Firefighting isn't a job where everything is predictable, but one thing you can predict is that at some point in your career you'll have to deal with hazardous materials of some sort. To that end, several members of the Estevan Fire Department are going to be seeking a higher form of certification in that area. 

Eight members of the department will be taking a test for their National Fire Protection Agency Hazardous Materials Awareness Certification. According to Fire Chief Dale Feser, this certification is rather like a journeyman status in trades and is very important in different aspects of the job.

Lately, one focus for the department in terms of hazardous materials has been car crashes and car fires. That's part of why they've requested used cars from the public to practice on. 

"When we're arriving on a scene," Feser said, "whether it be a motor vehicle collision or a motor vehicle fire, we have to try to do a hazard assessment analysis. We're always looking out for our patients and our own safety. So once that is established, we always want to make sure we establish (ourselves) upwind of the event."

Hazardous materials in a car crash or car fire can cover a lot of territroy. In a fire, for example, different chemicals in the construction of a car can produce noxious fumes when they burn, from the material the seat is made out of to the metal itself. Sometimes that metal poses an entirely different problem as well. 

"Some of the other components the vehicle is constructed of, such as magnesium or other flammable metals," said Feser, "actually could start a little bit of a chain reaction should a direct water stream be applied to it. So we want to make sure we're trying to stay away from those areas."

Some of the sparks created by that reaction are so hot they can actually burn through fire gear. Even outside of vehicle fires, firefighters regularly deal with fires caused by chemical reactions, including those in factories or industrial sites. Knowing how certain types of metals burn can be crucial for firefighting efforts, as was seen last year after an explosion at a local scrap metal facility where the fire department didn't want to use water on the titanium because of how it would react. 

"Of course, titanium is a combustible, flammable metal," said Feser after that incident, "so people do have to take into consideration the types of metals they're working with and do a little research prior to. They just weren't using the right tool for the job at this particular time."