Section 141.342  Hazardous Materials Awareness

Hazardous Materials Awareness personnel are fire personnel trained to the level of awareness defined by the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at 29 CFR 1910.120 or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) at 40 CFR 311, whichever is appropriate for their jurisdiction.  Fire protection personnel at this level of certification are persons who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release or potential release and who have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by notifying the proper authorities (local, State, federal, or private resources) of the release.  Professional qualifications for Hazardous Materials Awareness personnel are identified in NFPA 472.

a)         Prerequisites

1)         Certification as a Firefighter II (see Section 141.300).

2)         Successful completion of a Hazardous Materials Awareness course.

3)         Passage of the State written examination (see Section 141.200).

4)         Engagement in firefighting in an organized Illinois fire department as a fire protection person according to the Act, as attested to by the employing Fire Chief of the individual seeking certification.

b)         Reimbursement may be received for training costs for Hazardous Materials Awareness personnel (see Subpart E). 

c)         An instructor of a Hazardous Materials Awareness course must meet the requirements of Section 141.115(c). 

d)         The course and facility must be approved by the Office as provided in Sections 141.100, 141.110 and 141.115. 

e)         Credit for equivalent courses may be available in accordance with Section 141.120.