Awareness-Level Lesson 3 Presentation

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Awareness-Level Lesson 3 Presentation

• Hazardous Materials for First Responders, 3rd
  Ed.

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Incident Management Elements

• Priorities
• Life safety
• Incident stabilization
• Protection of property and the environment
• Management structure
• Command system
• Predetermined procedures and guidelines

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Incident Management Elements

• Problem-solving process
• Analyzing the incident
• Planning the response
• Implementing the response
• Evaluating the progress

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Advantages of an Incident Management System

• Common terminology
• Modular organization
• Integrated communication
• Unified command structure
• Consolidated action plans
• Manageable span of control

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Functions of an IMS

• Command
• Operations
• Planning
• Logistics
• Finance/Administration

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Predetermined Procedures

• Predetermined plans for emergencies that are
  known as standard operating procedures (SOPs),
  standard operating guidelines (SOGs), or
  operating instructions (OIs)
• Standard set of actions
• Must comply with local emergency response plan
  (LERP) procedures
• Incorporate regulatory requirements
• Written down and used

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Benefits of Predetermined Procedures

• Reduce chaos on the haz mat scene
• Resources can be used in a coordinated effort
• Establish accountability and increase command
  control and effectiveness
• Lessen confusion about duties of personnel
• Prevent duplication of effort and uncoordinated
  operations

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Communications Equipment

• Radio procedures
• Use simple English
• Transmit only essential information
• Use appropriate channels
• Use appropriate number of channels
• Know what types of additional help are available,
  according to the LERP

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Communications Equipment

• Emergency radio traffic
• Make urgency clear
• Follow telecommunicator directions
• Evacuation signals
• Broadcast radio message
• Sound audible warning devices
• Broadcast message several times

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External Communications

• Facilitating communication between onsite and
  offsite personnel
• Primary means are cell phone, telephone, radio
• Other technologies may enable use of computers
• SOPs may address communication with media and
  public

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Internal Communications

• Receiving and sharing information regarding the
  incident among emergency responders once they
  arrive on the scene
• Alerting team members to emergencies
• Passing along safety information
• Communicating changes in action plan
• Maintaining site control

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Internal Communications

• Verbal communication can be impeded by background
  noise and PPE
• Primary and backup systems of communication are
  recommended

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Internal Communication Devices

• Radios
• Cell phones
• Pagers
• Noisemakers
• Visual signals

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Isolation

• One of the primary strategic goals at a haz mat
  incident and one of the most important means by
  which first responders can ensure the safety of
  themselves and others
• Involves physically securing and maintaining the
  emergency scene

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Isolation

• Physical control of the scene begins by isolating
  the site via an isolation perimeter
• Removing people who are within the perimeter
• Denying entry of unauthorized persons
• Determining isolation distance
• Establishing initial isolation zones and
  protective action zones

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Initial Isolation Distance

• A distance within which all persons should be
  considered for evacuation in all directions from
  the actual spill/leak source, according to the
  Emergency Response Guidebook

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Initial Isolation Zone

• A circular zone (with a radius equivalent to the
  initial isolation distance) within which persons
  may be exposed to dangerous concentrations upwind
  of the source and may be exposed to
  life-threatening concentrations downwind of the
  source

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Initial Isolation Zone

The smallest initial isolation distance for any
chemical listed in the green-bordered pages of
the ERG is 100 feet (30 m).
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Protective Action Zone

• Area immediately adjacent to and downwind from
  the initial isolation zone. This area is in
  imminent danger of being contaminated by airborne
  vapors within 30 minutes of material release.

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Protective Action Zone

Protective Action Zone
1/2 Downwind Distance
Initial Isolation Zone
1/2 Downwind Distance
Spill
This area is in imminent danger of being
contaminated by airborne vapors within 30 minutes
of the release.
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Establishing the Initial Isolation Distance

• Covered in the ERG Protective Action Distances
  section (green-bordered pages that apply to
  highlighted chemicals)
• To use this information, the first responder must
  have already identified the material and looked
  it up either in the
• Yellow-bordered pages
• Blue-bordered pages

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Establishing the Initial Isolation Distance

• Orange-bordered pages in the ERG provide
  recommended isolation and evacuation distances
  for nonhighlighted chemicals

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Determining the Amount of Material

• First responders must determine amount of
  material
• Table of Isolation and Protective Action
  Distances gives parameters for establishing
  isolation and protective action distances which
  are based on whether the spill is small or large

