Hazmat

Mitigation of hazardous materials incidents within Manatee County is a cooperative effort between the Fire Districts and Manatee County Government, regional, state, and federal agencies. Each fire district is responsible for coordinating hazardous materials responses within their jurisdiction. Through an interlocal agreement with the Manatee County Fire Chief Association, Southern Manatee Fire Rescue (SMFR) is the lead district for Hazardous Materials response which owns and maintains specific equipment and trained personnel, specializing in Hazardous Materials response. These resources are made available to any public safety agency that requests assistance. MCHMT is a recognized Type I Hazmat Response Team identified as “FL: HM-6F”.

Manatee County contains a large amount of critical infrastructure that is protected by a special operations response from SMFR. Our county is home to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport with four major airline carriers and one light airport. We also contain one major deep-water seaport, several governmental complexes that include the 911 center and Emergency Operations Center for Manatee County. We are also home to several large corporate businesses such as Tropicana Industries and Beall’s Department stores. Manatee County also contains 1 state college, 1 technical college, 7 high schools, 10 junior high schools, and 35 elementary schools. There is 1 electrical producing plant and 3 water treatment facilities. Our community health care is comprised of 2 trauma centers, 1 burn center, 1 Level II Neonatal Center and 4 hospitals. Our transportation infrastructure contains a major interstate for 16 miles, several road systems that include the southern section of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. There is over 150 miles of inter coastal and coastal waterways on the southern edge of Tampa Bay. In addition, there are several miles of railroad that served by 2 rail companies. Manatee County also hosts major sporting events that affect infrastructure. 

Hazardous materials are present in every community, found in homes, businesses, and transported daily via land, air, and sea. These materials exist within every fire district in Manatee County and pose a potential threat to public safety, the environment, critical infrastructure, and property. Whether released accidentally, through malicious intent, or due to fires or weather-related events, hazardous materials require immediate and skilled intervention to prevent harm. Southern Manatee Fire Rescue's (SMFR) Hazmat mission, as outlined in the 2023 Hazmat Strategic Plan, is to provide an exceptional hazardous materials response to the citizens of Manatee County and our regional partners. By leveraging specialized skills to mitigate chemical, biological, and WMD incidents, the team focuses on protecting life, property, and the environment while supporting critical infrastructure. The Southern Manatee Hazmat Response Team (HMRT) Annual Report showcases the team's dedication to public safety through detailed accounts of preparedness activities, strategic goals, and notable incidents. This comprehensive summary highlights the team's ongoing commitment to readiness, effective response, and continuous improvement in managing hazardous materials incidents. Through these efforts, SMFR ensures the safety of the community and its mission to support state and regional partners in hazardous materials response. Today, our core values of response remain consistent with our district’s mission and direction:

1. Specialized trained personnel to respond to all hazard’s emergencies. Responding to several disciplines of hazardous materials events. 
2. Equipment packages consisting of mitigation leak equipment, detectors, and UAS/Drone operations following federal and state team typing to carry out our mission. 3. On-going training on hazardous materials and WMD response.

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to hazardous materials (hazmat) response, investing heavily in training, equipment, and team development since taking over the program from Manatee County in 2015. This dedication has elevated the Hazmat Materials Response Team (HMRT) into a premier resource for the community and regional partners. In 2024, SMFR personnel logged 30940.5 total training hours, with 3,774.75 hours specifically dedicated to hazmat training—an annual increase of 7%. This reflects the team's ongoing commitment to professional development and operational readiness. On average, each HMRT member completed 77 hours of specialized training, encompassing a wide array of topics from Florida State Fire College Hazmat Technician Certification to national seminars aligned with the State Emergency Response Plan (SERP) and federal standards. Since the assumption of the counties specialized hazardous materials response team in 2014, the team has grown into a critical asset, providing response to all nine fire districts in Manatee County. Designated by the Manatee County Fire Chiefs’ Association, the team has responded to numerous service requests across southwest Florida. Currently, 31 highly trained team members, spread across three shifts, centrally operate from Station 2 in the Samoset community. 
 

At the core of SMFR’s hazmat response is HZ-328, a Pierce Heavy Rescue vehicle manned 24/7 by certified Hazardous Materials Technicians. In 2023, HZ-328 responded to 490 incidents, including fire and hazmat emergencies, across SMFR’s 35-mile district. This is supplemented by additional vehicles, including HZ-327 (a spill supply truck), TR-10 (a 24-foot reserve response trailer), and an AR-AFFF firefighting foam unit for specialized transportation incidents

In 2023, SMFR developed its first team-oriented strategic plan to guide response operations, planning, and budgetary priorities. Now in the third year of this plan, we have upgraded response equipment by replacing advanced detectors and streamlined costs for evaluating critical response tools, all while maintaining our Florida Type I team status.  For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, we secured a federal grant of $37,199 to enhance our capabilities in responding to natural gas emergencies. Additionally, in 2024, we recovered $36,365.85 in costs from hazardous materials responses under the Manatee County code. In 2024, the SMFR Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) responded to 157 incidents, serving both our district and providing mutual aid to neighboring areas. The team’s unwavering commitment to excellence ensures community safety and reinforces our mission to deliver exceptional hazardous materials response services. This focus highlights the critical importance of this specialized service and its strong cost-to-response ratio.

Letter of Recognition for Service  

US Food & Drug Administration, Criminal Investigation Unit, March 2020

International Emergency Drone Organization

Best Drone Response to a Fire Operations, June 2022

Manatee County Fire Chief Association

Chief Unit Citation: Dec 2017

Chief Unit Citation: Nov 2024

Letter of Recognition for Service

Florida Fire Chief Association, Hurricane Ian Deployment, Oct. 2022