Efforts Begin to Restore State Haz Mat Funding

One of the top legislative priorities of the Arrowhead Regional Firefighters' Association will be to get state lawmakers to restore funding for the state's Haz Mat teams. Funding for those teams was slashed during the last session and it sent shock waves throughout the Minnesota fire service. Haz Mat teams in Duluth, Rochester, and Moorhead took the biggest hits and were reduced from Emergency Response Teams (ERT) to Chemical Assessment Teams (CAT). Arrowhead President Bob Brown is one of those in the region leading the offensive to get the funding back. "It is inconceivable that we now have to wait for an ERT from the Twin Cities. It just does not make sense," said Brown. Brown told The Northland Fire Wire that the Haz Mat issue will definitely come up during Minnesota Fire Service Day at the Capitol on February 7. "It is imperative that we get this funding restored," added Brown.