Sudden impact

State's new rapid-response vehicle helps specialists get a quick read on damage, risks during emergencies

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff) The state's new rapid response vehicle carries a fully equipped laboratory for onsite testing at emergency sites.

It looks like a big old RV. Only this baby is a rolling laboratory.

It can predict the weather, measure wind speed, test air and ground water. And the diesel truck, which can go 85 miles per hour, is also FAST. That's short for Field Assessment and Support Team, the official moniker for the new rapid response vehicle rolled out by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The agency decided to buy the truck after reviewing its response to the devastating chemical explosion in Danversport almost two years ago. State and federal grant money was used to cover the $180,000 price tag.

"Danvers was the catalyst for this," said Richard Chalpin, director of the Department of Environmental Protection's northeast regional office in Wilmington. "But it was something we have wanted for a very long time."

The vehicle, which is based in Wilmington but may be kept at other locations in the state, responds to explosions, floods, oil spills, and other environmental emergencies. The department has responded to 1,385 emergencies this year. It responded to 1,727 emergencies last year, including a gasoline tanker rollover in Everett and a fatal fire in downtown Gloucester in December.

Staff members responding to emergencies used to have to collect samples of air, water, and other substances, then drive them to a lab at a regional office or the main laboratory in Boston, officials said. In Danversport, for example, the Department of Environmental Protection monitored air and water quality for months after the Nov. 22, 2006 explosion. Each sample was tested at the Wilmington laboratory. Now staff will be able to test samples onboard the FAST truck, with results reported in minutes, officials said.

"We'll be able to conduct business better," said John Fitzgerald, an engineer with the department. "We'll be able to better protect public health."

At 15 feet long, the truck is loaded with environmental gizmos. Gas chromatographs allow for speedy testing of air, water, and soil. Radiation detectors spot hot zones. A spectroscopy unit analyzes chemicals. An onboard weather station provides up-to-the-minute forecasts on laptop computers. The truck will respond with two people aboard, and additional staff sent to an emergency as needed.

"We'll be able to know if the wind is shifting or if rain is on the way," said Larry Immerman, an environmental analyst assigned to the truck. "Those factors can impact the sampling we do."

When not being used at an emergency, the truck will serve as a support laboratory. "This isn't going to sit around and not move," Fitzgerald said. "It has a day job."

Ground-water samples taken recently from the site of an old machine shop in Merrimac were run through one of two gas chromatographs, with results displayed on a laptop. "It measures the peak reading of each chemical," Immerman said, pointing to the screen.

Despite its massive size, the truck, a GMC TC 4500 model, is eco-friendly. It has a diesel filter that removes particulate matter from emissions. An oxidation catalyst reduces the amount of nitrogen oxide from emissions. The compound is a key contributor to ozone depletion. Its exhaust gas cooler reduces the temperature of emissions. Nitrogen oxide, for example, forms at higher temperatures, officials said.

The hot wheels were unveiled recently at the Danvers Fire Department. The station is just 1.5 miles from the site of the chemical explosion at an ink and paint factory. Danvers Town Manager Wayne P. Marquis said the FAST truck could spare other communities anxious moments.

"The unknown is the worst part of any emergency," Marquis said. "What's next? What's going to happen? What's in the air, the water? Those were questions running through everyone's mind.

"This truck should be a great addition," Marquis said, praising the work of the Department of Environmental Protection throughout the cleanup and recovery of the neighborhood. "This truck is a great piece of equipment. It will help questions right away. . . . I just hope they don't ever have to bring it back to Danvers."

The explosion, the worst industrial accident in state history, destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes and businesses. Damages totaled well into the millions of dollars. State and federal investigators concluded earlier this year that the blast was caused by chemical vapors that built up inside the plant and were ignited from an unknown source.

The Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency spent months monitoring the hazardous-waste cleanup of the site. Thousands of gallons of toluene, acetate, and butyl acetate, all chemicals used in the production of paint and ink at the factory, were cleared away.

Although toxins were released from the explosion, no threat to public health was found in the air or adjoining Crane and Waters rivers, according to the state agency.

Analysts worked round-the-clock monitoring air and water quality immediately after the blast. They were on-site for several months, but with no home of their own, working out of a trailer set up in the neighborhood by the local Police Department. Samples were driven down Route 128 to the Wilmington lab. But if the blast were to happen today, help would hit the road FAST.

"We'd deploy this right away," said Immerman, who spent months working in Danversport. "We'd be able to provide people with real-time data."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.