Lehigh County Special Operations

10/09/2026

Lehigh County Special Operations has been quite busy lately with training and events throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Wednesday evening, members took part in training focused on Chemical Warfare Agents, with an emphasis on detection, identification, air monitoring, and responder safety. Members worked with our monitoring and detection equipment while reviewing the challenges of recognizing and confirming the presence of chemical agents in the field.

Training on Chemical Warfare Agents is an important part of maintaining readiness for low frequency, high consequence incidents. It allows our members to become more familiar with our equipment, better understand instrument capabilities and limitations, and continue building confidence in the procedures used during hazmat responses.

Last weekend, members and equipment were also present at the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic , working with the Lower Macungie Fire Department providing air monitoring and HazMat support throughout the event.

Members were also present at the County of Northampton Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event, providing hazardous materials support and additional resources throughout the event.

Training and events like these help keep our members prepared, familiar with our equipment, and ready to respond when needed.

09/21/2026

The Lehigh County UAS (Drone) Response Team recently hosted neighboring public safety agencies for a large scale, multiagency missing person drill.

The exercise centered on locating an elderly woman who was disoriented, lost and in need of medical attention. Team members developed and coordinated a search plan using drones and ground personnel throughout the park. Crews divided into multiple teams, successfully located the missing person and deployed a ground intercept team to provide medical care and transport her safely back to the command post.

Crews from the drone team also tested out the BlueFly detection device from Parsons, allowing us to locate Bluetooth and WiFi enabled devices. This tool would be instrumental in helping to locate persons in rural areas.

Thank you to the following organizations for dedicating their evening to training and strengthening our regional response capabilities:

• Bethlehem Police Department, Bethlehem, PA
• Allentown Police Department
• Bethlehem Medical Reserve Corps (Bethlehem Health)
• Allentown Medical Volunteer Reserve Corps (City of Allentown)
• Lehigh County UAS Response Team
• Lehigh County Emergency Management
• BlueFly - Bluetooth detection system (Parsons Corporation)

Strong partnerships and realistic training help ensure our teams are prepared when every second counts.

09/15/2026

Lehigh County Special Operations had a busy weekend full of training.

Members of our team attended the Reading Fire Conference , where they took the Modern Rope Technologies course to build and refine the technical rescue skills needed for complex rope rescue incidents.

We also hosted Hazard3 for their Risk Based Response to Oxidizers and Peroxides course. This training gave our personnel additional knowledge and hands on experience in safely identifying, assessing, and responding to incidents involving oxidizers and organic peroxides.

Weekends like this highlight our members continued commitment to training, preparedness, and maintaining a high level of service for Lehigh County residents and first responders.

Thank you to our instructors, training partners, and all of the members who dedicated their weekend to continuing their education and strengthening our team’s capabilities.

08/28/2026

Yesterday, members of Lehigh County Special Operations Medical Component joined Bethlehem Hazmat Medics and Allentown Paramedics for a quarterly joint medical training exercise.

Training together allows our teams to strengthen coordination, practice operating in hazardous environments, and ensure that specialized medical support can be effectively integrated into Hazmat operations when it is needed.

Thank you to Allentown Paramedics for hosting the training and to the City of Bethlehem Hazmat Medics for participating. Joint training like this helps keep our responders prepared and the communities we serve safer.

We look forward to more opportunities to train together in the future.

08/21/2026

Lehigh County Special Operations would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office & Forensic Center for the generous donation of a Ford Explorer to support our Drone Team.

We are especially thankful for our longstanding partnership and strong working relationship with Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio and his office. Their continued support, cooperation, and commitment to public safety have been invaluable to our team and the communities we serve.

Strong partnerships between county agencies help us better serve Lehigh County, and we are grateful for the Coroner’s Office’s continued support.
Thank you for helping strengthen our operational capabilities and keep our Drone Team’s mission.

Keep an eye out for future updates as we outfit and equip this vehicle to provide drone and aerial support to our communities and partner agencies.

08/18/2026

Lehigh County Special Operations recently assisted Lynnport Community Fire Co. No. 1 and New Tripoli Fire Company with a spill investigation on Sunday.

Thank you to Lynnport and New Tripoli Fire Departments for the collaboration and teamwork on scene.

This morning Lynn Township fire crews handled a spill investigation with Lehigh County Special Operations

11/21/2025

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/carbon-county/crews-train-for-emergency-mine-scenarios-at-no-9-mine-lansford-carbon-county/523-335998da-fa50-4971-b45f-c1cf6df5b1a5

Crews spent the day at the No. 9 Mine in Lansford to learn how to respond to different types of emergencies.

10/30/2025

The Team was out last night for monitoring and decon. Great job by all involved.