§ 2681 - Commissioner of public safety as fire marshal; deputy and assistants; HAZMAT emergency operation team - Vermont Statutes

§ 2681. Commissioner of public safety as fire marshal; deputy and assistants; HAZMAT emergency operation team

(a) The commissioner of public safety shall be ex officio fire marshal. The commissioner shall annually by March 15 submit to the governor a detailed report. A copy of this report shall be mailed to each fire department, paid or volunteer, in the state of Vermont. Subject to the approval of the governor, the commissioner may appoint a deputy fire marshal and other necessary assistants who shall assist him or her as state fire marshal.

(b) There is established a state HAZMAT emergency operation team within the division of emergency management of the department of public safety. The team shall consist of qualified representatives of the following state entities, with one person and an alternate to be appointed by the director, secretary or commissioner, as appropriate: department of public safety, department of labor, agency of agriculture, food and markets, department of health, agency of natural resources, agency of transportation and fire service training council. The director of emergency management may designate additional state personnel as needed. The team shall be activated by the director of emergency management who shall serve as chair, or by the coordinator of HAZMAT response at such time as a report of a serious or potentially serious HAZMAT spill, discharge, or release is received by the emergency management duty officer.

(c) Requests for state assistance or advice regarding HAZMAT incidents shall be directed to the state HAZMAT emergency operation team, which shall remain activated until the immediate threat from the incident has been resolved. The team may, when requested, authorize the crew chief of a regional HAZMAT response team to accept control of the scene of a HAZMAT incident from a chief engineer or senior fire officer in accordance with section 2673 of this title. (Amended 1971, No. 75, § 1, eff. April 16, 1971; 1973, No. 137 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1993, No. 194 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. June 14, 1994; 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2003, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 294p; No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 294y, eff. April 1, 2005; 2005, No. 8, § 1, eff. April 25, 2005.)