Ottawa County HazMat team trains for an emergency

Dale Sheridan and William O'Donnell walked alongside the circular ponds at the Grand Haven/Spring Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant on Thursday evening, donning full protective suits and oxygen masks. One carried a wrench and a cylindrical piece of metal used to clamp a gasket over a valve on a large metal cylinder. The tank, used to carry a ton of sulfur dioxide, was part of a training exercise for the Ottawa County Hazardous Materials and Technical Rescue Team (HazMat).

Jordan Travis

Grand Haven

Apr 15, 2011

Personnel from 10 different agencies — including the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety and North Ottawa Community Health System — took part in the exercise. Rescue workers did a mock run into the wastewater treatment plant to plug the empty cylinder.

“We’re having an exercise not only helping us working with other agencies, but honing our skills for working with sulfur dioxide,” said Chris Tinney, the hazardous materials branch director.

To read more of this story, see today's print edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.