Companies have to file reports of the hazardous chemicals they have on hand and 50 in Stark County have done so this year. Eighteen of those chemicals are extremely hazardous, Stark County Emergency Manager Brent Pringle said.
The Dickinson Fire Department has a member highly trained in how to handle chemical incidents and the state is putting together teams in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot in case a dangerous situation occurs.
Many of the companies that have hazardous chemicals are in industrial regions, Pringle said. However, he said if a hazardous material leak happened, it could easily affect residential areas.
"Really, environmental factors play into hazardous materials a lot because if the wind is in the right direction, it doesn't matter how close you are or how far away you are, it can get to you," Pringle said.
There is one Dickinson Fire Department staff member trained to the highest level in hazardous materials, but most staff have less training, Fire Chief Bob Sivak said.
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In the event of a major hazardous chemical incident the Bismarck Fire Department would likely respond, Pringle said.
"Our department is staffed with a large number of hazardous materials technicians and we do have equipment that would match that type of response," Bismarck Fire Chief Joel Boespflug said.
The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services is creating regional response teams for hazardous materials incident response, said Ray Deboer, hazardous chemicals preparedness and response program coordinator for the NDDES division of Homeland Security.
The teams are being formed in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot, he said.
"They are not a separate hazardous material team," Deboer said. "They are part of the local fire department."
Boespflug said the teams would establish who should respond where across the state if a hazardous materials incident occurred. They would provide more manpower, more specialized equipment and more specially trained people, he added.
"We have a long road to work through, but I know we can get there," Boespflug said.
From anhydrous ammonia to Rozol Gopher bait, there are several hazardous chemicals and Emergency Management must make those reports available to the public, Pringle said, adding in the four years he has worked for the county no one has asked to see them.
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"It's a part of the Community Right to Know Act and it's just something we have to do," Pringle said.
Each company must pay $25 per chemical up to $150, Pringle said.
Get informed
What: View hazardous chemical reports
Where: Emergency Management Office at Law Enforcement Center
Address: 66 Museum Drive W.
When: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
