The following is an interview conducted by Erica Bernstein (Director, Outreach and Special Programs, CHEMTREC) with Joe Milazzo (Director of Operations Center) a CHEMTREC® employee for 33 years.
Joe Milazzo, 2021
Joe Milazzo has been with CHEMTREC since 1988 and became Operations moj database Center Manager in January 2007. He now serves as Director of the Operations Center, where his responsibilities include overall operational oversight and oversight of CHEMTREC’s emergency services. He has attended numerous industry hazmat training sessions with response teams from various chemical manufacturers, including one of the few that trained with live chemicals. He served as CHEMTREC’s Training Coordinator in March 2002 where he designed operational and company-specific training and assisted the Director of Operations with day-to-day responsibilities. He is a 2007 graduate of the International Academies of Emergency Management Communications Center Manager Course and a veteran of the United States Coast Guard.
JM: It was a combination of CHEMTREC’s mission and the money, honestly. After five years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard working in the National Response Center, I was a 23-year-old eager to join CHEMTREC’s remarkable team of professionals, many of whom were Vietnam War veterans.
What is the biggest change you have seen at CHEMTREC?
JM: Technology has been one of the biggest changes for the Operations Center. When I started, we didn’t have internet, cell phones, or email. Faxing at the time was very difficult and made it difficult to share information. We were often patched through 9-1-1 to relay information to first responders on the scene, making it extremely difficult to communicate effectively. I remember one call involving a chemical that was water reactive and I heard them say charge the line, and I just kept repeating “it’s water reactive, it’s water reactive” and I felt such relief when I finally heard the standoff decision. Luckily, the message got through or there would have been a steam explosion. Communication with cell phones has improved greatly, allowing the CHEMTREC Operations Center to now have a direct connection with those on the scene. Additionally, the internet has helped increase access to information for emergency responders.
