INVESTIGATING METH LABS

Methamphetamine Addiction Can Kill.

So too can the meth labs when the volatile chemicals used in the
drug's production combust.

A burned-out lab is considered a hazardous materials site, with
phosphine gas fumes in sufficient quantities to kill a firefighter
within minutes.

It is with that understanding that a one-day International
Association of Arson Investigators clinic on identifying burned-out
meth labs was conducted in Prince Albert with 40 participants from
the firefighting, insurance, gas company and law enforcement industries.

Held at Prince Albert airport and Cuelenaere Public Library, the
course is considered invaluable for investigators of all sorts, said
Rick Watson, IAAI president, considering the growing prevalence of
meth labs in the province.

"Meth is here and it's not going to go away. It's highly lucrative
to make this and it is highly addictive. We need to be proactive in
identifying how to deal with this."

Watson said fire crews could inadvertently put out a fire, assuming
what they were extinguishing was a regular fire and not a meth lab.
Doing so would mean the firefighters or fire investigators would not
have taken the necessary precautions such as wearing oxygen masks.

After a fire, things in a lab look a lot different, said Watson, and
it may not be as obvious to identify one.

Participants in the clinic were taught how to identify a lab that
had been burned, looking for rubber tubing, propane tanks, empty
glass containers, camp cooking units or plastic containers.

Another difficult aspect of identifying a lab is the versatility of
the process in making the drug, said Steve Bauer, a retired special
agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives in California.

He had been dealing with meth labs for more than 20 of the 34 years
of law enforcement he served before retiring in July.

What happened in California 20 years ago is now reaching
Saskatchewan and the lessons learned are being shared.

"If they see any of those things, or a combination of those things,
they are likely dealing with a lab," he said. "It's the totality of
these circumstances where you have to say, aECould this be a lab?'
If it could be a lab then what precautions could be taken?

"A clandestine crystal meth lab is a (hazardous materials) site and
it has to be treated that way."

Four out of five meth labs are discovered either by fire or
explosion, said Watson. This means recognition of the presence of a
lab is very important to first responders.

A morning of classroom work was supplemented by an afternoon where
some of the materials found in a meth lab were burned, showing the
40 participants signs of what to look for.

A slide presentation gave people a sense of what some of the
potential products were in making the drug and what potential
hazards came with those materials.

Meth is manufactured using all chemicals, meaning its waste
by-products are also all chemical. No chemicals were used when some
lab equipment for the afternoon exercise were burned.

The facilitators used rock salt to simulate crystal meth and a
gasoline and oil mixture ignited the "lab." Prince Albert
firefighters were present to contain and extinguish the fire, giving
participants a look at a burned-out lab.