EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS

04/22/23CCFA HazMat Awareness 20031

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EMERGENCY RESPONSEEMERGENCY RESPONSETOTO

HAZARDOUS MATERIALSHAZARDOUS MATERIALSINCIDENTSINCIDENTS

AWARENESS


WHAT IS ‘AWARENESS’WHAT IS ‘AWARENESS’It’s About SafetyIt’s About Safety Basic Definitions Regulations and Standards ICS* Terminology Hazard and Risk Assessment Site Control SOG’s* SARA and ERP* Personal Protective Equipment


WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL?WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL?We don’t do it all the time – so we need

the practiceMany unpredictable elements = room for

errorNFPA and OSHA agree that it’s a big deal


THE ROLE OF THE FIRE THE ROLE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT A DEPARTMENT AT A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTINCIDENTIT’S THE SAME AS ANY OTHER CALL:Show up and do the best we can to save lives

and protect property while ensuring that we all go home safe and sound afterward.


DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS

FIRST RESPONDER-AWARENESS LEVEL

Responds to the Emergency Recognizes the release as hazardous Calls for Appropriate Resources Assists with Intervention as Training

Dictates


DEFINITIONSDEFINITIONS

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCY

An occurrence that results, or is likely to result, in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous substance (OSHA 1910.120)



HAZARDOUS MATERIAL (EPA)A material which, due to its concentration,

quantity, or chemical or physical properties, may cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality, to an increase in serious, irreversible illness, or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly managed.



HAZARDOUS MATERIAL (Clear Creek)Animal, vegetable, mineral, or chemical

that could explode, catch fire, get on you and make you sick, or get on a fish or boreal toad and make him sick.


HOW DO WE BECOME HOW DO WE BECOME “AWARE”“AWARE”To become aware, one must educate ones-

self on:

Identifying the substance Keeping the substance at bay Keeping the substance off of ones-self


HOW DO WE IDENTIFY THE HOW DO WE IDENTIFY THE ‘SUBSTANCE’?‘SUBSTANCE’?MANY BRILLIANT CHEMISTS,

TOXICOLOGISTS, FIRE CHIEFS, AND TRUCK DRIVERS HAVE WORKED DILLIGENTLY FOR YEARS TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION

AND THEY STILL DON’T AGREE


TWO MAIN I.D. METHODSTWO MAIN I.D. METHODSNFPA 704

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION


NFPA 704 (the DIAMOND)NFPA 704 (the DIAMOND)HEALTH HAZARD (BLUE)FIRE HAZARD (RED)REACTIVITY (YELLOW)SPECIFIC HAZARD

Used on fixed facilitiesEach Hazard gets a rating of 0 thru 44 is bad, 0 is good


DOT System DOT System (the ORANGE book)(the ORANGE book)Transportation Based System (it’s the one you see on trucks) The PLACARD is the key Look for the PLACARD on the truck, then look

for the NUMBER on the placard. If you find the NUMBER, look up the NUMBER

on the YELLOW PAGES. The YELLOW PAGES tell you What the

material is and Which GUIDE NO. to find in the ORANGE PAGES.


DOT GUIDEBOOKDOT GUIDEBOOK

If we can’t find the NUMBER, try looking for the NAME of the material on the shipping papers.

If you find the NAME, look it up in the BLUE PAGES.

The BLUE PAGES tell you Which Guide No. to look up in the ORANGE PAGES.


DOT GUIDEBOOKDOT GUIDEBOOK

The ORANGE PAGES Potential Hazards Safety Precautions Emergency Response


No Name or #? No Problem!No Name or #? No Problem!

We can still use the ORANGE BOOK

Turn to GUIDE 111 in the ORANGE PAGES


No Name or #? No Problem!No Name or #? No Problem!What does the truck look like?

MC312

MC331

MC312 MC306

MC307

MC306


THE HAZARDS OF HAZMATTHE HAZARDS OF HAZMAT

ROUTES OF EXPOSURE

INHALATION (Breath it in) ABSORPTION (Get it on ya’) INGESTION (You eat it)


HAZARDS OF HAZMATHAZARDS OF HAZMAT

YOU MAY ASK: What Happens if I Eat It, Breath It, or Get It On Me?

The answer is: THAT DEPENDS

It depends on What, Who, Where, and How Much!


HAZARDS OF HAZMATHAZARDS OF HAZMATUltimately ingestion, absorption, or

inhalation of a hazardous material can affect your body at the cellular level (you know, the ‘cell’, as in the basic element of life)

It may be skin cells, blood cells, or the cells in your kidneys.


HAZARDS OF HAZMATHAZARDS OF HAZMAT

The key to minimizing the effects of hazardous material exposure is to avoid exposure in the first place.

We do that by: Assessing our risks and hazards Controlling the scene Wearing proper protective equipment


HAZARD AND RISK HAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENT-’D.E.C.I.D.E.ASSESSMENT-’D.E.C.I.D.E.DETECT the presence of hazardous mat.ESTIMATE the likely harm w/o interventionCHOOSE the appropriate response objectiveIDENTIFY optionsDO the best optionEVALUATE and re-evaluate progress


HAZARD AND RISK HAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENT – Things to ASSESSMENT – Things to ConsiderConsiderWhere is the spill?Where is the spill headed?What is the material?What are the hazards to responders?


SITE CONTROLSITE CONTROL

OBJECTIVESo Minimize chaos (and there will be chaos)o Provide direction and efficiencyo Provide for accountabilityo Prevent harmo Prevent/minimize contamination



START OUT WITH A BIG PERIMETER – YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE IT SMALLER LATER

SET UP YOUR ZONES EARLY(WHAT’S A ZONE?)



YOU KNOW – ZONES!!!

COLD ZONE (OR GREEN ZONE) WARM ZONE (OR YELLOW ZONE) HOT ZONE (OR RED ZONE)



COLD ZONE (the place you should want to be) – no hazards

WARM ZONE (the place nobody wants to be) – for contamination reduction

HOT ZONE (where the action is) – highest level of PPE required




PERSONAL PROTECTIVE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (A.K.A. PPE)EQUIPMENT (A.K.A. PPE)So we don’t want to get it on us, eat it, or

breath it – how do we “tame the beast”?

We wear Personal Protective Equipment Skin protection Respiratory protection


PPEPPE

SKIN PROTECTION

Boots (turn-outs, Tyvek overshoes, chemical resistant boots)

Gloves (Fire, Latex, Nitrile, Butyl) Clothing (turn-out gear, Tyvek, Saranex,

or the Big Dog Level A suit)


PPEPPE

Respiratory Protection – 3 types None (this is bad) Air purifying respirator (APR) Supplied Air (SCBA)

In Clear Creek, we keep it simple: it’s SCBA or NOTHING


PPEPPE

ENSEMBLES (makes you think of Lt. Timmens, don’t it?)

Level D – The clothes you wore to class plus steel toed boots and a hard hat

Modified Level D – Your turn-out gear


PPEPPE

ENSEMBLES CONTINUED LEVEL C – a Tyvek suit or turn-out gear with an

APR (but we don’t have APRs, so…

Modified LEVEL C – same as above with SCBA

If you need respiratory protection, use an SCBA.


PPEPPE

MORE ENSEMBLES LEVEL B – Heavy duty non-encapsulating

suit (like Saranex) plus SCBA

LEVEL A – Fully encapsulating suit plus SCBA and a whole lot of Gatorade


PPEPPE

WHEN DO WE USE WHAT ENSEMBLE?Listen to someone who knows.Use your reference materials (the little

ORANGE book).ERR on the side of caution


PUT IT ALL TOGETHERPUT IT ALL TOGETHER Respond to the call – think ahead about staging,

resources, hazards. Size-up the scene. Give a good report. Isolate the area Identify hazards Develop a plan Initiate the plan using safe procedures and the

right equipment DON’T DRIVE THRU, WALK THRU OR

PARK IN THE PRODUCT!


STANDARD OPERATING STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINESGUIDELINES Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs)

exist for two purposes:1) To Provide general information on

department policies to personnel; and2) To Provide basic guidance to department

personnel regarding specific types of fire department operations.


S.O.G.S.O.G.

Standard Operating Guidelines are not intended to address every situation. They are meant to be GUIDEANCE – to be adaptable to a variety of situations and circumstances.

