Hazardous Materials

1. Hazardous Materials Operations Level In-Service Training

2. Haz Mat In-Service • Better understanding of Haz-Mat emergencies. • Roles and Responsibilities at a Haz-Mat. • Basic Knowledge of Emergency Response Guide. • Levels of Haz-Mat Responses in your County.

3. Why Training • Make Fire/EMS personnel more aware of the potential that hazardous materials may be involved in emergency responses. • Importance in recognizing the presence of a Hazardous Material, so not to become victims.

4. What is a Hazardous Material? Department of Transportation- “Any substance or material in any form or quantity which poses an unreasonable risk to health and safety and to property when transported in commerce.” EPA – “Any material when discharged into the environment may be harmful to the public health and welfare of the United States.”

5. In Plain Language Any substance which jumps outs of it’s container, when something goes wrong and hurts or harms the thing it touches.

6. Training to Respond OSHA 1910.120 definition: • Responders including Fire/EMS at the First Responder Operations Level. This is 8 hours for original training. • Command Personnel – First Responder Operations Level and a minimum of 16 hours of Incident Command training.

7. First Responder Level • Recognize potential incident. • Defensive operations - outside release area. • Evacuate all non-emergency personnel from incident site. • Call for additional assistance and standby. • Decon assistance.

8. Lead Agency • In NYS, the Fire Department will normally be the lead agency for Haz Mat Incidents. • Will designate an Incident Commander. • If a crime is in progress, law enforcement having jurisdiction will have to participate in the joint command operation. • In very serious incidents, the lead agency may escalate to the Town Supervisor or County Executive.

9. Fire Department Responsibilities • Identification of materials involved. • Bringing fires under control. • Defensive containment of spill. • Coordinates safe removal of a spilled material. • Monitors cleanup and site decontamination.

10. EMS Responsibilities • Establish a medical sector. • Triage, treatment and transport of victims. • Communicate with hospitals. • Monitor of rescue personnel in Rehab area. • Assist with movement of impaired and special needs citizens. • Provide updates and information to IC. • Work in unified command system.

11. Law Enforcement • Securing immediate area outside the hot zone. • Rerouting of traffic. • Limiting access to the incident to emergency personnel. • Work in unified command system.

12. Haz Mat Team • Identify the hazard and potential implications. • Provide information to IC. • Provide Technical assistance as required. • Work with other qualified personnel to mitigate the situation. • Work in unified command system.

13. Working Thru An Incident Information gathering starts with the call to 911. • When gathering information try to get: Type of material involved. Quantity of material. Name of Material (proper spelling). Shipper’s name. Type of container.

14. Evaluation Considerations of an Incident: • Is is stabilizing? • Is it increasing in intensity?

15. Prudent to Withdraw from the Incident • No way to mitigate the situation. • Situation about to deteriorate.

16. Resources Available • North American Emergency Response Guide. • Your County Haz Mat Team. • Chemtrec. • Manufacturers Safety Data Sheets.

17. Emergency Situations That Could be Haz Mat Related • Traffic Accidents. • Some Suicides. • CO Incidents. • Returning from incident and observe a potential Haz Mat.

18. Traffic Accidents • One of vehicles maybe transporting hazardous materials. • May have released before arrival. • Maybe releasing while approaching scene. • Patient may have been exposed already.

19. Make Sure The Scene Is SAFE!

20. Remember: Order of Priorities is: Life, Property, Then the Environment

21. Incident Command System The Incident Command System is implemented at all haz-mat incidents. The Incident Commander (IC) is ultimately in charge and responsible for the incident. The IC will make their decisions based on input from the SAFTEY OFFICER and the OPERATONS OFFICER. The IC should work out of the command post that is established a safe distance from the scene and clearly marked. The access to the command post should be controlled to keep unnecessary people out.

22. ICS

23. Incident Commander • The IC should be at least at the Operations Responder Level. • Full training in is available and required for using the Incident Command System. • Personnel who will be expected to be in charge of a Haz-Mat incident will need to have more in-depth instruction in the ICS.

