Transcript Essentials - Pima Community College

Essentials of Fire Fighting and
Fire Department Operations,
5th Edition
Chapter 23 — Operations at Haz
Mat Incidents
Firefighter I
Chapter 23 Lesson Goal
• After completing this lesson, the
student shall be able to summarize the
basic operations at haz mat and
terrorist incidents and perform
emergency decontamination and
defensive procedures following the
policies and procedures set forth by the
authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
Firefighter I
23–1
Specific Objectives
1. Summarize incident priorities for all
haz mat and terrorist incidents.
2. Discuss the management structure at
haz mat or terrorist incidents.
3. Describe the problem-solving stages
at haz mat and terrorist incidents.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–2
Specific Objectives
4. Explain how the strategic goal of
isolation and scene control is
achieved.
5. Explain how the strategic goal of
notification is achieved.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–3
Specific Objectives
6. Explain how the strategic goal of
ensuring the safety of responders and
the public is achieved.
7. Summarize general guidelines for
decontamination operations.
8. Describe the three types of
decontamination.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–4
Specific Objectives
9. Discuss implementing
decontamination.
10. Discuss rescue at haz mat incidents.
11. Explain how the strategic goal of spill
control and confinement is achieved.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–5
Specific Objectives
12. Discuss crime scene management and
evidence preservation.
13. Explain actions taken during the
recovery and termination phase of a
haz mat or terrorist incident.
14. Perform emergency decontamination.
(Skill Sheet 23-I-1)
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–6
Specific Objectives
15. Perform defensive control functions –
Absorption. (Skill Sheet 23-I-2)
16. Perform defensive control functions –
Diking. (Skill Sheet 23-I-3)
17. Perform defensive control functions –
Damming. (Skill Sheet 23-I-4)
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–7
Specific Objectives
18. Perform defensive control functions –
Diversion. (Skill Sheet 23-I-5)
19. Perform defensive control functions –
Retention. (Skill Sheet 23-I-6)
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–8
Specific Objectives
20. Perform defensive control functions –
Dilution. (Skill Sheet 23-I-7)
21. Perform defensive control functions –
Vapor dispersion. (Skill Sheet 23-I-8)
Firefighter I
23–9
Incident Priorities
• Life safety
• Incident stabilization
• Protection of property
Firefighter I
23–10
Management Structure
• Firefighters will initiate/operate within
their standard incident command
system at haz mat incidents; may be
some differences from other incidents
• Firefighters must operate in accordance
with predetermined procedures
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–11
Management Structure
• According to 29 CFR 1910.120,
Hazardous Waste Operations and
Emergency Response, all organizations
that respond to haz mat incidents are
required to have an emergency
response plan
Firefighter I
23–12
Four Elements of ProblemSolving, Decision-Making Models
• Information gathering, input, analysis
stage
• Processing and/or planning stage
• Implementation or output stage
• Review or evaluation stage
Firefighter I
23–13
Analyzing the Situation
Courtesy of Tom Clawson, Technical Resources Group, Inc.
• Size-up
• Incident levels
Firefighter I
23–14
Planning Appropriate Response
• Strategic goals and tactical objectives
• Modes of operation
• Incident action plans
Firefighter I
23–15
Implementing the IAP
• After strategic goals have been selected
and IAP formulate, the IC can
implement the plan
• Strategic goals are met by achieving
tactical objectives
• Tactical objectives accomplished or
conducted by performing specific tasks
Firefighter I
23–16
Reviewing or Evaluating
Progress
• Final aspect of problem-solving process
• If IAP is effective, IC should receive
favorable progress and incident should
begin to stabilize
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–17
Reviewing or Evaluating
Progress
• If mitigation efforts failing or situation
getting worse, plan must be
reevaluated and possibly revised
• Plan must be reevaluated as new
information becomes available/
circumstances change
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–18
Reviewing or Evaluating
Progress
• If initial plan not working, must be
changed by selecting new strategies or
changing tactics used to achieve
Firefighter I
23–19
Isolation and Scene Control
• One of primary strategic goals at haz
mat incidents; one of most important
means by which responders can ensure
safety of themselves/others
• Separating people from potential source
of harm necessary to protect life safety
of all
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–20
Isolation and Scene Control
• Necessary to prevent spread of
hazardous materials through cross
contamination
• Isolation involves physically
securing/maintaining emergency scene
by establishing isolation perimeters and
denying entry to unauthorized persons
Firefighter I
23–21
Isolation Perimeter
• Boundary established to prevent
access by public and unauthorized
persons
• May be established before the type of
incident/attack is positively identified
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–22
Isolation Perimeter
• If incident is inside a building, isolation
perimeter might be set at outside
entrance, accomplished by posting
personnel to deny entry
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–23
Isolation Perimeter
• If incident is outside,
perimeter might be
set at surrounding
