Riverhead police complete hazmat training for new emergency response team
Riverhead is building its own hazmat response team, sending four police officers to Alabama last week for specialized training that will allow the town to handle dangerous materials incidents without relying on neighboring departments.
The team will respond to calls including lithium-ion battery fires, propane leaks, heating oil spills and carbon monoxide concerns.Chief fire marshal Andrew Smith told the Riverhead News-Review that town fire marshals responded to 36 hazmat incidents in 2025.
“The response time is going to be a lot faster now if we have our own in-house hazmat team,” Mr. Smith said. “And it’s especially important to the volunteer fire departments, the volunteer ambulance and the police departments whenever they run into hazardous material situation that we’re able to get there pretty quickly and operate.”
Currently, Riverhead relies on mutual aid from the neighboring towns of Brookhaven and Southampton for hazmat calls.
Four Riverhead police officers — Travis Wooten, Anthony Chiaramonte, Andrew Waski and William Leonardi — completed the Hazardous Materials Technician Course at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala., last week.
The 40-hour course trained them on how to safely respond to suspected incidents at the hazardous materials technician level, including leak containment and decontamination, according to the CDP’s website.
The center is funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Training Consortium, which offers training to federal, state and local agencies at no cost.
The Riverhead Hazmat Team will be staffed by Riverhead fire marshals, police officers and code enforcement officers trained as hazmat technicians. It will respond to incidents to provide local fire departments with technical and specialist level assistance. The team will operate within the Suffolk County Hazmat Response Plan, coordinating and training with other regional teams across Long Island.
Next month, several other Riverhead police officers — who also serve as volunteer firefighters in the Wading River, Riverhead, Jamesport and Manorville fire departments — will attend the training in Alabama to earn their hazmat certifications, Mr. Smith said.
Developing a full-fledged hazmat team will require Town Board approval after more officers are trained, Mr. Smith said. He believes a hazmat team in Riverhead could be active later this year.
