The team was organized by the Butte County Fire Chiefs' Association beginning in 1989 through the use of a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA). Team members are provided by the various departments: cities of Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Biggs, and Gridley; and the County of Butte/CDF Fire. Funding is provided through the JPA at $.10 per capita (serving 210,000 people of Butte County), Cal EPA grants, and reimbursements. Annual responses number about 120, with drug labs and waste being the main cause of incidents. Other significant incidents include train derailments, tanker overturns, agricultural incidents, and a U-2 which crashed into Oroville.

The team is composed of 33 specialists/technicians and an additional 10 technicians who provide support. The team trains together monthly, and, with the State approved haz mat training grounds at Butte College, training includes a variety of hands-on experiences. The team's use is guided by written operational procedures.

The team is Type 1 and staffs two units. The newer unit, Haz Mat 64, is stationed at the Kelly Ridge CDF Fire/Butte County Station, and Haz Mat 1 (an older unit) is stationed at Chico Station 1.

Regional Response

Through a contract with the Cal EPA, this team is available for response throughout OES Region III (Marysville north to the Oregon border). An expressed need for use should go through the OES with a request for the Dept. of Toxics duty officer to contact the incident commander. If approval is granted, the unit will be dispatch by Toxics with no cost to the requesting jurisdiction. Cal EPA guarantees covering team costs if the requesting jurisdiction will help in securing reimbursement from the responsible party (if possible). This regional concept also involves the Marysville haz mat team, which rotates on call with the Butte County team.

Team Capabilities

Each of our units carries level A and level B suits, allowing us to enter most toxic atmospheres. We also carry proximity suits. The units carry chemical analysis kits, air monitoring and gas detection tools, printed and computer chemical databases, decontamination equipment, and a variety of hand tools. Special equipment includes: chlorine kits, stinger and air drill for fuel tankers, underflow and overflow pipes and valves, and a large amount of absorbents.

The team responds to between 60 and 120 calls per year. The about 30% of our calls are from methamphetamine labs and waste dumps. Other significant calls are railroad and highway oriented.