Operational Level
Lesson 6 Presentation
Hazardous Materials for
First Responders, 3rd Ed.
Contamination Terms
• Contamination — The process of transferring a
hazardous material from its source to people,
animals, the environment, or equipment
• Decontamination
– The process of removing hazardous materials to
prevent the spread of contaminants beyond a
specific area and reduce the level of
contamination to levels that are no longer harmful
– Is performed when a victim, responder, animal, or
equipment leaves the hot zone
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
6–2
Contamination Terms
• Secondary contamination — The contamination
of people, equipment, or the environment
outside of the hot zone
• Exposure — The process by which people,
animals, the environment, and equipment are
subjected to or actually come in contact with a
hazardous material
• Hazard — The harm that can be done by a
material
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
6–3
Types of Contamination
• Primary
– The direct transfer of a hazardous material to
persons, equipment, and the environment
– Occurs in the hot zone because of direct contact
with a hazardous material
(1 of 3)
Operational Level
6–4
Types of Contamination
• Secondary
– The contamination of people, of equipment, or the
environment outside the hot zone
– The contaminant is carried from the hot zone by
personnel’s clothing or tools, air currents, and
runoff water.
– If personnel are not decontaminated before
leaving the hot zone, they can contaminate
whomever and whatever they touch thereafter.
(2 of 3)
Operational Level
6–5
Types of Contamination
• Surface
– The contamination of the surface of a material
– Does not penetrate, permeate, or soak into
materials
• Permeation
– The penetration of a contaminant below the
surface of a material
(3 of 3)
Operational Level
6–6
Categories of Decontamination
• Gross decontamination
– Quickly removing the worst surface contamination,
usually by rinsing with water from handheld
hoselines, emergency showers, or other water
sources
– Performed on the following people in the following
situations:
– Entry team personnel before technical
decontamination
– Victims during emergency decontamination
– Persons requiring mass decontamination
(1 of 4)
Operational Level
6–7
Categories of Decontamination
• Emergency decontamination
– Removing contamination on individuals in potentially
life-threatening situations with or without the formal
establishment of a decontamination corridor
– A type of gross decontamination
• Technical (formal) decontamination
– Using chemical or physical methods to thoroughly
remove contaminants from responders (primarily
entry team personnel) and their equipment
– Conducted within a formal decontamination line or
corridor following a gross decontamination
(2 of 4)
Operational Level
6–8
Categories of Decontamination
• Mass decontamination — Conducting gross
decontamination of multiple people at one time
• Secondary decontamination — Taking a
shower after having completed a technical
decontamination
• Definitive decontamination — Decontaminating
further after technical decontamination
Operational Level
6–9
(3 of 4)
Categories of Decontamination
• Patient decontamination — Decontaminating
injured patients or victims
• Buddy decontamination — Performing
decontamination between entry team personnel
(or others), making it easier to rinse difficult-toreach areas such as the back and backs of legs
and knees
• Self decontamination — Conducting
emergency decontamination on oneself, usually
by rinsing with water or using a blotting/
(4 of 4)
absorption method
Operational Level
6–10
Importance of
Scene Control Procedures
• First responders must direct victims to a safe
location to await decontamination and prevent
victims from leaving the scene.
• Decontamination prevents secondary
contamination to others.
• All first responders must be sure to also know
the department’s plan for evacuation of
uncontaminated persons from the hazard area.
Operational Level
6–11
Decontamination Methods
• Wet
– Washing the contaminated surface with solutions or
flushing with a hose stream or safety shower
– Usually necessitates the collection of runoff water in
wading pools or other liquid-retaining devices
• Dry
– Scraping, brushing, and absorption
– May be as simple as removing contaminated
clothing and putting into a 55-gallon (208 L) storage
bag
– Does not create large amounts of contaminated
(1 of 2)
runoff
Operational Level
6–12
Decontamination Methods
• Physical
– Removes the contaminant from a contaminated
person without changing the material chemically
– The contaminant is contained for disposal
• Chemical
– To make the contaminant less harmful by
changing it through some kind of chemical
process
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
6–13
Gross Decontamination
• Flushing with water from a hose stream, safety
shower, or other water source
Operational Level
6–14
Emergency Decontamination
• When it is needed:
– Failure of protective clothing
– Accidental contamination of first responders
– Heat illness or other injury suffered by emergency
workers in the hot zone
– Immediate medical attention required for other
victims
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
6–15
Emergency Decontamination
• Advantages
– Requires minimal equipment
– Reduces contamination quickly
– Does not require a formal contamination reduction
corridor or decontamination process
• Limitations
– Does not always totally decontaminate the victim
– Creates contaminated runoff that can harm the
environment and other exposures
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
6–16
Steps in Emergency
Decontamination
1. Remove the victim from the contaminated
area.
2. Wash immediately any exposed body parts
with flooding quantities of water.
3. Remove victim’s clothing and/or PPE rapidly –
if possible, cutting from the top down in a
matter that minimizes the spread of
contaminants.
Operational Level
6–17
(1 of 2)
Steps in Emergency
Decontamination
4. Perform a quick cycle of head-to-toe rinse,
wash, and rinse.
5. Transfer the victim to treatment personnel for
assessment, first aid, and medical treatment.
6. Ensure that ambulance and hospital personnel
are told about the contaminant involved.
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
6–18
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Absorption
– Picking up liquid contaminants with absorbents
– Advantage — Absorbents are inexpensive and
readily available
– Limitations
– Absorbents do not alter the hazardous material
– Absorbents have limited use on protective
clothing and vertical surfaces
– Absorbent disposal may be a problem
(1 of 9)
Operational Level
6–19
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Adsorption
– Process in which a hazardous liquid interacts with
(or is bound to) the surface of a sorbent material
• Brushing or scraping
– Removing large particles of contaminant or
contaminated materials such as mud from boots
or other PPE
– Is not sufficient decontamination
– Is used before other types of decontamination
(2 of 9)
Operational Level
6–20
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Chemical degradation
– Using another material to change the chemical
structure of a hazardous material
– Commonly used materials
– Household bleach
– Isopropyl alcohol
– Hydrated lime
– Household drain cleaner
– Baking soda
– Liquid detergents
Operational Level
6–21
(3 of 9)
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Chemical degradation
– Advantage — Can reduce cleanup costs and the
risk posed to the first responder
– Limitations
– Takes time to determine the right chemical to
use and set up the process
– Can be harmful to first responders if the
process creates heat and toxic vapors
(4 of 9)
Operational Level
6–22
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Dilution
– Using water to flush contaminants from
contaminated victims or objects and diluting watersoluble hazardous materials to safe levels
– Advantage — The accessibility, speed, and economy
of using water
– Limitations
– Water may cause a reaction and create even
more serious problems.
– Runoff water from the process is still
contaminated and must be confined and then
(5 of 9)
disposed of properly.
Operational Level
6–23
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Neutralization
– Changing the pH of a corrosive, raising, or
lowering, it towards 7 (neutral) on the pH scale
• