Operational Level
Lesson 4 Presentation
Hazardous Materials for
First Responders, 3rd Ed.
Strategic Goals and
Tactical Objectives
• Strategic goals — Broad statements of what
must be done to resolve the incident
• Tactical objectives — Specific operations that
must be done in order to accomplish goals
Operational Level
4–2
Standard Strategic Goals
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Isolation
Notification
Identification
Protection
Spill control/confinement
Leak control/containment
Fire control
Recovery and termination
Operational Level
4–3
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Isolation perimeter — Outer boundary of an
incident that is controlled to prevent entrance
by the public or unauthorized persons
• Initial isolation distance — Distance within
which all persons should be considered for
evacuation in all directions from the actual
spill/leak source
(1 of 8)
Operational Level
4–4
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Initial-isolation zone —
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
Operational Level
4–5
(2 of 8)
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Protective action distance — Downwind
distance for which protective actions should be
considered
• Protective-action zone — Area immediately
adjacent to and downwind from the initial isolation
zone, which is in imminent danger of being
contaminated by airborne vapors within 30 minutes
of material release
(3 of 8)
Operational Level
4–6
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
(4 of 8)
Operational Level
4–7
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Hazard control zones —
Zones dividing the levels
of hazard of an incident
(hot, warm, or cold), with
the hot zone representing
the highest degree of
hazard; also called site
work zones or scenecontrol zones
(5 of 8)
Operational Level
4–8
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Decontamination zone — Area located in the
warm zone where contaminated clothing, people,
and equipment can be cleaned or secured
• Area of safe refuge — Primarily an area serving
as a safe place to wait for evacuation assistance
in the event of fire when building elevators are
normally inaccessible; used in the haz mat world
as a safe location (or locations) where evacuated
persons are directed to gather while potential
emergencies are assessed, decisions are made,
and mitigating activities are begun
(6 of 8)
Operational Level
4–9
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Staging area — Area where personnel and
equipment awaiting assignment to the incident
are held (which keeps responders and
equipment out of the way and safe until
needed), minimizing confusion and freelancing
at the scene; located at an isolated spot in the
cold zone where occupants cannot interfere
with ongoing operations
(7 of 8)
Operational Level
4–10
Scene Perimeters and
Hazard Control Zones
• Rehabilitation area (rehab area) — Safe
location where emergency personnel can rest,
sit or lie down, have food and drink, and have
medical conditions evaluated; located in the
cold zone
• Triage/treatment area — Area where victims of
an incident are brought for medical assessment
(triage) and stabilization (treatment); located in
the cold zone unless a patient is contaminated,
(8 of 8)
then it would have to be the warm zone
Operational Level
4–11
Notifying Additional Help
at a Haz Mat Incident
• Consult SOPs, SOGs, OIs, and LERPs for
detailed information.
Operational Level
4–12
Factors Affecting the Ability of
Personnel to Perform a Rescue
• Nature of the hazardous material and incident
•
•
•
•
•
severity
Availability of appropriate PPE
Availability of monitoring equipment
Number of victims and their condition
Time needed (including a safety margin) to
complete the rescue
Tools, equipment, and other devices needed to
achieve the rescue
Operational Level
4–13
Rescue Risks Associated
with DOT Hazard Classes
• Class 1 — Thermal injury, due to heat
generated by the detonation; mechanical injury
from the shock, blast overpressure,
fragmentation, shrapnel, or structural damage;
chemical injuries from associated
contamination; etiological harm from contact
with blood or other bodily fluids; asphyxiation
due to depletion of oxygen
(1 of 4)
Operational Level
4–14
Rescue Risks Associated
with DOT Hazard Classes
• Class 2 — Thermal, asphyxiant, chemical, or
mechanical hazard due to violent rupture of
pressurized containers; thermal harm due to
extremely cold temperatures; asphyxiation due
to chemical vapors in a confined space
• Class 3 — Thermal hazards from forceful
explosions, heat, and fire; chemical and
mechanical injuries from explosions
(2 of 4)
Operational Level
4–15
Rescue Risks Associated
with DOT Hazard Classes
• Class 4 — Thermal harm from heat and
flammability; mechanical harm from slip, trip, and
fall hazards; chemical harm from water reactive,
toxic, and/or corrosive materials
• Class 5 — Thermal, chemical, and mechanical
harm due to sensitivity to heat, shock, friction, and
contamination
• Class 6 — Chemical harm due to toxicity by
inhalation, ingestion, and skin and eye contact;
etiological harm from disease-causing organisms;
thermal injuries due to flammability
(3 of 4)
Operational Level
4–16
Rescue Risks Associated
with DOT Hazard Classes
• Class 7 — Thermal and radiological harm from
alpha, beta, and neutron particles, and gamma
rays
• Class 8 — Chemical and thermal hazards
associated with the disintegration of contacted
tissues; mechanical harm from corrosive
chemicals, which can weaken structural
elements
• Class 9 — Could encompass a multitude of
potential hazards
(4 of 4)
Operational Level
4–17
Operational-Level Rescue Actions
• Conducting searches during reconnaissance or
•
•
•
•
•
defensive activities
Conducting searches on the edge of the hot zone
Directing victims to the decontamination area
Assisting with decontamination while not coming
into contact with the hazardous material itself
Assisting with the identification of victims
Giving instructions to a large number of people
for mass decontamination
Operational Level
4–18
Sizing Up a Haz Mat Incident
• Estimate the number and type of exposures
involved.
