Medford Fire Hosts Regional HazMat Training

Published on October 30, 2025

Medford Fire Department's Regional HazMat 08 Team has been hosting training for local fire service agencies this week. Crews from Fire District 3, Fire District 5, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Jacksonville Fire Department, and Medford Fire Department received refresher training in responding to incidents with hazardous materials.

The training was held at Station 14 and covered hazardous materials identification and strategies to mitigate risks when responding to leaks or spills. Our Hazmat 08 Team also put on a "skills rodeo" so crews could apply what they learned in a few different scenarios.

Training focused on the initial actions first responders take at a hazmat emergency scene. This included everything from personal and public safety during the incident, identifying the chemical product involved, mitigating/stopping the release of the hazmat product, and medical treatment of exposed patients. A couple of the potential scenarios crews worked through were victim rescue resulting from hazmat spills/accidents and decontamination of exposed citizens and emergency responders.

This training is vital in equipping first due companies to respond to hazmat-related incidents, and is especially important because of the extreme life safety risk potential that may occur at a hazmat emergency incident, whether the event is unintentional or intentional.

The Regional HazMat Team is one of the Oregon State Fire Marshal's 12 Regional Hazardous Material Emergency Response Teams. The team is made up of members of Medford Fire Department that are trained and equipped to support local first responders when emergencies go beyond their resources. The team's response area covers southern Oregon including Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and parts of Lake County. Along with emergency response, the team offer outreach and training to local responders and industries, ensuring communities are prepared.