Hazardous Materials Response Team

Hazardous Materials Response Team

The Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Team, established in 1981 and one of 13 regional teams in Virginia, is a full-service team comprised of 36 OSHA-trained responders with equipment and training to handle chemical/biological hazards. The team has responded to incidents ranging from an anhydrous ammonia spill at a fixed facility and anthrax threats to railway and highway wrecks. As a regional team, the response area includes the City of Roanoke, as well as from Lexington to Henry County (North/South) and to Wythe County (East/West), and all areas in-between.

Primary coverage is the Roanoke Valley, where there are more than 100 businesses that manufacture, store, or ship hazardous materials and/or waste. With a regional airport, two interstate highways, three state highways, regional hubs for three commercial carriers, and a national railroad, the Roanoke Valley had the third-highest potential for a hazardous material incident in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The HazMat Team is proud of its heritage and response history and is continually striving to provide the highest professional response to the Roanoke Valley.