• Use the ERG and other sources to predict or
attempt to predict where the hazardous
material may be going.
• After predicting the size of the endangered
area, predict the potential exposures.
Operational Level
4–19
(1 of 2)
Sizing Up a Haz Mat Incident
• Protect exposures.
– People — Through evacuation or sheltering in
place
– Environment — Through confinement of released
materials and runoff until environmental impact
can be determined
– Property — Action must be tailored to the material,
its properties, and any reactions to the proposed
protective medium
Note: Lives must not be risked and the environment
must not be unduly compromised to safe property!
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–20
Evacuation
• Definition — To move all people from a threatened
area to a safer place
• Factors — Must be enough time to warn people, for
them to get ready, and for them to leave the area
Note: Evacuation plans for likely terrorist targets
should be made in advance as part of the LERP
• Steps
– Evacuate nearby, downwind, or crosswind within the
distance recommended by the ERG.
– Send evacuees upwind/uphill/upstream of the
incident.
– Assign enough personnel to conduct the evacuation.
Operational Level
4–21
Sheltering-In-Place Protection
• To direct people to go quickly inside a building and
remain inside until the danger passes
• When to use
– The population is unable to initiate evacuation because of
health care, detention, or educational occupancies
– The material is spreading too rapidly to allow time for
evacuation
– The material is too toxic to risk any exposure
– Vapors are heavier than air, and people are in a high-rise
structure
• Direct people to a building, instructing them to close all
doors and windows and to shut off all HVAC systems
Operational Level
4–22
Confinement
• Controlling the product that has already been
released from its container
• Function — Minimizes the amount of contact the
product makes with people, property, and the
environment
• Tactics
–
–
–
–
–
Absorption
Adsorption
Blanketing/covering
Dam, dike, diversion, and retention
Vapor suppression
Operational Level
4–23
(1 of 2)
Confinement
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–24
Absorption
• A physical and/or chemical event occurring
during contact between materials that have an
attraction for each other
• One material is retained in the other
• Procedure — The absorbent is spread directly
onto the hazardous material or in a location
where the material is expected to flow
• Refer to Skill Sheet 4–1.
Note: After use, absorbents must be treated and
disposed of as hazardous materials because they retain
the properties of the materials they absorb
Operational Level
4–25
Adsorption and
Blanketing/Covering
• Adsorption — The molecules of the hazardous
material physically adhere to the material
• Blanketing/covering — Covering the surface of
the spill to prevent dispersion of materials
Operational Level
4–26
Damming, Diking,
Diversion, and Retention
• A way to control the flow of liquid hazardous
materials away from the point of discharge
• Can be made by using earthen materials or
materials carried on response vehicles
• Procedure — Construct curbs that direct or
divert the flow away from gutters, drains, storm
sewers, flood-control channels, and outfalls
• Refer to Skill Sheets 4–2 through 4–5.
Note: Any construction materials that contact the
spilled material must be properly disposed of.
Operational Level
4–27
Vapor Suppression
• The action taken to reduce the emission of
vapors at a haz mat spill
• Spills of flammable and combustible liquids
may require fire-fighting foams.
• Refer to Skill Sheet 4–6.
Operational Level
4–28
Using Foams
• Application methods
– All fire-fighting foams (except fluoroprotein types) should
not be plunged directly into the spill, but applied onto the
ground at the edge of the spill and rolled gently onto the
material.