intersections with
response vehicles/law
enforcement officers
diverting traffic and
pedestrians
Firefighter I
23–24
(Continued)
Isolation Perimeter
• Isolation perimeter can be
expanded/reduced as needed; used to
control both access and egress from
scene
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–25
Isolation Perimeter
• Law enforcement officers are often
used to establish and maintain isolation
perimeters
• Once hazard-control zones are
established, isolation perimeter is
generally considered to be boundary
between public and cold (safe) zone
Firefighter I
23–26
Hazard-Control Zones
Firefighter I
23–27
Additional Zones
•
•
•
•
•
•
Additional areas may be required
Decontamination zone
Area of safe refuge
Staging area
Rehabilitation area
Triage/treatment area
Firefighter I
23–28
Notification Process
• Emergency response plans must
ensure responders understand their
role in notification processes and
predetermined procedures
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–29
Notification Process
• Notification may be as
simple as dialing 9-11 (in North America)
to report an incident
and get additional
help dispatched
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–30
Notification Process
• Strategic goal of notification may also
include such items as incident-level
identification and public emergency
information/notification
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–31
Notification Process
• Better to dispatch more resources than
necessary in an initial response to
ensure appropriate weight of attack to
combat incident conditions
Firefighter I
23–32
Other Agencies
• Notification involves contacting law
enforcement whenever a terrorist or
criminal incident is suspected
• Notify other agencies that an incident
has occurred
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–33
Other Agencies
• Procedures will differ between military
and civilian agencies as well as from
country to country
• Always follow SOPs/OIs and emergency
response plans for notification
procedures
Firefighter I
23–34
Process for Notification
• Because some haz mat incidents and
terrorist attacks have potential to
overwhelm local responders, it is
important to know how to request
additional resources
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–35
Process for Notification
• Process should be spelled out through
local, district, regional, state, national
emergency response plans
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–36
Process for Notification
• In the U.S., notification process is
spelled out in National Response Plan
(NRP); all local, state, federal
emergency response plans must
comply with these provisions
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–37
Process for Notification
• Local emergency response plan (LERP)
should be first resource a responder in
U.S. should turn to if they need to
request outside assistance
Firefighter I
23–38
Protection
• Overall goal of ensuring safety of
responders and public
• Includes measures taken to protect
property and environment
• Accomplished through various tactics
Firefighter I
23–39
Protection of Responders
• First priority at any
•
•
•
•
incident
Accountability systems
Buddy systems
Evacuation/escape
procedures
Safety Officers
Firefighter I
23–40
Protection of the Public
• Includes isolating area and denying
entry, conducting rescues, performing
mass decontamination, providing
emergency medical care/first aid
• Evacuation
• Sheltering in place
• Protecting/defending in place
Firefighter I
23–41
Decontamination Operations
• Performed at haz mat incidents to
remove hazardous materials from
victims, PPE, tools, equipment,
anything else that has been
contaminated
• Done to reduce contamination to a
level that is no longer harmful
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–42
Decontamination Operations
• Prevent harmful
exposures and reduce or
eliminate spread of
contaminants outside hot
zone
• Provides victims with
psychological
reassurance
Firefighter I
23–43
Determining Factors for Type of
Decontamination Operation
•
•
•
•
•
Size of incident
Type of hazardous materials involved
Weather
Personnel available
Variety of other factors
Firefighter I
23–44
Decontamination Rules
• Basic principles
– Get it off
– Keep it off
– Contain it
• Other decon rules
Firefighter I
23–45
Emergency Decontamination
• Removing contamination on individuals
in potentially life-threatening situation
with or without formal establishment of
decontamination corridor
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–46
Emergency Decontamination
• Can consist of anything from removing
contaminated clothing to flushing a
person with water
Firefighter I
23–47
Emergency Decon —
Implementation
• Goal
• May be necessary for victims and
rescuers
• Victims may need immediate medical
treatment
• Several situations in which it may be
needed
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–48
Emergency Decon —
Implementation
• Quick fix
• Removal of all contaminants may not
occur
• Can harm environment
• Procedures may differ depending on
circumstances/hazards present
Firefighter I
23–49
Mass Decontamination
• Conducting rapid decontamination of
multiple people at one time
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–50
Mass Decontamination
• May be conducted with or without
formal decon corridor; usually involves
removing clothing and flushing
individuals with large quantities of
water
Firefighter I
23–51
Mass Decon — Implementation
• Mass decon is physical process of
rapidly reducing/removing contaminants
from multiple persons in potentially lifethreatening situations, with or without
formal establishment of decon corridor
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–52
