Hazardous Materials Operations Specialist

The list developed from this recruitment will be used for a limited period to fill open and promotional, regular full-time, and part-time positions, should they occur.

Performs a variety of difficult technical functions associated with hazardous material incidents/complaints and environmental issues including: assessing and mitigating unsafe situations; taking action at incident scenes; investigating environmental crimes; and coordinating training.

Bilingual English/Spanish encouraged to apply. Se buscan personas bilingües en inglés y español. Para recibir una solicitud en español, llame a Recursos Humanos al 234-6600.

• Respond to hazardous materials incidents, including: assessing incidents; determining the hazards of unknown chemicals; contacting and dispatching the Redwood Empire Hazardous Incident Team (REHIT), as needed; and coordinating clean up.
• Respond to complaints regarding environmental issues, including: assessing problem; contacting other environmental experts for guidance; referring complaints to other agencies; and developing reports and maintaining associated records.
• Investigate environmental crimes, including: interviewing witnesses; noting observations; obtaining search warrants; performing formal investigations and interrogations; and turning information over to the District Attorney for further action and/or prosecution.
• Assist other staff in ensuring compliance with hazard materials laws and regulations by notifying appropriate parties when violations/problems are noted concerning underground storage tanks, hazardous materials business plans, solid waste, etc.
• Review and interpret federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to hazardous materials and environmental health.
• Coordinate hazardous materials response and training, including: staying in contact with fire agencies; obtaining funding for training and equipment through grants and private support; developing and implementing programs; serving as training contact and relaying training information to the steering committee; and traveling to various departments to conduct training.
• Act as a consult for matters concerning hazardous material; providing information for techniques of evaluation and control of environmental health hazardous to industry, government and community members.
• Determine cost of personnel time and equipment responding to incidents and forwards invoices to appropriate parties.
• Seek grant funding by applying for funding, presenting proposals and administering grant(s).
• Oversee distribution of equipment and training opportunities by suggesting ways to best utilize personnel and equipment and encouraging departments to train trainers.
• Maintains equipment, including: scheduling maintenance; taking inventory of supplies and equipment; and monitoring communications equipment.
• Maintain and upgrades knowledge, skills, and development by attending seminars, meetings and training programs and reading trade and professional journals and publications.
• Maintain filing systems.
• Format, types letters, memos, reports, or other correspondence on a word processor.
• Compose correspondence in accordance with standard policies; answers various inquiries; explains policies and procedures; processes routine and non-routine matters independently.
• Prepare complex, routine and non-routine reports as requested utilizing a variety of software; receives, sorts, and summarizes material for the preparation of reports; prepares work reports; and relays and interprets administrative decisions, policies and instructions.
• Use a computer to enter and retrieve information.
• Report administrative and/or operational problems to supervisor.
• Disseminate a variety of information and/or reports to various agencies, division, or departments via telephone, mail, email or fax.
• May serve as backup for other positions within the department.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Associates degree or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school in Fire Science, Hazardous Materials Technology, or related field; and, three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience in solid, liquid, or hazardous waste management, environmental health inspections, and industrial hygiene practices; or , in conjunction with required certification, an equivalent combination of directly related education, training, experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and…