05/12/2026
IFA would like to congratulate Company 1 Lieutenant Craig Sutton on earning one of the more challenging certifications in the fire service.
Craig is now nationally certified as a Hazardous Materials Technician.
And no… this isn’t your average “sit through a class and grab a certificate” kind of deal.
This course takes months to complete, eats up weekends, and pushes candidates to prove they actually know what they’re doing when things get really bad. We’re talking about the nasty stuff—the kind of calls where guessing is not an option and “close enough” is a terrible strategy.
From chemistry and identifying hazardous materials, to understanding shipping containers, to dealing with leaking tanks, unknown substances, and yes… even weapons of mass destruction—it covers it all. Basically, if it leaks, glows, hisses, or makes you take a step back and say “that doesn’t look right,” this is Craig’s lane now.
The written test alone isn’t something you just show up and “see how it goes.” It takes serious studying, serious knowledge, and a willingness to commit the time.
So while most of us were enjoying our weekends, Craig was out there learning how to keep the rest of us from making really bad decisions around really dangerous things. We appreciate that.
Congrats to LT. Sutton, and thank you for stepping up to be one of the few willing to take this on. When the weird, hazardous, no-room-for-error situations show up… we know who we’re calling.
IFA is very fortunate to have a handful of Hazmat Technicians on the roster and Craig is great addition with new fresh knowledge.
(And the rest of us will be standing a safe distance behind him.)
