Reno gets new hazmat truck

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Reno-area firefighters will be better equipped for hazardous materials emergencies, thanks to a new truck and a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and Fire Chief Chuc Lowden accepted keys to the truck Monday from EPA Pacific Southwest regional administrator Wayne Nastri during a ceremony at the Reno Fire Department.

The $250,000 vehicle was purchased with a federal EPA grant. The fire department bought $33,000 in equipment to meet its obligation to provide matching funds.

The truck is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including a mobile laboratory for chemical identification, monitoring equipment that can detect plume movement and decontamination equipment.

It will be used in hazardous materials incidents in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County and all along the Truckee River corridor from the spillway at Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, officials said.