– Rainfall method — Spraying foam into the air over the
target area in a fog pattern
• Considerations
– Water destroys and washes away foam blankets; do not
use water streams in conjunction with the application of
foam.
– A material must be below its boiling point; foam cannot
seal vapors of boiling liquids.
Operational Level
4–29
Other Spill-Control Tactics
• Ventilation — Controlling the movement of air
by natural or mechanical means
• Vapor dispersion
– The action taken to direct or influence the course
of airborne hazardous materials
– Procedure: Using pressurized streams of water
from handlines or unmanned master streams;
streams create turbulence, which increases the
rate of mixing with air and reduces the
concentration of the hazardous material
– Refer to Skill Sheet 4–7.
(1 of 4)
Operational Level
4–30
Other Spill-Control Tactics
(2 of 4)
Operational Level
4–31
Other Spill-Control Tactics
• Dispersion — The breaking up or dispersing of a
hazardous material that has spilled on a solid or
liquid surface
• Dilution
– The application of water to a water-soluble material
to reduce the hazard
– Is not typically used for spill control, but during
decontamination operations
– May be used when very small amounts of corrosive
materials are involved
– Refer to Skill Sheet 4–8.
(3 of 4)
Operational Level
4–32
Other Spill-Control Tactics
• Dissolution — The process of dissolving a gas
in water
• Neutralization — The process of raising or
lowering the pH of corrosive materials to render
them netural
(4 of 4)
Operational Level
4–33
Leak Control/Containment Tactics
• Remote shutoff activation
– Cargo tank trucks — Locations vary
depending on truck
– Piping systems and pipelines
– Uses — May be used to stop the
flow of product to the incident
area without entering into the hot
zone
– Locations — Contact onsite
maintenance personnel or local
utility workers
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
4–34
Leak Control/Containment Tactics
•
•
•
•
Patching/plugging
Overpacking
Product transfer
Crimping
• Valve actuation
• Vacuuming
• Pressure isolation
and reduction
• Solidification
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–35
Typical Fire-Control Tactics
• Controlled burn
• Exposure protection
• Withdrawal
• Extinguishment
Operational Level
4–36
Foam
• All foams must be proportioned and aerated
before they can be used.
– Proportioned — Mixed with water
– Aerated — Mixed with air
• Foam categories
– For use on Class A fuels (ordinary combustibles)
– For use on Class B fuels (flammable and
combustible liquids)
Operational Level
4–37
Foam Methods
• Separating — Creates a barrier between the
fuel and burning vapors
• Cooling — Lowers the temperature of the fuel
and adjacent surfaces
• Suppressing — Prevents the release of
additional flammable vapors, access to oxygen
in the atmosphere, and therefore reduces the
possibility of ignition or reignition
Operational Level
4–38
Foam Terms
• Foam concentrate — Liquid found in a foam
storage container before the introduction of water,
typically found as 1-, 3-, or 6-percent concentrates
• Foam solution — Mixture in the proper ratio of
foam concentrate and water before the introduction
of air
• Foam proportioner — Device that mixes foam
concentrate in the proper ratio with water
• Finished foam — Completed product after air is
introduced into the foam solution and after it leaves
the nozzle or aerator
Operational Level
4–39
Foam Proportioning
• Class B foam concentrates are mixed in
proportions from 1 to 6 percent (1:99 or 6:94
ratio of concentrate to water); proper proportion
rates are listed on the outside of the foam
concentrate container
• Can be done via a fixed system, an apparatusmounted system, or portable foam
proportioning equipment
• Can be applied with either standard fog nozzles
or air-aspirating foam nozzles
Operational Level
4–40
Foam-Making Process
Operational Level
4–41
Regular Protein Foam
• Is virtually nonexistent in today’s fire service
• Characteristics
–
–
–
–
Is available in 3- and 6-percent concentrations
Has excellent water-retention capabilities
Has high heat resistance
Its performance can be affected by freezing and
thawing.
– Stores at temperatures ranging from 35º to 120ºF
(2ºC to 49ºC)
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
4–42
Regular Protein Foam
• Characteristics
– Can be compounded for freeze protection using a
nonflammable antifreeze solution
– Is not compatible with dry-chemical extinguishing
agents
– Is only used on hydrocarbon fuels
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–43
Fluoroprotein Foam
• Is available in 3- and 6-percent concentrations
• Stores at temperatures ranging from 35º to
120ºF (2ºC to 49ºC); however, can be freezeprotected with nonflammable antifreeze
solution
• Its performance is not affected by freezing and
thawing.
