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Picente,
Julian, Brown Announce
Collaboration
on HazMat Services
Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr.,
in partnership with the mayors and fire chiefs of
Utica
and
Rome
, today announced the creation of a collaborative county response to HazMat
incidents that will consolidate services and improve efficiency.
Picente said that
County
Government
has reached agreement with the City of
Utica Fire Department
and the City of
Rome Fire Department
in which the two departments agree to provide the response to all Haz Mat
incidents that occur anywhere within
Oneida
County
.
“The
cities of
Utica
and
Rome
have outstanding HazMat units that are the result of a long and sustained
investment by those communities in developing theses services,” Picente
said. “I believe that it is in the best interests of this county to tap
into that expertise rather than develop the same services at the county
level that are being provided by these two cities.”
As part of the collaboration, Picente said that
Oneida
County
will no longer designate an individual to be the Deputy Fire/Haz Mat
Coordinator. The County will contract with the two fire departments to
provide planning and coordination to assist the County's Fire Coordinator.
Both cities’ Haz Mat teams and command level people will work together to
coordinate joint training of personnel, the geographical response structure,
the primary and back-up response. They will also work together to identify
equipment needs and determine the best method and source of procurement to
achieve two identical teams. Both agencies will designate an officer who
will be their agency single point of contact.
Picente said that
Oneida
County
will sign a five-year contract with each city. Each city will be paid
$35,000 a year for providing HazMat services. This money will come from the
County's award from NYS Office of Homeland Security Program (SHSP). The
funding of this grant is from the FEMA National Preparedness Directorate.
Rome Mayor Jim Brown said, “I am pleased that
County
Government
has recognized the outstanding qualifications of the Rome Fire Department to
provide HazMat services. I am very proud of our Fire Department personnel.
Innovation in partnerships is a stepping-stone for our region’s progress,
and I am glad to be taking this step to provide HazMat protection for the
people of our area.”
Utica Mayor Tim Julian said, “As a strong
believer in consolidation and collaboration, I am very glad to work with
County
Government
and the City of
Rome
to provide HazMat services.
Utica
’s Fire Department has a reputation for excellence in HazMat responses,
and I believe that this agreement not only moves us forward in terms of
collaboration, it provides excellent services to the people of our entire
county.”
Picente said the
collaboration builds upon outstanding expertise and previous investments in
specialized equipment. He said that the Rome Fire Department will continue
to work with a core group of specially trained volunteers from several of
Oneida
County
’s volunteer fire departments. Picente
said that the Rome Fire Department will continue to use special HazMat
equipment that has been provided to the County from state and federal
funding sources. The Utica Fire Department will continue to use the special
equipment that has also been provided to the City of
Utica
from state and federal sources.
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