Photo By Lance Cpl. Jeslianne Torres | U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Logistics Group overlook debris as a part of disaster...... read more read more
BURBANK, Calif. – By the time President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 24, 2025, directing the Environmental Protection Agency to complete its hazardous materials removal mission in Las Angeles, California, operations were already underway.
On January 14, the Federal Emergency Management Agency assigned the EPA to assess, remove, and safely dispose of hazardous materials from all burned areas, and on January 16, EPA’s first teams began assessing properties damaged in the Eaton and Palisades fire burn areas, and are now collecting hazardous materials.
“(The) EPA is undertaking the largest wildfire cleanup in the history of the agency,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “We’re not going to wait days or weeks or months to ramp up. We have over a thousand personnel on the ground to aid Californians, and our local, state, and federal partners, in Los Angeles’ recovery.”
Crews are working to remove potentially dangerous everyday household products like paints, cleaning supplies, automotive oils, garden products such as herbicides and pesticides, propane tanks and other pressurized gas containers. After a fire, these products require special handling, especially if their containers are damaged.
Crews will also remove lithium-ion batteries from vehicles, homes and other products.
The fires damaged or destroyed lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, and electric and hybrid vehicles. Residents should consider the batteries extremely dangerous, even if they look intact. Lithium-ion batteries can spontaneously re-ignite, explode, and emit toxic gases and particulates even after the fire is out.
According to an EPA battery expert, this type of battery generally becomes volatile at temperatures around 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius), where they can pose safety hazards due to potential fire or explosion. However, the exact temperature can vary slightly depending on the specific battery chemistry and design.
At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense authorized U.S. Northern Command to mobilize U.S. Title 10 active-duty joint military forces to support EPA lithium-ion battery removal operations after the recent fires in Los Angeles County. While USNORTHCOM’s primary mission is Homeland Defense, supporting state and federal authorities to help Americans in their time of need will always be a noble responsibility of the Department of Defense.
When requested by FEMA and approved by the Secretary of Defense, the DOD can provide unique capabilities to the requesting agencies. As part of USNORTHCOM’s Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission, diverse mission assets are prepared to respond quickly and effectively to minimize human suffering, protect lives, property, critical infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources.
Joint Task Force Civil Support, Fort Eustis, Va, is tasked with providing command, control of the active-duty military forces.
JTF-CS Deputy Commander, Col. Thaddeus Drake, emphasized that JTF-CS always remains in support of civil authorities, integrating the DOD response with other interagency capabilities to achieve unity of effort under the National Response Framework, a guide to how the nation responds to disasters and emergencies, and in strict adherence with the Constitution and public law.
“We are here by request of the EPA and in support of local authorities and teams from California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control as part of our unified response,” he said. “We are a bridging capability, and we will remain only as long as requested to help enable the residents of LA County to return to their homes and begin rebuilding.”
Upon receiving a mission assignment from USNORTHCOM, JTF-CS personnel immediately began gathering and analyzing data and other information regarding conditions in Los Angeles County and started developing courses of action, assessing the types of equipment, the capabilities and experience of available forces and the quantities of each that would be required to achieve mission success.
The first members of JTF-CS arrived in the area on Feb. 1 and began planning for what is known as the reception, staging, onward movement and integration process of federal forces. Additional members of the team arrived shortly thereafter on Feb. 3 to assist. In all, the DOD is mobilizing approximately 170 service members and employing 28 trucks, wreckers and assorted heavy equipment.
The EPA’s work removing hazardous materials is phase 1 of the federal cleanup response, conducted at no cost to residents. After the hazardous material is gone, phase 2, debris removal in the burn footprints, will be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent these materials from being released into the environment. Phase 2 will begin automatically 0nce phase 1, a mandatory process to ensure the safety of residents and the workers, has been completed at each property.
“Department of Defense is committed to the safety of its personnel, its interagency partners and to the citizens affected by the Los Angeles wildfires,” stressed JTF-CS Commander U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Tanya McGonegal. “DoD personnel on this mission have completed a rigorous 40-hour certification prior to operating in the hazardous materials environment and focus on safety measures by wearing OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] personal protective equipment, participating in medical monitoring, and following EPA procedures including proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials.”
“The safety of the public, communities and all front-line responders remains the highest priority for all wildfire hazardous waste cleanup efforts,” she added. “All work will also be done in close coordination with our state, county, and local government partners.”
Joint Task Force Civil Support, Fort Eustis, Va, is a flexible, agile, adaptive, responsive, and professional Joint Force comprised of active and reserve service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, with operational technical expertise, training and equipment to respond to multiple contingencies in support of Homeland Defense and Civil Support operations.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2025 17:10 |
| Story ID: | 490875 |
| Location: | CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Defense Support to Civil Authorities – Americans helping Americans in Southern California, by Lt. Col. John Stamm, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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