As mentioned, HIRT stands for Hazardous Incident Response Team.
When a call is dispatched involving hazardous materials there are three levels of response.
A Level One response is only a consult with the Hazmat duty officer. Most of the time it's UNIT 70 (Batt. Chief Stephan). In his absence, the officer in charge of Engine 71 for the shift serves as the hazmat duty officer.
A Level Two response is a general hazardous materials call with on duty personnel from stations 7, 20, and 28. These are most common.
A Level Three response is a Level Two response that has escalated and all off duty personnel are either called back on duty and are to report to the station or to the scene of the incident as directed by UNIT 70.
I hope this helps.
Tim Bell
Firefighter MCDFRS
Hazardous Incident Response Team - Station 7
PS. I heard the call too... It woke me from my warm firehouse bunk to 270 to transfer diesel for two hours. :wink:
