Audit: Firefighters not ready for nuclear lab fire

Posted at: 09/16/2009 1:24 PM | Updated at: 09/16/2009 1:55 PM
By: SUE MAJOR HOLMES, Associated Press Writer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The Department of Energy's inspector general says Los Alamos County firefighters aren't sufficiently trained to handle the unique fires they could face with hazardous or radioactive materials at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The department has held a contract for 20 years to protect the nuclear weapons lab, which has areas of radioactive materials, explosives and hazardous chemicals.

An inspector general's report, dated Friday and released this week, reviewed the past 11 years when the Los Alamos Fire Department operated under a series of agreements with the lab. Those were replaced a year ago with a formal contract.

Lab and fire department officials contend it focused too much on past problems and not enough on what's been done to resolve them. Some problems also were noted in previous reports.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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