HazMat Awareness and Operations Study Guide.

HazMat Awareness and Operations Study Guide. 1. Define a hazardous material. 2. Describe the different levels of hazardous materials training: awareness, operations, technician, and specialist. 3. Understand the laws that govern hazardous material response activities. 4. Explain the difference between hazardous materials incident sand other emergencies. 5. Explain the need for a planned response to hazardous materials incident. 6. Describe occupancies that may contain hazardous materials. 7. Describe how your senses can be used to detect the presence of hazardous materials. 8. Describe specific containers and container shapes that might indicate hazardous materials are present. 9. Describe tanks that could hold hazardous materials. 10. Describe apparatuses that transport hazardous materials. 11. Describe how to identify the product, owner, and emergency telephone number on a pipeline marker. 12. Describe how to identify a placard and label. 13. Describe how to use the North American Emergency Response Guidebook. 14. Describe the NFPA 704 hazard identification system. 15. Describe material safety data sheets (MSDS) and shipping papers. 16. Describe CHEMTREC. 17. Describe how to plan an initial response to hazardous material incidents. 18. Identify considerations for determining the location of the incident command post. 19. Describe personal protective equipment used for hazardous material incidents. 20. Describe techniques used to isolate hazard areas and deny entry. 21. Describe defensive control activities for a variety of emergencies. 22. Describe how to use the following defensive control activities: absorption/adsorption, diversion, retention, dilution, vapor dispersion, and vapor suppression. 23. Describe how to use a multi gas meter to provide atmospheric monitoring. 24. Describe how to construct an overflow and underflow dam. 25. Describe how to construct a dike. Page 1 9

26. Describe how the potential for cross contamination determines the need for emergency decontamination. 27. Identify the types of decontamination. 28. Identify emergency decontamination procedures. 29. Identify where and how decontamination takes place. 30. Describe the threat posed by terrorism. 31. Identify potential terrorist targets. 32. Describe the dangers posed by explosive devices. 33. Describe the dangers posed by radiological incidents. 34. Explain the difference between chemical and biological agents. 35. Describe the need for decontaminating of exposed victims and response personnel. 36. Discuss exposure protection. 37. Discuss search and rescue mission at hazardous material incidents. 38. Identify the location and describe the use of emergency remote shutoff devices on MC/DOT 306/406, MD/DOT 307/407, and MC 331. 39. Describe respiratory protection in a hazardous materials incident. 40. Describe the levels of hazardous materials personal protective equipment. 41. Identify skin contact hazards encountered at hazardous materials incidents. 42. Describe the safety precautions to be observed, including those for heat and cold stress, when approaching and working at hazardous materials incidents. 43. Describe the physical capabilities required and limitations of personnel working in PPE. 44. Describe the importance of the buddy system and backup personnel. 45. Describe how to identify a resource for determine the size of an endangered area. Page 2 9

Questions for Review Suggested answers are in the following section What are the 9 Hazard Classes of dangerous goods? What is the difference between a Hazard Class 2 Material and a Hazard Class 3 Material? What is one of the major concerns of materials stored in cylinders? Which provides the most information about a chemical The NFPA 704 Diamond, the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) or a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)? What is vapor suppression? When dealing with a Hazard Class 7 Material what are the three things to consider to reduce exposure? Is a material with a specific gravity of 2 heavier or lighter than water? Is a material with a vapor density of.5 heavier or lighter than air? What are the differences in Hazmat protective clothing classified as either Level A, B, C, or D? What is a Flash Point? What is a Flammable Liquid? What is the difference between UFL and LFL? What are the differences among the Hot Zone, Warm Zone, and Cold Zone? What type of Incident Command System is used for a Hazardous Materials incident? What numbers are found in the colored quadrants of the NFPA 704 Diamond? What color codes are used in the NFPA 704 Diamond? Why won t you find information about the NFPA 704 Diamond in an ERG? What does it mean if a chemical is highlighted in green in the yellow bordered pages of an ERG? What is the difference between and air purifying respirator and an air supplying respirator? What are the four general types of Hazardous Materials Responders? What is a BLEVE? Can someone trained at the HazMat Awareness Level take offensive actions? If terrorism is suspected at a HazMat incident what agency should be notified? What is the difference between technical decontamination and emergency decontamination? What is Shelter In Place? Page 3 9