Mass Decon — Implementation
• Initiated when number of victims/time
constraints do not allow establishment
of in-depth decontamination process
• Availability of ideal solutions in sufficient
quantities cannot always be insured
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–53
Mass Decon — Implementation
• Can be most readily/effectively
established with simple water shower
system
• Recommended that all victims
undergoing mass decon remove
underclothing at least down to
undergarments
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–54
Mass Decon — Implementation
• To prioritize, responders
must consider factors
related to medical
triage/decontamination
• Triage
• Ambulatory victims
• Nonambulatory victims
Firefighter I
23–55
Technical Decontamination
• Using chemical/physical methods to
thoroughly remove contaminants from
responders/their equipment
• May also be used on incident victims in
non-life-threatening situations
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–56
Technical Decontamination
• Normally conducted within formal decon
line
• Type/scope determined by
contaminants
Firefighter I
23–57
Technical Decon —
Implementation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Absorption
Adsorption
Brushing and scraping
Chemical degradation
Dilution
Neutralization
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–58
Technical Decon —
Implementation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sanitation, disinfection, sterilization
Solidification
Vacuuming
Washing
Evaporation
Isolation and disposal
Firefighter I
23–59
Decon Implementation
Considerations
• Appropriate site must be selected
• Number of stations/setup of corridor or
line must be decided
• Methods for collecting evidence must be
determined
• Termination procedures must be
followed
Firefighter I
23–60
Site Selection Factors
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accessibility
Terrain/surface material
Lighting/electrical supply
Drains/waterways
Water supply
Weather
Firefighter I
23–61
Decon Corridor Layout
• Establish decontamination corridor
before performing any work in hot
zone
• First responders are often involved
with setting up and working in
decontamination corridor
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–62
Decon Corridor Layout
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–63
Decon Corridor Layout
• Types of decontamination corridors vary
as to numbers of sections or steps used
in decontamination process
• Emergency responders must
understand process and be trained in
setting up type of decontamination
required by different materials
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–64
Decon Corridor Layout
• Decontamination corridor may be
identified with barrier tape, safety
cones, other items that are visually
recognizable
• How firefighters are protected when
working in the decontamination area
depends on hazards of the material
Firefighter I
23–65
Cold Weather Decon
• Conducting wet
decon operations
in freezing weather
can be difficult to
execute safely
• Run-off water can quickly turn to ice
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–66
Cold Weather Decon
• If pre-warmed water is not available,
susceptible individuals can suffer cold
shock or hypothermia
• If temperatures are 64 degrees or
lower, consideration should be given to
protecting victims from cold
Firefighter I
23–67
Rescue at Haz Mat Incidents
• Due to potential of extreme hazards at
haz mat incidents and defensive
nature of actions at Operations Level,
rescue can be a difficult strategy to
implement for firefighters, particularly
in initial stages of a response
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–68
Rescue at Haz Mat Incidents
• Search and rescue attempts must be
made within framework of incident
action plan with appropriate PPE,
backup personnel, other safety
considerations in place
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–69
Rescue at Haz Mat Incidents
• In many emergency incidents, rescue of
victims is IC’s first priority, but it is
important to balance vulnerability of
firefighters against lives of victims
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–70
Rescue at Haz Mat Incidents
• Hesitation to rush into a situation to
assist casualties may directly conflict
with fire fighting strategic priority of
rescue first as well as with many
firefighters’ natural desire to help
victims as quickly as possible
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–71
Rescue at Haz Mat Incidents
• Because of dangers presented by
hazardous materials, responders who
rush to the rescue may quickly require
the need to be rescued themselves
Firefighter I
23–72
Factors to Consider
• IC makes decisions about rescue
based on a variety of factors at
incident
• Several factors affect the ability of
personnel to perform a rescue
• Decisions about rescue may differ
depending on country and jurisdiction
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–73
Factors to Consider
• Responders must understand what
actions are appropriate for them given
their SOPs, training, available equipment
and resources
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–74
Factors to Consider
• Without coming in contact with the
hazardous material, Operations Level
firefighters may perform a limited
number of tasks with appropriate PPE
Firefighter I
23–75
Spill Control and Confinement
• Strategic goal of spill control involves
controlling product that has already
been released from its container (Continued)
Firefighter I
23–76
Spill Control and Confinement
• Spill control minimizes amount of
contact product makes with people,
property, environment by limiting or
confining the dispersion and/or
