TRAINING HELPS SPOT METH LABS

BINGHAMTON - It took only a few moments for city firefighters to
realize that a fire at a Conklin Avenue home this week involved a
meth lab.

Only three weeks earlier, the Binghamton Fire Bureau had undergone
four days of meth lab recognition training provided by the state
Office of Fire Prevention and Control. The "intense" awareness course
included videos and examples of drug labs, said Binghamton Fire
Chief Cliff Colgan.

The knowledge paid off Tuesday when firefighters responded to a blaze
at 426 Conklin Ave. that killed 28-year-old Joshua Lamberg. The fire
was the fifth meth-related incident in the Southern Tier in a week's
time.

"They got in this building and saw the tubing, the torches and the
hot plates and knew what they had," Colgan said.

The state course, called "Clandestine Drug Lab Recognition and
Awareness," was taught by retired Binghamton firefighter Jim Shine,
now a fire protection specialist with the Hazardous Materials Bureau
of OFPC.

Methamphetamine producers will manufacture the drug wherever they
feel comfortable doing so, said Lt. Patrick Garey of the New York
State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team.

City of Norwich Fire Chief John Tighe echoed Shine's feelings Friday.
"I guess we are going to have to get that training for our men up
here," Tighe said.