The number of response team personnel will vary according to the size of each community, with a current total in excess of 250 trained individuals. Responders receive comprehensive training in the areas of marine safety, boat handling, cold water safety, principles of containment and recovery, command and control, nearshore operations and, when available, wildlife hazing, as well as a number of other courses directly related to emergency response activities. Employees must be trained who participate, or are expected to participate, in emergency response operations for releases or threats of releases of hazardous substances without regard to hazard location. Hazardous materials technicians are individuals who respond to releases or potential releases to stop them. They assume a more aggressive role than a first responder at the operations level in that they approach the point of release to plug, patch, or otherwise stop the release of a hazardous substance.
Emphasis is placed on the practical aspects of spill response.