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Rescuers fitted with new masks
By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- The sheriff's deputies arrived one by one Monday to get fitted. For some, it wasn't a pleasant experience. "I'm gasping for air!" said Deputy Steven Donaldson, an awkward black mask over his head, a machine measuring his lung capacity. Law enforcement officers from around Tampa Bay on Monday took another step to prepare for potential disasters, namely those caused by terrorists. About 100 authorities from nine west-central Florida counties, including members of the Florida Highway Patrol and the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, received new hazardous materials masks at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office off Faulkenburg Road. "The people with these are our first responders," said Ed Beaudoin, director of education for the Environmental Compliance Training Institute, which oversaw Monday's fittings. "They are going to have to go into some messy places. "They are going to be the defense for us, to cover our tails. They've got to be protected." The devices -- worth about $175 each -- were purchased with part of a $9-million grant from the federal Department of Justice and are designed to protect users from nuclear, chemical and biological attacks, as well as from asbestos, officials said. Beaudoin said the fittings were necessary to ensure that masks are airtight and that each user can breathe sufficiently with a constricted airflow. In coming months, those with gas masks also will receive full-body hazardous materials suits, several of which were displayed Monday. "We want to be prepared for all scenarios," said Rick Morera, spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. "We're trying to cover all our bases." Monday's recipients included authorities from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Manatee, Polk and Hardee counties.
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