Hazardous Materials

Berrien County Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team

The Berrien County Hazmat team was formed in 1981, in response to a tragic train derailment in Berrien County that resulted in the death of a Michigan State Police Trooper. The team consists of 15 members of the Sheriff's Office, who are specially trained to deal with a wide variety of hazardous materials. They range from chemicals, biological agents, radioactive products, nuclear and explosives.

The team has mutual aid agreements with two of the three neighboring counties (Van Buren and Cass). The Berrien County Hazardous Materials Team is a member of the State of Michigan Regional Response Team Network (RRTN). We are one of 16 RRTs in the State. The RRTN consists of 16 teams capable of responding State wide with interoperable equipment and communications. When activated, the RRTs become a task force which operates within the command structure of the requesting jurisdiction.