operational level lesson 3 presentation hazardous materials for first responders, 3 rd ed

Operational Level Lesson 3 Presentation

Hazardous Materials for First Responders, 3rd Ed.

Operational Level3–2

Incident Priorities

• Life safety

• Incident stabilization

• Protection of property and the environment


Assessments to MakeBefore Taking Action

• Risk to rescuers• Ability of rescuers to protect themselves• Probability of rescue• Difficulty of rescue• Capabilities and resources of on-scene forces• Possibilities of explosions or sudden material

releases• Available escape routes and safe havens• Constraints of time and distance


Advantages of an Incident Management or Incident

Command System

• Common terminology

• Modular organization

• Integrated communication

• Unified command structure

• Consolidated action plans

• Manageable span of control


Elements of the Incident Management System (IMS)

• Command — The function of directing, ordering, and controlling resources by virtue of explicit legal, agency, or delegated authority

• Operations — The responsibility for the direct management of all incident tactical activities, the tactical priorities, and the safety and welfare of the personnel working in the Operations Section

(1 of 3)


Elements of the IMS

• Planning — The responsibility for gathering, assimilating, analyzing, and processing information needed for effective decision-making– Examples: Resources Unit, Situation Unit,

Documentation Unit, Demobilization Unit

• Finance/Administration — The financial services established at some, but not all, incidents– Examples: Time Unit, Procurement Unit,

Compensation Unit, Claims Unit, Cost Unit (2 of 3)


Elements of the IMS

• Logistics– The support mechanism for the organization;

provides services and support systems to all the organizational components involved in the incident

– Support Branch — Medical, communications, and food services

– Service Branch — Supplies, facilities, and ground support

(3 of 3)


Command Staff Positions

• Incident commander (IC) — The officer at the top of an incident chain of command and in overall charge of the incident

• Safety Officer — The officer responsible for monitoring and identifying hazardous and unsafe situations and developing measures for ensuring personnel safety

• Operations Section Chief — The officer responsible for managing all operations that directly affect the primary mission of eliminating a problem incident


Incident Commander Functions

• Establishes the site safety plan

• Implements a site security and control plan to limit the number of personnel operating in the control zones

• Designates a safety officer

• Identifies the materials or conditions involved in the incident (1 of 2)


Incident Commander Functions

• Implements appropriate emergency operations

• Ensures that appropriate PPE is worn by all emergency responders in restricted zones

• Establishes a decontamination plan and operation

• Implements postincident emergency response procedures (2 of 2)


Safety Officer Functions

• Obtains a briefing from the IC

• Reviews Incident Action Plans (IAPs) for safety issues

• Participates in the preparation and monitoring of incident safety considerations

• Maintains communications with the IC, and advises the IC of deviations form the incident safety considerations and of any dangerous situations

(1 of 2)


Safety Officer Functions

• Alters, suspends, or terminates any activity that is judged to be unsafe

• Conducts safety briefings for entry team personnel before entry

(2 of 2)


Items to be Includedin a Safety Briefing

• Hazardous materials incident– Status of the incident– Hazards identified– Description of the site– Tasks to be performed– Expected duration of tasks– PPE requirements– Monitoring requirements– Notification of identified risks

(1 of 3)



• Incidents involving potential criminal or terrorist activities– Being alert for secondary devices– Not touching or moving any suspicious-looking

articles– Not touching or entering any damp, wet, or oily

areas– Wearing full protective clothing, including SCBA– Limiting the number of personnel entering the

crime scene (2 of 3)



• Incidents involving potential criminal or terrorist activities– Documenting all actions– Not picking up or taking any souvenirs– Photographing or videotaping anything suspicious– Not destroying any possible evidence– Seeking professional crime-scene assistance

(3 of 3)


Setting up a Command Post for a Haz Mat Incident

• The command post —– Must provide accessibility for the IC– Will ideally allow the IC to observe the scene– Needs to be readily identifiable

Note: The command post can be a predetermined location, a conveniently located building, or a radio-equipped vehicle located in a safe area


Establishing and Transferring Command at a Haz Mat Incident

• The first person on the scene or the ranking individual of the first company on the scene assumes command.

• The IC of a hazardous materials incident must have IMS training and be at the hazardous materials Operational Level.

• Command is maintained by the arriving IC until a higher ranking or more extensively trained responder arrives on the scene and assumes command.

(1 of 2)


Establishing and Transferring Command at a Haz Mat Incident

• Command can only be transferred to someone who is on scene.

• Command can be transferred over the radio if it cannot tank place face to face.

• The person relinquishing command must provide the person assuming command as clear a picture of the situation as possible.

• There is only ONE IC.

