The primary responsibility of the HAZMAT Program (Hazardous Materials/Emergency Response) is to respond to hazardous materials incidents. An important secondary function is inspecting facilities that utilize or store hazardous chemicals. In addition, drills and training exercises were conducted, which covered a variety of topics and were designed to enhance preparedness should a major HAZMAT emergency occur.

In 1999, the HAZMAT team responded to 410 incidents. These incidents included petroleum releases resulting from motor vehicle accidents (75%), leaking underground storage tanks (10%), illegally abandoned chemicals (10%), and fires at chemical facilities (5%). The majority of incidents occurred between the hours of 3 and 10 p.m. Additional HAZMAT activities include:

• 29 follow-up monitoring inspections to ensure that the hazard had been alleviated
• 4 enforcement actions, i.e., issuance of Notice of Violation or summons.