The September 11th attack
Hazmat teams embrace dangerous new world
By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer
Before Sept. 11, before fatal anthrax cases and paranoia made so many headlines, it would have been funny.
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In Chicago, the mayor was quoted as saying "guacamole is not dangerous" after a hazmat team was called out to inspect "suspicious" green goo. In Washington, pudding mix brought in the hazmat team. In Seattle, a ferry shut down as hazmat workers inspected powder found in the restroom, only to discover it was cleanser. On a Delta flight from New York, passengers got a scare when a man reported finding a suspicious white powder on his meal tray. It turned out to be powdered coffee creamer.
The decontamination process has become a ritual for hazmat technicians since anthrax fears have worsened.
If it's white and powdery, it's striking fear in Americans.
Anthrax hasn't come anywhere close to Hawai'i, but the jitters are contagious.
Emergency crews on O'ahu have responded to more than 300 calls about "suspicious" packages and powder since the first anthrax cases were reported in Florida three weeks ago, fire Capt. Richard Soo said.
"At this point, they've been false alarms," he said.
Threatening letters have been turned over to police. Strange substances have been forwarded to the health department. The fire department has created assessment teams to handle unopened mail deemed suspicious.
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And thankfully, Soo said, nothing has tested positive for anthrax. There have been cases of sugar spills, laundry detergent and even bird droppings, though.
A firefighter holds a suspicious letter found last week in the library at Roosevelt High School. Two firefighters collected the letter and brought it out to be checked.
"One of the funniest incidents I've heard of was the bird doo-doo," said Hazmat 2 Capt. Vernon Maguire, maintaining a voice of seriousness. "We would like to laugh at that incident, but we can't do so because it's unprofessional."
There have been moments of levity, like the time ants on the sidewalk were a clue that a "suspicious substance" was sugar.
But there also have been resumes from foreign countries that made it into the hands of investigators before those of potential employers.
In a word, "busy" would describe life for hazardous materials technicians since the nation's fears put them in a new category of heroes.
Runs have more than doubled at Battalion Five in Central O'ahu, where Manuel Neves is battalion chief. But it is more of an adrenaline high than a drain on workers, he said.
"That's what we live for," he said. "We really get our rush from helping people and responding."
Maguire, part of one of O'ahu's two hazmat crews, said runs have increased by 70 percent for his unit because people are calling after opening things like credit-card bills and magazines with a powdery feel on the pages.
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Maguire said the fire department is happy to make house calls.
Firefighters with one of HFD's two hazmat teams place in a bag some items — presumably contaminated — that were in the parking lot near the emergency room at Straub Hospital.
"I'm saddened by the fact that we're into this lifestyle," he said. "But this is what we're trained for."
Much of the work of emergency crews has simply been to reassure people that their concerns are being taken seriously, even when the call is over something seemingly silly.
"People should realize if they spill something that resembles white powder, they should clean it up, especially if it's in a public place or business," said Capt. Melvin Tsutsumi of Hazmat 2, who also examines packages with a special assessment team. "Like, I see white powder all over the fire station, but it's only powdered sugar from the doughnuts."
Before now, the biggest hazardous materials emergency in Hawai'i in recent years was the 4,552 gallons of sulfuric acid that spilled on Thanksgiving 1999 at Brewer Environmental Industries in Campbell Industrial Park, Soo said. The spill put a drain on hazmat crews, which worked from early afternoon until after midnight to contain it.
Since then, the city and county of Honolulu has built its team of hazmat-trained firefighters to 135, Soo said. And military and federal teams have been going through joint training to tackle what might be next on the horizon.
Tragedy is uniting forces and helping firefighters educate people, said Bryan Nakasone, federal assistant fire chief.
"I think people are just being reactive, which is good to a point that their awareness is up," he said. "People are no longer complacent. Not only New York has changed, but we've changed."
Reach Tanya Bricking at 525-8026 or tbricking@honoluluadvertiser.com.