(2 of 2)


Unified Command System

• All agencies that have a jurisdictional responsibility at a multijurisdictional incident contribute to the process by– Determining overall incident objectives– Selecting strategies– Accomplishing joint planning for tactical activities– Ensuring integrated tactical operations– Using all assigned resources effectively


IMS Haz Mat Positions

• Hazardous Materials Group/Sector Supervisor

• Entry Leader

• Decontamination Leader

• Site Access Control Leader

• Assistant Safety Officer (Hazardous Materials)

• Technical Specialist (Hazardous Materials Reference/Science Technical Specialist)

• Safe Refuge Area Manager(1 of 2)


IMS Haz Mat Positions

(2 of 2)


Roles and Guidelines ofPredetermined Procedures

• Provide a standard set of actions that are the core of every hazardous material incident plan

• Must comply with any procedures set forth in the local emergency response plan (LERP)

• Must incorporate specific regulatory requirements, such as those required by OSHA

• Must be written down and required to be used


Requesting AdditionalResources at a Haz Mat Incident

• First responders must be able to communicate the need for assistance through their department’s communications equipment.

• Consult departmental SOPs.


Using Communications Equipment Correctly

• Radio procedures– Use simple English (clear text)– Transmit only essential information when sending

information and orders– Use appropriate channels to communicate with

both the IC and the telecommunicator– Use appropriate number of channels for the size

and complexity of the incident

• Requesting additional help — Know what types of additional help are available, according to the LERP (1 of 3)


Using CommunicationsEquipment Correctly

• Emergency radio traffic– Make the urgency clear to the telecommunicator– Wait while the telecommunicator gives an

attention tone, advises all other units to stand by, and advises the caller to proceed with the emergency message

– When the emergency communication is complete, resume normal or routine radio traffic after the telecommunicator notifies all units to do so

(2 of 3)


Using CommunicationsEquipment Correctly

• Evacuation signals– Broadcast a radio message ordering evacuation– Sound audible warning devices (sirens and air

horns) on the apparatus at the incident scene for an extended period of time

– Broadcast the message several times

(3 of 3)


Haz Mat Level I Incident

• Is within the capabilities of the fire or emergency services organization or other first responders having jurisdiction

• Is the least serious incident and the easiest to handle

• May pose a serious threat to life or property, but not often

• May require limited evacuation needsExample: Small amount of gasoline or diesel fuel spilled from an automobile


Haz Mat Level II Incident

• Is beyond the capabilities of the first responders on the scene and may be beyond the capabilities of the first response agency/organization having jurisdiction

• Requires the services of a formal haz mat response team

Examples: Spill or leak requiring large-scale evacuation, any major accident, spillage, or overflow of flammable liquids


Haz Mat Level III Incident

• Requires resources from state/provincial agencies, federal agencies, and/or private industry

• Requires unified command

• Is the most serious of all incidents

• May require a large-scale evacuationExample: Incidents that require an evacuation extending across jurisdictional boundaries


Safety Procedures to beused on Incident Scenes

• Accountability systems/tracking resources

• Buddy system– Is a system of organizing personnel into work

groups in such a manner that each member has a buddy or partner, so that nobody is working alone

– Provides rapid help in the event of an emergency

• Backup personnel– Stand by with equipment ready to provide

assistance or rescue if needed


The Problem-SolvingProcess for Haz Mat Incidents

• Analyzing the incident/Understanding the problem

• Planning the response/Setting strategic goals: Action Plans

• Implementing the plan: Tactics and tasks

• Evaluating progress/Looking back


Analyzing a Haz Mat Incident

• Survey the scene (size-up) to detect the presence of hazardous materials, noting surrounding conditions to take into effect.– Wind direction– Topography– Presence of victims– Available personnel

• Conduct hazard and risk assessment.• Identify those clues that indicate the presence

of hazardous materials. (1 of 2)


Analyzing a Haz Mat Incident

• Interpret and verify those clues with emergency response agencies, shippers, and/or other resources in order to determine which hazardous material is involved

• Use resources such as the ERG to estimate the size of the endangered area and the potential harm posed by the material

• Use information gained from initial size-up to determine the strategy and tactics to be applied

(2 of 2)


Common Elementsof Haz Mat Incidents

• Material or materials presenting hazards to people, the environment, or property

• Container or containers that have failed or have the potential to fail

• Exposure or potential exposure to people, the environment, and/or property


Questions to ask WhenChoosing an Appropriate Response

• How long will the harmful exposure exist?

• What has stressed or is stressing the container?

• How will the stressed container and its material behave?

• What are the harmful effects of the container materials?