24. Operations • The Operations Officer will handle the control of the team entering the hot zone. • Operations is to monitor their procedures and evaluate the situation. • Operations, should be at the same level of training as the entry team or higher. • This might be handled by the Haz Mat Team Leader.

25. Safety • The Safety Officer will only operate as the safety officer. • Safety will handle the overall safety of the operation within the warm and hot zones.

26. Level A Suits • Fully Encapsulated. • Utilizes SCBA. • Provides best protection from airborne chemicals. Some limitations are: • Limited dexterity. • Increased heat stress. • Limited vision. • Claustrophobia

27. Class “B” Suits • 1. Same level of respiratory protection, but a lesser level of skin protection. • 2. Commonly referred to as a splash suit. Used where liquids are present as the hazard. • 3. Should not be used if engulfment is a possibility.

28. Level C • Designed for splash protection. • Utilizes cartridge respirator, with proper cartridge for hazard. • Provides good protection for materials not absorbed thru skin. • Used only when Oxygen level has been determined and toxicity levels are known.

29. Level D • Street Clothes. • May utilize cartridge respirator. • No Chemical protection.

30. Firefighter Protective Gear • Firefighter Bunker gear is “limited protection” level of chemical protective clothing. • It is intended for use at fires. • It may be used at the scene of flammable gases or liquids though, as long as direct contact with the product is not anticipated.

31. Container Shape & Types

32. Materials Used in Containers • Metal • Glass • Paper and/or Cardboard • Plastic

33. Placards • Placards – required for rail/road transportation only. • Required for any quantity of poison gas, explosives, radioactive materials, and any material dangerous when wet. • Also required for 1000# or more of other products being transported.

34. Markings • Labels – required n packages and containers. • Signage or stenciling. • Color coding, but not always a reliable indicator.

35. Occupancy • Type of business. • Processes or activities. • Known location of hazardous materials.

36. Senses Clouds of Vapor Sound of product being released under pressure.

37. Senses Sight -Runoff, and Damaged Containers.

38. Senses Smell/Taste – should not be used to detect hazardous presence.

39. Other Sources of Information • Occupant/bystander information. • North American Emergency Response Guide. • Shipping papers. • Dispatch Information. • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

40. Shipping Papers Shipping documents are kept in: • The cab of the motor vehicle, • The possession of the train crew member, • A holder on the bridge of a vessel, or • An aircraft pilot's possession.

41. MSDS • OSHA required for all chemicals. • No standard form required. • Looks confusing, but contains much information.

42. MSDS General Requirements • Chemical Properties. • Health Hazards. • Personal Protection. • Fire & Reactivity Data. • EMS Recommendations. • Spill & Disposal Recommendations. • Storage & Handling.

43. North American Emergency Response Guide

44. Emergency Response Guide 2000 • First produced in 1984. • Updated every 3-4 years. • Produced by USDOT. • Produced due to an explosion at construction site that killed several Kansas City FF. • Designed to provide GENERAL information during first 30 minutes of incident. • Should be in every Emergency Response Vehicle

45. Purpose of 4 Digit Number System • Internationally developed numbers. • A user can identify the material, no matter what the language they speak. • Developed by the United Nations.

46. Yellow Section of ERG • Identify hazardous materials by four digit UN number on placard or shipping papers. • Identify the guide to sue for dealing with an incident that the UN number has identified. • Materials listed in numerical order. Approximately 3600 chemicals • More than one chemical may have the same ID number.

47. Blue Section of ERG • Hazardous material by name. • Identify the guide to be used. • Listed alphabetically. • Exact spelling of a chemical is important. • Many chemicals are spelled almost the same.

48. Orange Section of ERG. • Gives First Responder basic procedures for dealing with incident. • Information is very generic and for protective actions. • Divided into 62 sections. • Guides are divided into groups dealing with specific categories of chemicals.

49. Green Section of ERG • Identify isolation zone for chemicals, that are identified as toxic from vapors. • Initial Isolation Zones. • Contains list of water reactive materials. • Any chemical highlighted in Blue or Yellow section of ERG, refer to Green section.

50. Explosives