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Hazard Control Zones

• Provide scene control
• Protect responders from interference by
  unauthorized persons
• Help regulate movement of first responders
• Minimize contamination
• Divide the levels of hazard of an incident
• Hot zone
• Warm zone
• Cold zone

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Hazard Control Zones

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Hot Zone

• An area surrounding an incident that has been
  contaminated or has the potential to become
  contaminated by a released material
• Generally the same as the isolation distance and
  could include the protective action zone

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Warm Zone

• An area abutting the hot zone and extending to
  the cold zone
• Considered safe for workers to enter without
  special protective clothing (until
  decontamination starts) unless they are assigned
  a task requiring increased protection
• Used as a buffer between the hot and cold zones
  and the place to decontaminate personnel and
  equipment exiting the hot zone

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Cold Zone

• Encompasses the warm zone and is used to carry
  out all other support functions of the incident
  or haz mat operations
• Workers in the cold zone are not required to wear
  personal protective clothing

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Awareness-Level Notification

• May be as simple as dialing 911 to report the
  incident and get additional help on the way
• Fixed facility responders may have their own
  internal procedures to follow
• Predetermined procedures should identify
  procedures for contacting appropriate authorities

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Awareness-Level Rescue Actions

• Because Awareness-Level responders should never
  come into contact with a hazardous material, they
  are essentially prohibited from physically
  touching or moving a victim who is either
  contaminated (or potentially contaminated) or
  located within the initial isolation zone, warm
  zone, or hot zone.

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Awareness-Level Rescue Actions

• Direct people to an area of safe refuge or
  evacuation point
• Instruct victims to move to an area that is less
  dangerous
• Direct contaminated or potentially contaminated
  victims to specific areas such as a safe refuge
  area
• Give directions for mass decontamination

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Protective Actions

• Once the protective action zone has been
  determined, first responders must act to protect
  the health and safety of individuals
• Evacuation
• Shelter-in-place
• A combination of both

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Protective Actions

• Incident Commander selects best option based on
• Material considerations
• Environmental conditions
• Population at risk

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Evacuation

• To move all people from a threatened area to a
  safer place
• To perform an evacuation, there must be enough
  time
• To warn people
• For them to get ready
• For them to leave the area

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Initiating Evacuation

• Begin evacuating people who are nearby, downwind,
  or crosswind of the incident within the distance
  recommended by the ERG
• Even after people move the recommended distances,
  they are not completely safe from harm

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Initiating Evacuation

• Do not permit evacuees to congregate at these
  safe distances
• Send them by a specific route to a designated
  place upwind/uphill/upstream of the incident

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Sheltering in Place

• To direct people to go quickly inside a building
  and remain inside until the danger passes
• Decision to shelter in place guided by the
  following factors
• Population is unable to initiate evacuation
• Material is spreading too rapidly
• Material is too toxic to risk any exposure
• Vapors are heavier than air

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Sheltering in Place

• When protecting people inside, direct them to
• Close all doors and windows
• Shut off all HVAC systems
• May not be the best option if
• Vapors or gases are explosive
• It will take a long time for the vapors or gases
  to clear the area
• Building cannot be closed tightly

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Summary

• Incident management is an important factor when
  responding to hazardous materials incidents. An
  IMS provides a method for appropriately handling
  emergency responses.
• Communications is vital in emergency response and
  first responders must know how to use
  communications equipment properly.

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Summary

• One of the primary strategic goals at a haz mat
  incident is isolation. Isolation involves
  securing and maintaining the emergency scene.
  First responders should be familiar with
  isolation terms such as initial isolation
  distance, initial isolation zone, and protective
  action zone.
• The ERG Protective Action Distances section
  provides information on establishing the initial
  isolation distance.

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Summary

• Haz mat incidents are divided into three hazard
  control zones hot, warm, and cold. These zones
  provide the rigid scene control needed at haz mat
  incidents.
• Awareness-Level first responders are responsible
  for notification, which may be as simple as
  dialing 911. The role Awareness-Level responders
  can take in rescue actions is limited to telling
  people what to do/or where to go.

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Summary

• Protective actions are often necessary at haz mat
  incidents and include evacuation,
  sheltering-in-place, or a combination of both.
  The proper procedures and guidelines must be
  followed when conducting an evacuation or
  directing people to shelter-in-place.

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Awareness-Level Lesson 3 Presentation

• Hazardous Materials for First Responders, 3rd
  Ed.