Louisiana Fire Department Receives Haz-Mat Grant

The Lafayette, La., fire department has received a $200,000 grant for its Haz-Mat Team for modern equipment that better identifies hazardous materials in a spill and tests the air for the safety of residents and emergency responders.

Alton Trahan, spokesman for the Fire Department, said in a news release received by The Advocate that the money will come from the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Among the items purchased with the grant are six monitors that detect a number of deadly gases. Trahan says Haz-Mat Team members can set up a perimeter around a suspected hazardous materials site.

He says an instrument that identifies toxic chemicals, explosives, pesticides and drugs also was purchased.