FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2004
CONTACT: Lucia Ross, (850) 245-2862

DEP Law Enforcement Secures $140,000 for Homeland Security

--Funding will purchase equipment for State Environmental Response Team--

ORLANDO – The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) received $140,000 from the Homeland Security Funding Committee this week to advance Florida’s domestic security strategy. Funds will go toward equipment needs for the State Environmental Response Team and the team’s annual planning session.

“The State Environmental Response Team is charged with safeguarding Florida’s citizens from biological and chemical threats,” said DEP Division of Law Enforcement Director Thomas S. Tramel, III. “This funding enables us to purchase additional equipment to augment the team’s response capability and allow for the more timely identification of potentially harmful weapons, including industrial chemicals.”

Formed in 2001, the Emergency Response Team is a unique, highly specialized group with the capability to conduct criminal and forensic investigations in a chemical and biological atmosphere. Equipment purchases targeted for this year include a portable hazardous materials chemical identifier, a field chemical agent detector and a portable toxic vapor analyzer.

Conceived and led by DEP’s Division of Law Enforcement, the multi-agency team is comprised of representatives from the Departments of Health, Agriculture and Consumer Services, Transportation, Law Enforcement and Financial Services, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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