Questions for Review Suggested answers What are the 9 Hazard Classes of dangerous goods? (See Page 6 of the ERG) U.S. Department of Transportation Nine Classes of Hazardous Materials Class 1: Explosives Class 2: Gases Class 3: Flammable Liquid and Combustible Liquid Class 4: Flammable Solid, Spontaneously Combustible, and Dangerous When Wet Class 5: Oxidizer and Organic Peroxide Class 6: Poison (Toxic) and Infectious substances Class 7: Radioactive Class 8: Corrosive Class 9: Miscellaneous What is the difference between a Hazard Class 2 Material and a Hazard Class 3 Material? Class 2 materials are gasses and Class 3 materials are flammable liquids) What is one of the major concerns of materials stored in cylinders? They are probably under pressure. The pressure relief device on most cylinders can suddenly release product under pressure. If the device fails the cylinder may explode. Which provides the most information about a chemical The NFPA 704 Diamond, the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) or a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)? The MSDS provides much detailed information about a specific material. The ERG provides information about a group of materials, but not specific details about individual materials. THE NFPA 704 Diamond only provides very basic hazard levels about materials. What is vapor suppression? Vapor suppression is the process of controlling fumes or vapors. When dealing with a Hazard Class 7 Material what are the three things to consider to reduce exposure? Time, distance, and shielding are the three primary ways to limit exposure to radioactive materials. Is a material with a specific gravity of 2 heavier or lighter than water? Heavier. Specific gravity less than 1 indicates a material is lighter than water. Specific gravity greater than 1 indicates a material is heavier than water. Page 4 9

Is a material with a vapor density of.5 heavier or lighter than air? Lighter. A vapor density less than one indicates a material is lighter than air. A vapor density greater than 1 indicates a material is heavier than air. What are the differences in Hazmat protective clothing classified as either Level A, B, C, or D? Level A The highest level of protection against vapors, gases, mists, and particles is Level A, which consists of a fully encapsulating chemical entry suit with a full facepiece self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). A crew member must also wear boots with steel toes and shanks on the outside of the suit and specially selected chemical resistant gloves for this level of protection. The breathing apparatus is worn inside (encapsulated within) the suit. To qualify as Level A protection, an intrinsically safe two way radio is also worn inside the suit, often incorporating voice operated microphones and an earpiece speaker for monitoring the operations channel. Level B Level B protection requires a garment (including SCBA) that provides protection against splashes from a hazardous chemical. Since the breathing apparatus is sometimes worn on the outside of the garment, Level B protection is not vapor protective. Level B suits can also be fully encapsulating, which helps prevent the SCBA from becoming contaminated. It is worn when vapor protective clothing (Level A) is not required. Wrists, ankles, facepiece and hood, and waist are secured to prevent any entry of splashed liquid. Depending on the chemical being handled, specific types of gloves and boots are donned. These may or may not be attached to the garment. The garment itself may be one piece or a two piece hooded suit. Level B protection also requires the wearing of chemical resistant boots with steel toes and shanks on the outside of the garment. As with Level A, chemical resistant gloves and two way radio communications are also required. Level C Level C protection differs from Level B in the area of equipment needed for respiratory protection. The same type of garment used for Level B protection is worn for Level C. Level C protection allows for the use of respiratory protection equipment other than SCBA. This protection includes any of the various types of air purifying respirators. Crew members should not use this level of protection unless the specific hazardous material is known and its concentration can be measured. Level C equipment does not offer the protection needed in an oxygen deficient atmosphere. Page 5 9

