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Local Hazmat Team helps out in white powder incident in Sebring

By Staff | Apr 3, 2009

The Fort Myers Fire Department Hazmat Team was dispatched by state officials to Sebring, Fla., in regards to a white powder incident on Thursday afternoon.

The hazmat team is the responding team for Lee County and serves as the primary hazmat team for Region 6 of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force. The team was formed in 1992 and covers nine counties, including Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry. The entire team is made up of 26 technicians and 10 apprentices.

Nine members of our hazmat team were dispatched and arrived in Sebring at approximately 3 p.m. The team was made up of three entry members, three members serving as back-up, a decontamination officer and incident commander and a safety officer.

The team uses a device called the Smith Detection Hazmat ID to collect samples and determine the substance in question, authorities said.

The incident is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local law enforcement in Highlands County.