Toxic county outsourcing

As the sheriff shops for high-tech spy gear, the county is looking to farm out its “response services to hazardous materials incidents,” according to a November 8 request for information from would-be contractors. “There are between 350 and 400 hazardous materials incidents that occur within the response area each year,” the document says. “Incidents range in severity from small spills or releases to illegal drug laboratories to major chemical release emergencies that threaten entire neighborhoods.” Among other things, the contractor is expected to assist “in determining the necessity for evacuation and in establishing reentry criteria,” as well as to have “the ability to identify hazmats including chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents.”