Department Phone Directory
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Haz-Mat
Hazardous Materials / RTAC
The mission of NOFD Hazmat is to bring under control and mitigate any hazmat incident that may occur inside of New Orleans and, in some cases when requested by Mutual Aid, to assist in the surrounding parishes. The Hazardous Material Unit is responsible for all hazmat incidents that happen inside of Orleans Parish. The Unit has three personnel assigned to it per platoon, One Captain, One Operator and One Firefighter. Should a Hazmat incident occur and more personnel be needed, the Rescue and/or Flying Squads may act as back up entry to the Hazmat team and as decontamination team. Hazmat personnel come into contact and work hand in hand with many outside agencies such as The Louisiana State Police Hazmat Unit, The Department of Environmental Quality and The United States Secret Service to name a few. They work with these agencies in areas such as chemical spills, special events planning and Presidential visits. They can also be called upon to assist with confined space rescues, where the atmosphere must be monitored with meters by trained personnel. The unit is dispatched on all Three alarm or greater fires and report to the Incident Commander for assignment. In addition to the above duties, the unit is responsible for checking all fumigations in the city and signing off on approval paperwork.
The New Orleans Fire Department established a Hazardous Materials officer in the mid 1970’s for training and coordination of response personnel. As more emphasis was placed on hazardous materials incidents, the New Orleans Fire Department established a dedicated Hazardous Materials Team and custom designed an apparatus in 1989. Since the inception of the team the focus has been on specialized training and equipment to maintain an effective response to varies types of hazardous materials incidents.
Since 1989, the Hazardous Materials Team has responded to a wide variety of incidents. Our hazardous materials transportation modes include air, railcar, highway and pipeline along with fixed chemical industrial sites. Over the years the team has responded to incidents which include odors, carbon monoxide, gas leaks, fuel spills, household chemical spills, train derailments, explosions, suspected bombs, persons trapped in confined spaces, chemical releases on barges and ships, unstable lab chemicals, chemical releases in aircraft and airports, suspicious packages, letters and white substances, plane crashes, chemical releases in canals, drains and waterways, tear gas releases, red dye packs from bank money and even the exploding body at a funeral home.
Several acts of terrorism occurred in the United States during the 1990’s; these events highlighted the need for domestic preparedness by first responders (police, fire and emergency medical personnel). In 1997 the National Defense Authorization Act was authorized; also know as the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program. This program provided training, equipment and advice from the Department of Defense (DOD) to enhance the capability of civilian emergency response personnel to respond to a possible terrorist incident involving a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear device. Since 1996 the New Orleans Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team has vigorously work to achieve the skills, knowledge and equipment to meet the challenge of responding to incidents involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
The Hazardous Materials Team began a transformation in the 1990’s from one of chemical response to a more diverse role. The incidents now include Chemical, Ordinance, Biological and Radiological (COBRA) and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). With this new arena of response the New Orleans Fire Department changed the profile of the Hazardous Materials Team to a “Special Operations Division”. The new title incorporated the Hazardous Materials Team, the Rescue Squad and the Flying Squad under one divisional chief. The Special Operations Chief mandated the broadening of skills, cross-training of all members and enhancement of equipment.
The Hazardous Materials Team, now also known as the Special Operations Team created small lightly equipped teams with two to four members know as SER Teams. SER stands for Special Event Response Teams and are utilized during events such as Super Bowl, Jazz Fest, Essence Festival, Mardi Gras and any other event requiring rapid deployment teams for COBRA/WMD response.
The Special Operations Team members have obtained numerous hazardous materials and WMD certifications and are constantly upgrading their qualifications.
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1st Responder
First Responder
The New Orleans Fire Department First Responder Division was established in late 1996. Superintendent Warren McDaniels of the New Orleans Fire Department and Dawne Orgeron Director of New Orleans Health Department Emergency Medical Services were the two key architects of this program. The goal of the New Orleans Fire Department’s First Responder program is to respond to medical calls, treat and stabilize patients and have the patient ready for transport when the ambulance arrives. Accomplishing these tasks before the ambulance arrives helps to get patients to the emergency room faster and ensure patients receive rapid medical attention.
It began as a pilot program consisting of eight (8) companies, one company in each council member’s district. The companies were to be trained and ready to respond on Sunday, December 15, 1996 at 07:00 hrs.
Training began in August 1996; each member received a 56 hour training course in First Responder medical care and treatment and an eight hour CPR Healthcare Provider course.
Each member had to successfully complete both courses (written and practical exam) in order to receive a State of Louisiana Bureau of EMS certification and American Heart Association CPR certification. The final class for these initial eight companies was on Saturday December 14, 1996 and they were supposed to go into service the next morning. As the companies were being released from the training school that day word was received that a ship had struck the New Orleans River Walk. As the companies returned to their engine houses they were dispatched to the River Walk to assist EMS in patient care, some 18 hours earlier than they were supposed to begin service.
The members of these companies arrived and were immediately ready to render medical care to any and all that may have been injured.
Six months after the First Responder Pilot program began a presentation was made to the New Orleans City Council by Chief McDaniels and Dawne Orgeron. This was presented to address the accomplishments and draw backs of this program. There were many accomplishments and little to no draw backs. The council was so impressed that Chief McDaniels was told to continue and train the rest of his companies and they (the council) would finance the cost. Chief Mc Daniels, over the next 18 months ordered the training of all 730 members and approved and purchased the equipment needed for each engine company. The New Orleans Fire Department has put extra medical sprint cars in service for special events (Sugar Bowl, New Years, Super Bowl, Final Four and of course Mardi Gras) All members attend a recertification course every two years and all new recruits receive a 56 hour First Responder course and an eight hour CPR class during their training.
