleans to assist in Fire Operations.

      Danville joined MABAS in 2005 and since that time has received approximately $230,000 in equipment, a $32,000 Trailer, $50,000 Tow Vehicle as well as approx $50,000 currently in training money. This money has come through MABAS from Homeland Security and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force. Thanks go out to the City of Danville and Mayor Eisenhauer,  who enthusiastically agreed to allow us to develop the Team!.