University Park, Pa. -- When Dave Shultz's pager beeps, his first thought often is of a possible terrorist incident.
"I know it's not likely here, but since 9-11, it's hard to keep those thoughts out of your mind," said Shultz, a 32-year veteran of Penn State Police and an original member of Penn State's HazMat Response Team. "I definitely think about it. In today's climate, everyone, not just public safety personnel, should in his or her day-to-day activities be cognizant of the possibility. Terrorist incidents don't have to be limited to the city. They could occur here. You can never rule that out. The hardest thing is to anticipate and be prepared. As HazMat team members we have to be prepared for any possibility and I think we are."
The Penn State HazMat Team was established on the University Park campus in 1985 to handle incidents involving hazardous materials -- specifically any liquid, gas, solid, dust or vapor that can damage or destroy by explosion, fire, corrosion or toxic reaction.
In 1993 the University entered into an agreement for the team to serve as the Centre County HazMat Team. It now is responsible for responding to HazMat emergencies on campus and throughout the county.
The team, which is certified by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, consists of 22 members, all Penn State employees and all volunteers. They represent various departments, including Penn State Police, Environmental Health and Safety, Office of Physical Plant, Department of Chemical Engineering, Office of Student Affairs and the Applied Research Lab. Many have backgrounds in firefighting, emergency medical services, law enforcement and environmental health and safety, and have joined the team as a means of continuing to provide this service.
Team members carry pagers and are available 24-hours a day, year-round. When called, some respond to the HazMat team building, located on Services Road, while others may go directly to the scene.
"The key to our effectiveness in handling hazardous materials in an emergency situation is the dedication and skill of our team members," said Maurine Claver, director of Environmental Health and Safety, and team administrator. "They have a real desire and interest in providing emergency service and protecting the public. Each team member has received extensive specialized HazMat training, including regular monthly training and other regional and national courses. With this level of skill and their close proximity to the University, they can provide response measures, within minutes, to hazardous materials incidents. These initial minutes are critical in reducing the extent and scope of impacts from these emergencies.
"The commitment of the staff and the team can't be overemphasized when you see them wearing full protective suits during training in mid-July or working a 12-hour shift on an emergency call," said Claver. "We are trained to respond quickly to emergencies with chemists and others on the team who are specialists in hazardous materials such as radioactive materials, chemical hazards and biological agents. By providing this service, we can protect ourselves and the community in which we live."
The team's primary response vehicle is a New York City fire truck from Engine Company 41, which lost a number of firefighters in the 9-11 tragedy. It was purchased for $11,500 and, with contributions from local industries and the University, was refurbished at a cost of $215,000. The bright yellow fire truck, now converted into a fully functional HazMat emergency response vehicle, is equipped with monitoring equipment for chemical, biological and radiological material, various personal protective clothing and an on-board computer for accessing various databases.
According to Ron Schreffler, an investigator with the Penn State Police Criminal Investigations Unit and team chief, the team, considered to be one of the most qualified response teams in Pennsylvania based on its technical expertise, responds to an average of 12 to 15 calls annually. Approximately 25 percent of the calls are associated with Penn State, while many of the others involve truck spills resulting from accidents on Interstate 80.
"If there is a situation that involves the release of hazardous material that may affect the environment or the possibility of a release, we are called and our job is to mitigate the emergency," he said. "If there is a leak, we stop it and control it. We often are called simultaneously with a fire company after a decision is made at the scene.
"The HazMat team does not operate independently. We are dispatched in conjunction with fire companies, police and ambulance services. We fall under the county's incident command system and are part of the structure. Our role in an emergency situation is to handle hazardous materials."
While Pennsylvania requires a minimum of 10 HazMat technicians to respond to a call, Schreffler said the Penn State team usually has 15 to 17 members responding.
"Unless they are out of town, they will be there," he said. He recalls cutting short a New Year's Eve dinner in response to a fire in Spring Mills, where a large oil tank sprung a major leak and created the potential for oil to spill into Spring Creek. The team was able to contain the problem.
Shultz, who has a long involvement with public safety, primarily with volunteer fire companies in his hometown of Bellefonte, has participated in a majority of the team's response calls.
"They're all different," he said. "Each has its own problems. One, in particular, involved a milk spill created when a 6,000-gallon milk tanker hit a pickup truck, causing a leak. This actually was a hazard since, if milk gets into a stream, it will replace oxygen in the water and kill fish."
Claver said that, while the team's primary concern continues to center on hazardous materials, its training focus has shifted.
"Our training is very precise," she noted. "Since 9-11 there has been more specific and detailed training on weapons of mass destruction. Our preparedness level has not changed, but the training and focus on these weapons has."
Five team members, for example, participated in a federally funded program at a Department of Justice chemical agent training facility in Aniston, Ala., where they were trained to identify and decontaminate nerve agents. Schreffler, who serves on the Centre County Terrorism Task Force, conducted a training program last year for some 150 Centre County police officers at The Bryce Jordan Center on how first-responders handle calls ranging from chemical and biological to bomb incidents.
The potential threat of terrorism was brought home during the 2001 anthrax scare when the team was called for two specific incidents in State College -- one at the Army Recruiting Station and another involving anthrax-threatening letters to a medical clinic. Team members also responded to some 165 other calls throughout Centre County.
"The threat escalated because anything suspected as being a powder became anthrax," Schreffler said. "Team members were used as two-man units to cover around the clock. We answered every call and determined that none of them involved anthrax. Through our efforts we were able to provide some reassurance for the community.
"While a terrorism threat is not likely in Centre County, you can't rule it out. And in any incident at the state or national level, our team would respond. We need to be ready to handle any potential disaster. While it may not happen here, we need to be prepared. Preparedness is the key."