Elements of the General Hazardous Material Behavior Model

• Stress

• Breach

• Release

• Dispersion/engulfment

• Exposure/contact

• Harm


Types of Stress

• Thermal — Excessive heat or cold causing intolerable expansion, contraction, weakening, or consumption of the container and its parts

• Chemical — Uncontrolled reactions/interactions of contents in the container and the container itself

• Mechanical — Physical application of energy resulting in container/attachment damage


Ways in Which aContainer can Breach

• Disintegration — Container suffers a general loss of integrity, such as a glass bottle shattering or a grenade exploding

• Runaway cracking — Crack developing in a container as a result of some type of damage, which continues to grow rapidly

• Attachments (closures) open or break — Attachments (such as discharge valves) fail, open, or break off when subjected to stress

(1 of 2)


Ways in Which aContainer can Breach

• Puncture — Occurs as a result of mechanical stress coming into contact with a container

• Split or tear — Failure of a welded seam on a tank or drum or a ripped seam on a bag of fertilizer

• Metal reduction — Caused by the corrosive action of an acid on steel

(2 of 2)


Ways in Which Containerscan Release Contents

• Detonation — Instantaneous and explosive release of stored chemical energy of a hazardous material

• Violent rupture — Immediate release of chemical or mechanical energy caused by runaway cracks

(1 of 2)


Ways in Which Containerscan Release Contents

• Rapid relief — Fast release of a pressurized hazardous material through properly operating safety devices, damaged valves or attachments, or holes in the container

• Spill/leak — Slow release of a hazardous material under atmospheric or head pressure through holes, rips, tears, or usual openings/attachments

(2 of 2)


Hemispheric Dispersion Pattern

• Semicircular or dome-shaped pattern of the airborne hazardous material that is still partially in contact with the ground or water


Cloud Dispersion Pattern

• Ball-shaped pattern of the airborne hazardous material where the material has collectively risen above the ground or water


Plume Dispersion Pattern

• Irregularly shaped pattern of the airborne hazardous material where wind and/or topography influence the downrange course from the point of release


Cone Dispersion Pattern

• Triangular-shaped pattern of the hazardous material with a point source at the breach and a wide base downrange


Stream Dispersion Pattern

• Surface-following pattern of liquid hazardous material affected by gravity and topographical contours


Pool Dispersion Pattern

• Three-dimensional, slow-flowing liquid dispersion


Irregular Dispersion Pattern

• Irregular or indiscriminate deposit of the hazardous material


Determining the Size of an Endangered Area

• Resources– Pre-incident surveys– Computer software– ERG


Types of Exposure

• People

• Environment

• Property


Timeframes Associated with Exposure and Contact

• Immediate — Milliseconds, seconds

• Short-term — Minutes, hours

• Medium-term — Days, weeks, months

• Long-term — Years, generations


Standard Strategic Goalsof Haz Mat Incidents

• Isolation

• Notification

• Identification

• Protection

• Spill control

• Leak control

• Fire control

• Recovery/termination


The Defensive Mode of Operation

• Provides confinement of the hazard to a given area by performing diking, damming, or diverting actions

• Is selected when one of the following circumstances exists:– The facility or LERP calls for it based on a pre-

incident evaluation of the hazards present at the site

– Responders have the training and equipment necessary to confine the incident to the area of origin


The Offensive Mode of Operation

• Is beyond the scope of responsibilities for first responders

• Includes actions to control the incident such as plugging a leak


The NoninterventionMode of Operation

• Allows the incident to run its course on its own• Is selected when one or more of the following

circumstances exist:– The facility or LERP calls for it based on a pre-

incident evaluation of the hazards present at the site

– The situation is clearly beyond the capabilities of responders

– Explosions are imminent– Serious container damage threatens a massive

release


Elements of anIncident Action Plan (IAP)

• Strategies/incident objectives

• Current situation summary

• Resource assignment and needs

• Accomplishments

• Hazard statement

• Risk assessment

• Safety plan and message

• Protective measures

• Current and projected weather conditions

• Status of injuries

• Communications plan

• Medical plan


Questions to be Asked Before Committing to an IAP

• Are all emergency responders working as members of a team?

• Have all emergency responders been adequately briefed on the IAP and the hazards of the situation?

• Can reconnaissance be made visually?• Can approach be made from

upwind/uphill/upstream?• Can contact with the material be avoided?• Can the vapor cloud, mist, dust, or smoke spread?• Is the risk worth the benefit?


How to Determineif an IAP is Effective

• The IC should receive favorable progress reports from tactical and/or task supervisors.

• The incident should begin to stabilize.

Operational Level Lesson 3 Presentation

Hazardous Materials for First Responders, 3rd Ed.

operational level lesson 3 presentation hazardous materials for first responders, 3 rd ed

Documents

incident safety officer

problem incident slide

operational level lesson

incident chain of command

incident commander functions

resources unit

incident tactical activities

distance slide