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Mock chemical spill helps Cedar Rapids fire, utilities employees train for emergencies

Training exercise can identify ‘gaps’ in response plans

Emily Andersen

Jun. 13, 2025 5:24 pm, Updated: Jun. 16, 2025 8:50 am

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Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell’s hazardous materials suit is washed off in the decontamination station during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell’s hazardous materials suit is washed off in the decontamination station during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

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CEDAR RAPIDS — Staff from Cedar Rapids’ water treatment plant and the hazardous materials team at the Cedar Rapids Fire Department worked together Friday morning to run through a drill to test the safety procedures both departments have in place for an emergency hazmat scenario.

“Training like this allows us to go into a seamless response, and it becomes just second nature, so that we just make sure that we’re keeping everyone safe and doing exactly what we need to do to keep the water supply going for the city of Cedar Rapids,” said Christine Knapp, the Cedar Rapids water plant operations manager.

The training started at around 9 a.m. when staff at the city’s water treatment facility, 707 J Ave. NE, evacuated over a report of a chemical release due to an uncontrollable tank failure.

Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell (right) prepares to seal a leak on a chemical tank as he and Captain Greg Brennaman work during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell (right) prepares to seal a leak on a chemical tank as he and Captain Greg Brennaman work during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Few staff, beyond leadership, had been informed about the drill, and they evacuated as if they were responding to a real emergency situation.

“We want to learn things along the way. That’s why we do this,” Knapp said. “We team up with fire on a regular basis to find out what some of the gaps are, and we work to do our best to eliminate those gaps and retrain and redrill and keep doing it over and over again.”

A “bear claw” device is seen at the site of a Cedar Rapids Fire Department hazardous materials training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The device is attached to a hazmat technician’s protective suit. Paper test strips indicate the presence of certain chemicals. Some of the chemicals that can be tested for include: nerve and blister agents, PH level, presence of fluoride, presence of an oxidizer and a water test. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
A “bear claw” device is seen at the site of a Cedar Rapids Fire Department hazardous materials training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The device is attached to a hazmat technician’s protective suit. Paper test strips indicate the presence of certain chemicals. Some of the chemicals that can be tested for include: nerve and blister agents, PH level, presence of fluoride, presence of an oxidizer and a water test. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

After the water treatment staff had evacuated, the Cedar Rapids Fire Department hazmat team arrived and assessed the situation before suiting up and cleaning up the fake chemical spill and sealing the leaking tank. That work took until 11 a.m., including the time spent cleaning the simulated hazardous materials off the firefighters when they had finished.

“Sometimes hazmat incidents, initially, are a hurry-up-and-wait sort of a situation, whereas with a house fire or a structure fire we would get to work right away, start putting water on the fire to mitigate the problem,” said Captain Ben Kurka, hazmat program manager for the fire department. “With a hazmat response, we really have to slow down and take an approach of, what are we up against, what kind of hazards are we facing, and how do we mitigate those safely?”

Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell (left) and Captain Greg Brennaman approach a chemical tank after retrieving some tools to seal a leak during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell (left) and Captain Greg Brennaman approach a chemical tank after retrieving some tools to seal a leak during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Knapp said this was the first time the departments have run a drill that involved a leak in the outdoor part of the facility, and one of the gaps they discovered was that the site maps and reference information they provided the fire department weren’t as up to date as they could have been.

“Drills like this are huge for us … It allows us to work with our facility folks, learn their sites, know the hazards that they have on site, and gives our staff that training to respond efficiently and effectively.”

Cedar Rapids Fire Department Captain Greg Brennaman maneuvers into a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department Captain Greg Brennaman maneuvers into a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Because of the strict safety and compliance procedures followed at city facilities and other potentially dangerous industrial sites in Cedar Rapids, the hazmat team doesn’t see a lot of hazardous material situations that are as large scale as the drill scenario Friday morning, but Kurka said they do regularly respond to smaller scale hazmat threats, which can include something as simple as spilled gasoline.

“Hazmat scenes bring in a lot of complexities. It takes a lot of planning, and drills like this are a great way for us to start those discussions and really establish those best practices on how we can handle those quickly and safely,” Kurka said. “(It) gives us a chance to practice those skills, that we can drill in the fire station with some props, but coming out to a site and actually dealing with more or less the real deal, this is a great opportunity for our staff to get more comfortable with those operations and really, really hone our skills.”

Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter Kenna Fry dons a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. Fry was part of a secondary team that was prepared to assist or relieve the primary team in the hot zone. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department firefighter Kenna Fry dons a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids on Friday. Fry was part of a secondary team that was prepared to assist or relieve the primary team in the hot zone. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department Captain Terry McAtee (left) helps firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell don a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids Fire Department Captain Terry McAtee (left) helps firefighter/hazmat technician Jeremy Bell don a hazardous materials suit during a training exercise at the city’s J Avenue Water Treatment Plant, 707 J Ave. NE, in Cedar Rapids, on Friday. The training exercise was a reported unknown chemical leak at the facility that required the evacuation of the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com

Article Tags Cedar Rapids Fire Department, Cedar Rapids
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