Level D Level D protection does not protect the crew member from chemical exposure. Therefore, this level of protection can only be used in situations where a crew member has no possibility of contact with chemicals. A pair of coveralls or other work type garment along with chemicalresistant footwear with steel toes and shanks are all that is required to qualify as Level D protection. Most firefighter turnout gear is considered to be Level D. What is a Flash Point? The lowest temperature at which a liquid or solid gives off vapor so that a flammable mixture is formed. The lower the flash point the more flammable the material. What is a Flammable Liquid? A Flammable Liquid is a liquid that has a flash point of 140 degrees F or lower. What is the difference between UFL and LFL? Upper Flammable Limit (UFL) is the highest temperature at which a material will ignite and Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) is the lowest temperature at which a material will ignite. What are the differences among the Hot Zone, Warm Zone, and Cold Zone? The Hot Zone is the area where there is danger of exposure to a hazardous material and no one should be allowed into this area without wearing the proper PPE. The Warm Zone is where decontamination takes place and some contamination is brought into this area from the Hot Zone. The Cold Zone is far enough away (uphill, upwind, etc.) from the Warm Zone to ensure that there is no exposure to the hazards. The Cold Zone is where equipment and personnel are staged and the command post is established. What type of Incident Command System is used for a Hazardous Materials incident? The Incident Command System (ICS) uses the same structure, chain of command, span of control, function areas, etc. at a Hazardous Materials incident as at any other type of incident What numbers are found in the colored quadrants of the NFPA 704 Diamond? 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each Quadrant of health, flammability and reactivity is rated on a scale from 0 (no hazard) to 4 (severe risk). These numbers should not be confused with other classification systems, such as that in the Hazard Classes listed in an ERG. Page 6 9

What color codes are used in the NFPA 704 Diamond? The four divisions are typically color coded with red indicating flammability, blue indicating level of health hazard, yellow for chemical reactivity, and white containing codes for special hazards. NFPA 704 "fire diamond" Why won t you find information about the NFPA 704 Diamond in an ERG? The ERG is written by the Department of Transportation for information on emergency responses to transportation of hazardous materials. The NFPA 704 Diamond is used to give responders quick information on hazards found at fixed facilities. What does it mean if a chemical is highlighted in green in the yellow bordered pages of an ERG? Chemicals highlighted in green in the blue section or the yellow section shows they are toxic inhalation materials (TIH). TIH have specific initial isolation distance and protective action distance information which can be found in the green bordered pages of the ERG. What is the difference between and air purifying respirator and an air supplying respirator? Air purifying Respirators have filters, cartridges, or canisters that remove contaminants from the air by passing the ambient air through the air purifying element before it reaches the user. Air supplying Respirators supply clean air directly to the user from a source other than the air surrounding the user. What are the four general types of Hazardous Materials Responders? What is a BLEVE? Awareness, Operations, Technician, Specialist. Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. For detailed information see pages 366 369 of the ERG. Page 7 9

Can someone trained at the HazMat Awareness Level take offensive actions? No! Offensive actions are generally reserved for the technician level. Defensive actions may be taken by Operations Level personnel. If terrorism is suspected at a HazMat incident what agency should be notified? The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the lead agency for terrorist incidents and should be notified. What is the difference between technical decontamination and emergency decontamination? Emergency decontamination is used in potentially life threatening situations to rapidly remove the contaminant from a person. It is quick and less formal than technical decontamination. The goal is to reduce the effect of an exposure and get a victim clean enough to receive medical care from first responders and, if needed, be admitted to a receiving hospital. Technical decontamination is a different process, aimed at reducing or eliminating contamination from responder PPE prior to removing it. It is not intended for exposed persons, or as a way to reduce the health effects of an exposure. Technical decontamination is often a water based process, using scrub brushes, some form of catch basin for water, tarps, and perhaps a cleaning solution. What is Shelter In Place? Shelter in place is to seek safety within the building you already occupy, rather than to evacuate the area or seek a community emergency shelter. The warning may be issued when chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants may be released accidentally or intentionally into the environment. Page 8 9

ERG Review Read the first 25 pages and from Page 358 to the end of the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) for a full explanation of how to use the book and what hazards may be encountered when dealing with hazardous materials in transportation incidents. Pay particular attention to the areas noted below. Downloadable.PDF versions of the 2016 ERG are available on various websites. A free, mobile web app of the 2016 ERG is available from the Apple itunes store for iphone, and from the Google Play website for Android. Information on Shipping Papers in on the inside cover Flow chart describing the use of the ERG is on Page 1 Safety Precautions are on Page 4 Hazard Classification System is described on Page 6 Types of Markings, Labels, and Placards are on Pages 8 & 9 Rail Car Identification Chart is on Pages 10 & 11 Road Trailer Identification Chart is on Pages 12 & 13 Review the definitions of terms in the Glossary of the ERG (Pages 376 to 386) Page 9 9