CLEARLAKE — Students at Carl? High School were recently afforded the opportunity to gain certification in Hazmat operations.
A total of 16 students participated in the program, which included classroom and hands on training.
Students spent 26 hours in the classroom with instructor Angie Siegel.
Classroom instruction was followed by six hours of hands on training at Lake County Fire Protection District with Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta.
“This will give them a state certificate as a Hazmat first response operational,” Siegel said. “We had one girl a few years ago who was working in Middletown at Hazmat clean-up site and they found out she was a first responder. They sent her to get additional training and gave her a pay raise.”
Siegel said that Hazmat certification is useful in a variety of career fields such as law enforcement, health care and of course Hazmat cleanup. She said the course teaches students to identify and assess Hazmat situations. They learn procedures such as how to isolate and deny entry to public; how to setup a temporary command post.
“They will also learn how to approach a Hazmat scene, which is basically up wind, up hill and up stream,” Siegel said. “They are also learning with Willie how to run a decontamination corridor.”
Will McAlister, 17, said he”s already graduated but he came back to participate in the course because Hazmat certification will give him an advantage in his chosen career path. “I”m looking into water treatment, so I would have to deal with chemical cleanups,” he said. “This course is giving me a better knowledge of chemicals and how to deal with them.”
The hands on training at the fire department provided an opportunity for the students to combine what they learned in the classroom with actual field operation techniques.
The students had a chance to suit-up in Hazmat gear and breathing apparatus.
The erected a mock decontamination post and participated decontamination procedures. The students also heard Sapeta stress the importance of documentation as he spoke about exposure limits and health concerns.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