reducing the amount of harm caused by
contact with the material
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–77
Spill Control and Confinement
• Tactics and tasks relating to spill control
are determined by material involved
and type of dispersion; generally
defensive in nature
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–78
Spill Control and Confinement
• Main priority of spill control is
confinement and prevention of further
contamination or contact with
hazardous material
Firefighter I
23–79
Spill Control and Confinement
• Firefighters trained to the Operations
Level may perform spill-control activities
as long as they do not come in contact
with the product or have appropriate
training and PPE
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–80
Spill Control and Confinement
• Spill control is a defensive operation
with most important issue being safety
of the firefighters performing these
actions
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–81
Spill Control and Confinement
• Spills may involve gases, liquids, solids,
and the product involved may be
released into the air, into water, onto a
surface such as ground or a bench top
Firefighter I
23–82
Spill Control and Confinement
Tactics
• Hazardous materials may be confined
by building dams or dikes near source,
catching material in another container,
directing flow to a remote location for
collection
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–83
Spill Control and Confinement
Tactics
• Before using equipment to confine
spilled materials, ICs need to seek
advice from technical sources to
determine if spilled materials will
adversely affect the equipment
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–84
Spill Control and Confinement
Tactics
• Confinement is not restricted to
controlling liquids; dusts, vapors, and
gases can also be confined
Firefighter I
23–85
Absorption
• Physical and/or chemical event
occurring during contact between
materials that have an attraction for
each other
• Results in one material being retained
in other
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–86
Absorption
• Some materials typically used as
absorbents are sawdust, clays, charcoal,
polyolefin-type fibers
• Absorbent is spread directly onto
hazardous material or in location where
material is expected to flow
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–87
Absorption
• After use, absorbents must be treated
and disposed of as hazardous materials
themselves because they retain the
properties of materials they absorb
Firefighter I
23–88
Blanketing/Covering
• Involves blanketing or covering
surface of spill to prevent dispersion of
materials such as powders or dusts
• Blanketing or covering of solids can be
done with tarps, plastic sheeting,
salvage covers, other materials
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–89
Blanketing/Covering
• Blanketing of liquids is essentially same
as vapor suppression
• Operations-Level responders may or
may not be allowed to perform
blanketing/
covering actions
Firefighter I
23–90
Dam, Dike, Diversion, Retention
• Ways to confine a hazardous material
• Actions are taken to control flow of
liquid hazardous materials away from
point of discharge
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–91
Dam, Dike, Diversion, Retention
• Firefighters can use available earthen
materials or materials carried on their
response vehicles to construct curbs
that direct or divert the flow away from
gutters, drains, storm sewers, floodcontrol channels, outfalls
Firefighter I
23–92
Dilution
• Application of water to a water-soluble
material to reduce hazard
• Dilution of liquid materials rarely has
practical applications at haz mat
incidents in terms of spill control;
dilution is often used during
decontamination operations
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–93
Dilution
• Amount of water needed to reach an
effective dilution increases overall
volume and creates a runoff problem
Firefighter I
23–94
Dissolution
• Process of dissolving a gas in water
• Tactic can only be used on such
water-soluble gases as anhydrous
ammonia or chlorine; generally
conducted by applying fog stream to a
breach in container or onto spill
Firefighter I
23–95
Vapor Dispersion
• Action taken to direct or influence
course of airborne hazardous
materials
• Pressurized streams of water from
hoselines or unattended master
streams may be used to help disperse
vapors
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–96
Vapor Dispersion
• Streams create turbulence, which
increases rate of mixing with air and
reduces concentration of hazardous
material
Firefighter I
23–97
Vapor Suppression
• Action taken to reduce emission of
vapors at a haz mat spill
• Fire fighting foams are effective on
spills of flammable and combustible
liquids if foam concentrate is
compatible with material
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–98
Vapor Suppression
• Water-miscible (capable of being mixed)
materials destroy regular fire fighting
foams; require an alcohol-resistant
foam agent
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–99
Vapor Suppression
• Required application rate for applying
foam to control an unignited liquid spill
is substantially less than that required
to extinguish a spill fire
Firefighter I
23–100
Ventilation
• Involves controlling movement of air
by natural or mechanical means
• Used to remove and/or disperse
harmful airborne particles, vapors,
gases when spills occur inside
structures
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–101
Ventilation
• Same ventilation techniques used for
smoke removal can be used for haz mat
incidents
Firefighter I
23–102
Leak Control and Containment
• A leak involves the physical breach in
