POLICE, FIRE DEPARTMENTS TEAM UP AGAINST DRUG OPS

Municipal Departments Enter Agreement On How To Clean Up Grow Ops And
Drug Labs In Nelson

Nelson's police will get some special training from the fire fighters
to deal with the high number of grow op busts and occasional drug lab
investigations.

Members of the Nelson Police Department's general investigation
section will be trained to use the fire department's hazardous
materials suits when they investigate some crime scenes, said Dan
Maluta, Nelson's police chief.

The move to use the suits commonly called haz-mat suits, is prompted
by the fact the police deal with roughly 12 marijuana grow operations
a year, the police chief says.

Just before Christmas, members of the police force had a small
accident where a pair of pants were ruined and a police force
member's boots were destroyed by a pH-modifying chemical.

While the incident was minor, Maluta says the range and variety of
chemicals used in grow ops and drug labs means safety is a concern
when police investigate them.

The police have "cursory" safety equipment for less risky crime
scenes but "it's just prudent to involve the fire department and
their haz-mat gear."

How common are grow op busts in Nelson?

"Our officers are looking at one a month inside and just outside the
city," Maluta said.

The police chief wouldn't go into specifics, but police also
dismantled two meth labs in the last year and a half, he said.

Meth labs are considered highly toxic locations, said Maluta, and
haz-mat suits are often necessary during investigations.

The police chief said sending in non-police personnel would put
evidence at risk, which is why he's excited to have his own police
trained to use the fire department's haz-mat suits.

The fire department has spent $35,000 on equipment and training to
use the large blue suits which completely seal a person off from most
contaminants, said fire chief Simon Grypma. Risks from chlorine,
ammonia and petroleum leaks make the suits necessary, Grypma said.

Once the police are trained to use the suits, they'll be able to
collect evidence in toxic drug labs, he said, and the fire department
will provide the necessary support.

A City bylaw passed last year also means the fire department will be
able to recover some of the costs associated with using their
equipment to investigate and dismantle grow ops and drug labs.

Property owners can be billed for the clean up costs associated with
illegal activities, Grypma said.

The fire chief says if people ever find any "strange laboratory"
equipment they should call 911 and let the fire department deal with it.