They are another ‘tool in the toolbox’


S.O.G. NO. 11OS.O.G. NO. 11OHAZMAT RESPONSEHAZMAT RESPONSEHIGHLIGHTS Every incident presents the potential for

exposure to hazardous materials and the products of combustion of an ordinary fire may present severe hazards to personnel safety.

Adequate situation evaluation is critical. If the wrong decision is made, personnel can easily become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.


S.O.G. NO. 110 cont.S.O.G. NO. 110 cont.

The first arriving unit will establish Command and begin a size-up.

The first unit must consciously avoid committing itself to a dangerous situation.

Establish staging for other responding units. At all incidents involving hazardous

materials, a Safety Sector will be established.


S.O.G. NO. 111S.O.G. NO. 111NATURAL GAS INCIDENTSNATURAL GAS INCIDENTSHIGHLIGHTS Natural gas is lighter than air and will dissipate rapidly

outside. Inside buildings it tends to pocket, particularly in attics

and dead air spaces. The flammable limits are approximately 3% to 15% in

air. Natural gas itself is non-toxic. It does, however,

displace oxygen and can result in asphyxiation if in a confined space.

Flammable gas ranges and oxygen contents can only be determined by a combustible gas instrument.


NATURAL GAS INCIDENTSNATURAL GAS INCIDENTS

Burning natural gas should not normally be extinguished

Fires should be controlled by stopping the flow.

All personnel working in the vicinity of a known or suspected gas leak shall wear full protective clothing.

A safety perimeter shall be established and maintained around any suspected gas leak.


S.O.G. NO. 112S.O.G. NO. 112FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS INCIDENTSINCIDENTS

HIGHLIGHTS Flammable liquids present particular

problems for fire protection, health, safety, and environmental protection.

The principle agent for flammable liquid firefighting is AFFF/ATC (Aqueous Film Forming Foam/Alcohol Type Concentrate). Initial attack on any flammable liquid fire should be made with AFFF/ATC.


FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS INCIDENTSFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS INCIDENTS

Continuous monitoring with combustible gas meters is necessary to verify that vapors are being suppressed.

Keep the number of personnel that are working in the spill area to a minimum.

All personnel working around spills must wear full protective clothing (turnouts, SCBA) to afford protection in cases of ignition.


FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS INCIDENTSFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS INCIDENTS

Vapor areas can only be detected by the use of combustible gas indicators carried by Stations 2 and 4.

Cover spills immediately with AFFF/ATC to "seal" vapors.

Control ignition sources in the area of the spill.

Do not permit the flammable liquid to run-off into storm drains, sewers, or drainage systems.


S.O.G. NO. 113S.O.G. NO. 113CARBON MONOXIDE CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENTSINCIDENTSHIGHLIGHTS It is the policy of the Clear Creek Fire

Authority that all personnel shall utilize self-contained breathing apparatus in atmospheres containing 35 parts per million or greater of carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide may be present for several different reasons: As a by-product of combustion, an emission from internal combustion engines, a chemical reaction, or a leak from an industrial process.


CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENTSCARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENTSCarbon monoxide has approximately

the same vapor density (weight) as air. When monitoring for CO, instruments do not have to be placed near the floor or ceiling for accurate readings.


CARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENTSCARBON MONOXIDE INCIDENTS An atmospheric concentration of CO that is

below the TLV (50 ppm) does not always indicate an adequate level of oxygen. An atmosphere containing less that 19.5% oxygen requires the use of SCBA.

An atmospheric concentration of CO that is below the TLV does not always indicate that other toxic gases or products of combustion (particulate matter) are not present.

An atmospheric concentration of CO that is below the TLV with the presence of visible smoke particles still requires respiratory protection.

Positive pressure ventilation will reduce the CO content as well as other gases.


IS HE DONE YET? (almost)IS HE DONE YET? (almost)

A HAZMAT call is just like any other. Just like a structure fire or an MVA on icy roads, our goal is to size up the scene, take care of business, and arrive back at the station in one piece.

With HAZMAT, remember that it’s easier to evacuate an entire city than explain to your partners kid why Daddy won’t be coming home for dinner.

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EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS