The Muskogee Fire Department will no longer just hose down the street or road to wash away fluids after a car wreck, said Chief Derek Tatum.

Now, they will apply a cleanup chemical and remove the waste, he said.

They may also send the people involved a bill.

The City Council will vote at its meeting Monday night on approving a hazardous materials and cleanup ordinance Tatum has proposed.

Washing waste from accident scenes or other fluid cleanups into the nearest ditch is no longer acceptable with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Tatum said.

Complying with their regulations is not without expense, and that expense should be born by the people involved, according to a state law and an Oklahoma Attorney General’s opinion, Tatum said.

“The AG’s opinion basically says if you spill it, you clean it up,” he said.

The fluids involved include motor oil, radiator coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid and transmission fluid, said Robert Adair, the fire department’s special operations officer.

The minimum bill will be $100 for the fire department to respond to vehicle cleanups, according to the proposed ordinance. The maximum fee for an engine company will be $900 per hour plus the cost of supplies used.

The fire department makes a lot of cleanups from traffic accidents, Tatum said.

The fire department already has billed for several cleanups. So far, none has exceeded the $100 minimum, he said.

The charges also will apply to cleaning up gas spills at convenience stores, Adair said. If the store gets the license tag number or information about the driver, the motorist will be billed for the cleanup. Otherwise, the store will be responsible for the bill.

Other cities have been billing for such cleanups for years. Muskogee is just catching up with them in adopting this ordinance, he said.

The ordinance also provides for the department to bill for hazardous materials cleanup. Whether those spills are cleaned up by the fire department or a commercial cleanup service is determined by federal guidelines that specify amounts for the spill to be classified, Tatum said.

The fee for the fire department to make cleanups will be $1,000 for the first hour and $900 per hour for each additional hour. A minimum of $900 will be charged for each additional fire company called. The cost of equipment, supplies and materials also will be billed to the person causing the spill, Tatum said.

The fees may be appealed within 10 days of billing, the ordinance states.









If you go

WHO: Muskogee City Council.

WHAT: Regular meeting.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday.

WHERE: Council Chambers, third floor, Municipal Building, Third Street and Okmulgee Avenue.

ON TV: SuddenLink Channel 14.