a container through which product is
escaping
• Goal of leak control is to stop or limit
escape or contain release either in
original container or by transferring to
a new one
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–103
Leak Control and Containment
• Type of container involved, type of
breach, properties of material
determine tactics and tasks relating to
leak control
• Leak control and containment are
generally considered offensive actions
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–104
Leak Control and Containment
• Offensive actions not attempted by
personnel trained below the Technician
Level with two exceptions
• Leak control dictates that personnel
enter the hot zone, which puts them at
great risk
Firefighter I
23–105
Crime Scene Management and
Evidence Preservation
• Framework for a response to a
terrorist or criminal incident is
essentially same as that used for a
response to any other hazardous
materials incident
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–106
Crime Scene Management and
Evidence Preservation
• Because a crime is involved, law
enforcement organizations must be
notified and included in response
• Notifying law enforcement ensures
proper state/province and
federal/national agencies respond to the
incident
Firefighter I
23–107
Recovery and Termination Phase
• Occurs when IC determines all victims
have been accounted for and all
hazards have been controlled
• Components of recovery/termination
• Incident Termination Checklist
• Decontamination/disposal issues
Firefighter I
23–108
On-Scene Debriefing
• Conducted in the form of a group
discussion; gathers information from
all operating personnel
• Obtain information from responders
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–109
On-Scene Debriefing
• One very important step in this process
— Provide information to personnel
concerning signs and symptoms of
overexposure to the hazardous
materials
Firefighter I
23–110
Post-Incident Analysis/Critique
• Provides responding agencies
opportunity to evaluate, review, refine
issues
• Can be used to evaluate effectiveness
of their response, identify problem
areas, correct deficiencies
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–111
Post-Incident Analysis/Critique
• Information can be used to modify and
improve operations at future similar
incidents
• IC responsible for assigning someone to
write a post-incident report and provide
it to health and safety officer and chief
of the agency
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–112
Post-Incident Analysis/Critique
• Once all the necessary interviews have
been made and documents gathered, a
post-incident analysis should be
scheduled for all agencies involved in
incident
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–113
Post-Incident Analysis/Critique
• Formal analysis of incident will be based
on information gathered for postincident analysis
Firefighter I
23–114
Summary
• For firefighters, hazardous materials
incidents are similar in many ways to
other emergencies to which they
respond. The same universal priorities
apply: life safety, incident stabilization,
and property conservation; and an
incident management system is
needed.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–115
Summary
• However, there are also some major
differences compared to structure fires,
for example. In a structure fire, as long
as firefighters are located outside of the
collapse zone, they are relatively safe.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–116
Summary
• In a hazardous materials incident,
personnel can be at risk a considerable
distance from the point of release. One
major difference between the property
conservation priority at hazardous
materials incidents is the increased
need for environmental protection.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–117
Summary
• There are also differences in the size-up
process compared to structure fires.
Since many hazardous materials are
highly toxic and can be spread over a
wide area, the initial identification of
the materials involved may have to be
done from a considerable distance
away.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–118
Summary
• Finally, because of the highly toxic nature of
some hazardous materials, fire officers and
their crews may be untrained and unequipped
to mitigate a hazardous materials release. In
these cases, they must establish and maintain
a safe perimeter around the incident scene
and call for hazardous materials specialists
who are trained and equipped to handle such
incidents.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–119
Summary
• In support of these specialists,
firefighters must provide fire protection,
and be capable of assisting with
containment efforts such as damming
and diking, and setting up and
operating decontamination stations.
Firefighter I
23–120
Review Questions
1. What are the three incident priorities
at all haz mat and terrorist incidents?
2. What information should be gathered
by first responders during the initial
assessment of an incident?
3. Describe incident levels
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–121
Review Questions
4. What are hazard-control zones?
5. What factors must be addressed in
large-scale evacuations?
6. Define the three types of
contamination.
(Continued)
Firefighter I
23–122
Review Questions
7. What actions can Operations-Level
firefighters perform during rescue
operations?
8. List defensive confinement and spill
control actions.
Firefighter I
23–123
Review Questions
9. Who must be notified and included in
the response to a terrorist or criminal
incident?
10. What information should be given to
responders at an on-scene debriefing?
Firefighter I
23–124