• Is premixable for short periods of time (based
on the manufacturer’s recommendations)
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
4–44
Fluoroprotein Foam
• Maintains rather low viscosity at low
temperatures
• Is compatible with simultaneous application of
dry-chemical extinguishing agents
• Is delivered through air-aspirating equipment
• Is suitable for use on gasoline that has been
blended with oxygen additives
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–45
Fluoroprotein Foam for
Subsurface Injection into
Flammable Liquid Storage Tanks
Operational Level
4–46
Film Forming Fluoroprotein Foam
• Is available in 3- and 6-percent concentrations
• Stores at temperatures ranging from 35º to 120ºF
•
•
•
•
(2ºC to 49ºC) with fair low-temperature viscosity
Stores premixed in portable fire extinguishers
and fire apparatus water tanks
Is compatible with simultaneous application of
dry-chemical fire-fighting agents
Its performance is not affected by freezing and
thawing.
Uses either freshwater or saltwater
Operational Level
4–47
Aqueous Film Forming Foam
(AFFF)
• Is available in 1-, 3-, and 6-percent
concentrations for use with either freshwater or
saltwater
• Is premixable in portable fire extinguishers and
apparatus water tanks
• Stores at temperatures ranging from 25º to 120ºF
(-5ºC to 49ºC) (Freezing and thawing do not
adversely affect AFFF concentrates, but consult
the manufacturer for details.)
• Can be freeze-protective with nonflammable
(1 of 3)
antifreeze solution
Operational Level
4–48
Aqueous Film Forming Foam
(AFFF)
• Has good low-temperature viscosity
• Is suitable for subsurface injection
• Has fair penetrating capabilities in baled
storage fuels or high surface-tension fuels such
as treated wood
• Is compatible with dry-chemical extinguishing
agents
• Is rather fast draining
(2 of 3)
Operational Level
4–49
Aqueous Film Forming Foam
(AFFF)
• Its film-forming characteristics are adversely
affected by fuels in excess of 140ºF (60ºC).
• Oxygen additives (mandated by EPA) in
blended gasoline can adversely affect filmforming characteristics; solvent-based
performance additives in reformulated gasoline
can also hamper AFFF’s performance.
(3 of 3)
Operational Level
4–50
Alcohol-Resistant AFFF
• Is available in 3- or 6-percent concentrations
• Stronger polar solvents require application
rates that are higher than those required for
weaker solvents or hydrocarbons.
• Concentrates designed to be proportioned at 3
percent on hydrocarbon fuels and 6 percent on
polar solvent fuels are called 3 by 6
concentrates.
• Concentrates proportioned at 3 percent on both
types of fuels are called 3 by 3 concentrates.
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
4–51
Alcohol-Resistant AFFF
• Creates a membrane rather than a film over the
fuel, separating the water in the foam blanket
from the attack of the solvent
• May be used in subsurface injection
applications on certain light hydrocarbons such
as gasoline, kerosene, and jet propulsion fuels
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–52
High-Expansion Foam
Applications
• Concealed spaces such as shipboard
compartments, basements, coal mines, and
other subterranean spaces
• Fixed-extinguishing systems for specific
industrial uses such as rolled or bulk paper
storage
• Class A fire applications (slow draining)
Operational Level
4–53
High-Expansion Foam
Characteristics
• Stores at temperatures ranging from 35º to 120ºF
(2ºC to 49ºC)
• Is not affected by freezing and thawing
• Has poor heat resistance because air-to-water ratio
is very high
• Has expansion ratios of 200:1 to 1,000:1 for highexpansion uses and 20:1 to 200:1 for mediumexpansion uses (Whether the finished foam is used
in either a medium- or high-expansion capacity is
determined by the type of application device.)
Operational Level
4–54
Major Goals of the
Recovery Phase
• Return the operational area to a safe condition.
• Debrief personnel before they leave the scene.
• Return the equipment and personnel of all
involved agencies to the condition they were in
before the incident.
Operational Level
4–55
Termination Phase
• Critiquing
– Needs to occur as soon as possible after the
incident
– Needs to involve all responders, including law
enforcement, public works, and EMS
– Must be documented to identify those in
attendance as well as any operational deficiencies
that were identified
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
4–56
Termination Phase
• After-action analysis (following action reports)
– Compiles the information obtained from
debriefings and critiques
– Recommendations for improvements can be made
once trends have been identified.
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
4–57
Operational Level
Lesson 4 Presentation
Hazardous Materials for
First Responders, 3rd Ed.