Hazardous material drills: Coolville VFD selected for hazmat training
- (Photo provided) Coolville Tanker 52 demonstrates the deployment of a “mass decontamination nozzle, during the Coolville Volunteer Fire Department’s hazardous material training that took place over the weekend.
- (Photo provided) National Volunteer Fire Council instructor Tom Miller instructs Tuppers Plains Fire Department member Collette Johnson on the deployment of a cooling nozzle on the cell battery of an electric vehicle over the weekend.

(Photo provided) Coolville Tanker 52 demonstrates the deployment of a “mass decontamination nozzle, during the Coolville Volunteer Fire Department’s hazardous material training that took place over the weekend.
COOLVILLE — The Coolville Volunteer Fire Department was selected to receive free training to help prepare first responders for hazardous materials incidents and took place over two days this weekend in Coolville.
“We had hazmat training (Saturday) and then (Sunday) we had training on how to handle fires in electric vehicles,” Chief Jeremy Holland said.
Courses ranged from 3-7 hours, and the catalog of topics included hazmat basics, scenario-based and risk-based hazmat training, basic decon and instructor training for specific substances such as ammonia, chlorine, methanol, and vinyl chloride.
He said the new train-the-trainer program is offered through a partnership between the National Volunteer Fire Council and U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and an invitation was sent out to area fire departments to come and take part in the training.
“We had four departments from Meigs County (Tuppers Plains FD, Scipio FD, Pomeroy FD and Columbia FD) represented, three from Athens County (Coolville FD, Carthage Township FD and Rome Township FD) and two from Washington County (Durham Township FD and Belpre FD),” Holland said.

(Photo provided) National Volunteer Fire Council instructor Tom Miller instructs Tuppers Plains Fire Department member Collette Johnson on the deployment of a cooling nozzle on the cell battery of an electric vehicle over the weekend.
He said the Coolville Volunteer Fire Department was selected as one of 15 sites nationwide that will receive free hazmat training under the new Partners in Training (PIT) Crew program from the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The program aims to help first responders gain the knowledge and skills they need to train others in their communities on hazmat safety and response.
“Proper hazmat training is essential to keeping both first responders and community members safe. Thanks to this new program from the NVFC and PHMSA, responders can now take an active role in helping their department and community be prepared and safe in the event of a hazmat incident,” Holland said.
He said hazardous materials incidents can have a devastating impact, and it is critical that those responding to these incidents are properly prepared and trained to ensure their safety and the safety of their community members.
“Some of these guys learned that just because you put a fire out on an electric vehicle doesn’t mean it’s out,” Holland said. “You could put it out, and because a damaged ion battery still holds heat, it could catch fire again after the tow truck picks it up. So it’s important to remove the battery in that situation.
The PIT Crew program offers train-the-trainer courses to enable first responders to teach others in their department and region about safe hazmat response so they are ready for the call.
To learn more about the PIT Crew program visit their website at www.nvfc.org/hazmat/.