Pubdate: Sun, 24 Sep 2006
Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2006 Prince Albert Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918
Author: Timothy Schafer, Herald Staff

INVESTIGATING METH LABS

Methamphetamine Addiction Can Kill.

So too can the meth labs when the volatile chemicals  used in the 
drug's production combust.

A burned-out lab is considered a hazardous materials  site, with 
phosphine gas fumes in sufficient quantities  to kill a firefighter 
within minutes.

It is with that understanding that a one-day  International 
Association of Arson Investigators clinic  on identifying burned-out 
meth labs was conducted in  Prince Albert with 40 participants from 
the  firefighting, insurance, gas company and law  enforcement industries.

Held at Prince Albert airport and Cuelenaere Public  Library, the 
course is considered invaluable for  investigators of all sorts, said 
Rick Watson, IAAI  president, considering the growing prevalence of 
meth  labs in the province.

"Meth is here and it's not going to go away. It's  highly lucrative 
to make this and it is highly  addictive. We need to be proactive in 
identifying how  to deal with this."

Watson said fire crews could inadvertently put out a  fire, assuming 
what they were extinguishing was a  regular fire and not a meth lab. 
Doing so would mean  the firefighters or fire investigators would not 
have  taken the necessary precautions such as wearing oxygen  masks.

After a fire, things in a lab look a lot different,  said Watson, and 
it may not be as obvious to identify  one.

Participants in the clinic were taught how to identify  a lab that 
had been burned, looking for rubber tubing,  propane tanks, empty 
glass containers, camp cooking  units or plastic containers.

Another difficult aspect of identifying a lab is the  versatility of 
the process in making the drug, said  Steve Bauer, a retired special 
agent from the U.S.  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 
Explosives in  California.

He had been dealing with meth labs for more than 20 of  the 34 years 
of law enforcement he served before  retiring in July.

What happened in California 20 years ago is now  reaching 
Saskatchewan and the lessons learned are being  shared.

"If they see any of those things, or a combination of  those things, 
they are likely dealing with a lab," he  said. "It's the totality of 
these circumstances where  you have to say, aECould this be a lab?' 
If it could  be a lab then what precautions could be taken?

"A clandestine crystal meth lab is a (hazardous  materials) site and 
it has to be treated that way."

Four out of five meth labs are discovered either by  fire or 
explosion, said Watson. This means recognition  of the presence of a 
lab is very important to first  responders.

A morning of classroom work was supplemented by an  afternoon where 
some of the materials found in a meth  lab were burned, showing the 
40 participants signs of  what to look for.

A slide presentation gave people a sense of what some  of the 
potential products were in making the drug and  what potential 
hazards came with those materials.

Meth is manufactured using all chemicals, meaning its  waste 
by-products are also all chemical. No chemicals  were used when some 
lab equipment for the afternoon  exercise were burned.

The facilitators used rock salt to simulate crystal  meth and a 
gasoline and oil mixture ignited the "lab."  Prince Albert 
firefighters were present to contain and  extinguish the fire, giving 
participants a look at a  burned-out lab.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine