HazMat, WMD & The
EMT
Be Careful What You Ask For..
Pete Brummel
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Lieutenant, Eastside Fire & Rescue
Hazardous Materials Technician
• ESHMT 1999-Present
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AWR-160 Instructor/Trainer
• Department of Homeland Security 2004
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Anti-Terrorism Liasion
• Eastside Fire & Rescue 2005
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Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings
• Soccoro, NM DHS 2005
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Advanced Chemical & Biological Incident
Response
• US Army Proving Ground, Dugway, UT 2004 DHS
Tonight
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Incident Response to Terrorism
WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction
Break
Hazardous Materials Overview
Name That Event
Columbine High School
1999
World Trade Center
1993
Hart Senate Building/USPS
2001
Atlanta Olympic Games
1996
Oklahoma City
1995
September 11, 2001
Incident Response
Who Responds?
Law Enforcement
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Local Police
SWAT/Bomb Squad
State Police
Military
• National Guard
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Federal Agents
• FBI
• ATF
• Secret Service
Fire & EMS
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Fire Department
EMS: EMT/Medic
Technical Teams
• USAR
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HazMat
• Fire
• Police
Federal Agencies
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National Guard
• Special Teams
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ATF
• Explosives
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FAA
• Domestic Air Travel
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USPS
• All domestic mail
Terrorism
Domestic & International
Terrorism:
What Are the Sources?
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International
Groups
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• IRA, PLO, Al-Queda
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Domestic Groups
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• ELF, ALF
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Religious Beliefs
• Radical
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World Events
• WTO, G8
Political Motives
15 Minutes of
Fame
Governmental
Discontent
• Timothy McVeigh
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Individual Motives
• Unabomber
What About the EMT from
North Seattle Community
College…..?
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Awareness Level
Training
“RAIN” Acronym
Stay Informed
PPE
BSI
Common Sense
RAIN
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Recognize the hazard or threat
• Rapid interpretation
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Avoid the hazard, contaminant or injury
potential
• Liquids, powders, vapor clouds, ied’s,
secondary devices
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Isolate the hazard area
• Time, distance & shielding from you and others
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Notify the appropriate support agencies
• Notify command authority (law enforcement,
fire, etc.)
Terrorist Act
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What Define’s a Terrorist Act?
• 2002 Homeland Security Act Public Law
107-295, 116 Statue 2135:
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Activities that involve danger to human life
Potential destruction of key infrastructure or
key resource
Influence government
Intimidate or coerce civilian population
WMD
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Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Explosive or incendiary device, gas
bomb, rocket propellant of more than 4
ounces, mine or similar device
• Weapon designed to cause death or
harm through dissemination of toxic or
poisonous chemical
• Weapon designed to release toxic
organism
• Weapon designed to release
radioactivity that is danger to human
life
BNICE
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Biological
• Bacteria, Viruses, Toxins
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Plague, Ebola, Hemmorrhagic Fever, Ricin
Nuclear
• Radiological
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Alpha, Beta, Gamma
Incendiary
• Flame Producing
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Chemical
• Nerve Agents
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Soman, Toban, VX, GX, Blister Agents
Explosives
• High & Low
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Primary & Secondary (Extremely Sensitive & Less
Sensitive)
Biological
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Anthrax
• Inhalation
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Spores
• Cutaneous
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Skin Leisons
Nuclear
(Radiological)
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Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Incendiary
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Flame Producing
Arson
Chemical
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Nerve Agents
Blood Agents
Choking Agents
Blister Agents
• VX
• Mustard
• GX
Explosive
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Pipe Bombs
IED’s
C4, TNT
IED
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Improvised Explosive Device
• Pipe bomb
• Letter Bomb
• “Homemade Bomb”
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Power Source (Batteries)
Initiators (Blasting Caps or flame producing)
Explosives (ANFO, Black Powder, etc.)
Switches (Arming device or fuse)
Fragmentation (nails, shrapnel, bolts)
Break
Hazardous Materials
&
The EMT
7 Step Process
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Manage & Control Response
Isolate Hazard
Hazard ID
Personal Protective Equipment
Contain & Control
Decontamination
Termination
Incident Zones
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Hot
• Technician Level
• Hazard Source
• Victims/Body Recovery
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Warm
• Operations Level
• Decontamination
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Cold
• Incident Command, etc.
EMT Roles with HazMat
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Personal Safety
Cross-contamination
Gross decontamination
Baseline Vitals
Rapid Transport via BLS/ALS
Triage/Treatment/Transport (MCI)
Antidote formulas
• Atropene & 2PAMChloride (Nerve Agent)
• IM dosage
Summary
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Situational Awareness
Know the Hazards
Understand the Terrorism Issues
Develop Rapid Thinking
Apply Basic EMS Skills
Don’t Become Part of the Problem
Enjoy Your EMS Career!