From 1979 to 1991, Scott County Disaster Services had assumed the responsibility of hazardous materials emergency response. This team consisted of nine volunteers including three Davenport Fire Fighters, a chemist, an environmentalist, a Scott County Deputy Sheriff, a railroad specialist, the Disaster Services Director, the Assistant to the County Administrator and a Scott Community College Hazmat Instructor (a retired Davenport Fire Fighter).
The use of Disaster Services for the hazardous materials response team in Davenport did not represent the most effective or efficient method to mitigate the potential of a hazardous material incident. In fact, the reliance on Disaster Services for a hazardous material response places the fire department at risk due to the number of fire department responses that now involve hazardous materials. The existence of hazardous materials is a common occurrence at most any fire department response to a commercial or industrial business; therefore, the time had come to develop a comprehensive hazardous materials program.
In October of 1991, the DFD's Hazardous Materials Team was born with (then) Lt. Bart Howard coordinating all the efforts. Initially, the team responded to incidents in Davenport and a portion of Scott County (72 square miles). Now Davenport's HazMat Team repsonds to Clinton, Jackson and Cedar Counties for hazmat emergencies, if needed, covering almost a 2,000 square mile area.
Presently, the team consists of the following:
(1) Fire Lieutenant (would coordinate all efforts within the Hazmat Division)
(40) Fire Fighters trained to the Hazardous Materials Technician level