Over the next 10 years the New Orleans Fire Department First Responders have made a world of difference in the lives of many citizens. These men and women are caring well trained professionals that deliver top notch pre-hospital care to the citizens of New Orleans.
Urban Search and Rescue
Urban Search and Rescue / Southeast Louisiana Urban Search and Rescue Unit
The NOFD has members trained in search and rescue and participates in the SELA TF-1.
The Southeast Louisiana Task Force-1 (SELA TF-1) is comprised of members from various agencies in Region 1: Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes. Their Mission Statement is: The Southeast Louisiana Task Force-1 (SELA TF-1) shall be trained and equipped to respond to all hazards including WMD, terrorist, structural collapse, water rescue, confined space, rope, trench, and vehicle rescue incidents of major proportions. The Task Force shall work to ensure that all emergency response agencies in the Region I area work and train together to enhance the safety of the region’s citizens.
In May of 2004 the Orleans Parish Office of Homeland Security formed a steering committee made up of personnel from several different agencies and tasked it to research and develop an all hazards emergency response team for the Louisiana Region I area. The committee decided to form a task force along FEMA USAR lines with emphasis on structural collapse and water rescue. Committee members visited the FEMA website for guidelines on training and Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs), traveled to Texas and New Mexico to gather information and ideas from experienced USAR teams, and contracted various training agencies from around the country. Minimum entry level standards were established, SOGs and an administrative organization were established, a recruiting drive was started, and a training program was projected for fiscal year 2005.
Personnel were sent to structural collapse technician training at LSU and TEEX, rope rescue and confined space training with LSU and the New Orleans Fire Department, Hazmat Technician training with the Louisiana State Police, and water rescue training. Equipment, and an enclosed trailer and prime mover were purchased from various suppliers and stored with the New Orleans Fire Department. A list of Task Force members was established and updated monthly. The steering committee felt that the Task Force could become operational in November of 2005.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina headed for the Louisiana coast and an ad hoc strike team of 10 Task Force members was deployed to the New Orleans Convention Center. Immediately after the hurricane, the strike team conducted a windshield survey and found that while many structures had collapsed in the area, fortunately no victims were trapped. Task Force members, many on their own initiative, assisted and established water rescue teams which conducted thousands of rescues. On September 10th, the Task Force stood down from emergency operations for Hurricane Katrina.
On October 9th 2005, the Task Force was reactivated to assist in recovery operations in the city of New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward. The Task Force operated in conjunction with many other in and out of state agencies, providing structural triage, technical and physical searches, and building ‘dissection’ when necessary. The Task Force recovered 47 human remains, standing down on the 12th of December 2005.
On the 2nd of March, the Task Force redeployed to the Lower Ninth Ward for 121 days, working with over a dozen different agencies to once again search for missing persons. The Task Force, in conjunction 32 different canine search teams, searched 2.177 houses and 54 additional points of interest over that time period, resulting in the recovery of 24 sets of remains. On the 30th of June, 2006 the Task Force stood down once again.
Since the second deployment, the Task Force has been occupied with education, training, reorganization and re-equipping. The Task Force was placed on stand-by for several events such as the Sugar Bowl and is looking forward to being a vital part of the region’s emergency response system.
On the thirteenth of February 2007 two tornadoes ripped through the residential area of the city of New Orleans causing extensive damage, several injuries, and one fatality. The Task Force was activated and established a command post, staging area, and Base of Operations in an unaffected area of the city. Working from windshield surveys provided by the New Orleans Fire and Police Departments, the Task Force searched and cleared 104 addresses within the city. The Task Force requested mutual aid from the East Baton Rouge and LSU USAR teams and in conjunction with these teams searched and cleared an additional 150 buildings in the tornado’s damage path before nightfall.
Water Rescue
Water Rescue
The NOFD has 27 boats 8 purchased by the Office of Homeland Security and 19 donated by the Leary Foundation. Since Katrina many members have been trained in various forms of water rescue and will use these boats to enact rescues in any flooding or swift water situation.
Louis Armstrong International Airport Aircraft / Rescue EMS Team
Louis Armstrong International Airport Aircraft / Rescue EMS Team:
Airport Rescue Firefighters provide fire protection and EMS services for the visitors and employees of the Louis Armstrong International Airport.
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Vehicles |
| 1-Mass Casualty Vehicle |
1 Sector Command Vehicle |
| 1-Water Tanker |
4 Crash Trucks |
| 1-Chiefs Vehicle |
1 Pumper |
| 1-Incident Command Vehicle |
1 Sprint Medical Vehicle | Besides responding to commercial and general aviation aircraft of varying sizes, the response area for Engine 46 personnel includes:
- The airport terminal & concourses (over 1,000,000 sq.ft.)
- four aircraft hangars
- two garages (1-5 floors, 1-7 floors)
- three car rental facilities
- two fuel farms
- five office buildings
- thirty three warehouses
In addition to fire suppression & rescue response, Engine 46 personnel provide EMT services. Our EMS unit is equipped to function to the Intermediate level. Patient care to the EMT-Paramedic level and transport is usually provided by East Jefferson Hospital Ambulance Service. Along with training in NOFD subjects, weekly continuing education is conducted to maintain ARFF & EMS status. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International is an index D certificated airport. FAR 139 states that index is determined by five or more daily departures of aircraft at least 159’ but less than 200’ in length. The response requirement is that the first ARFF vehicle shall reach the midpoint of the farthest runway and begin application of agent within three minutes. All other required vehicles shall reach the above mentioned point within four minutes of the alarm
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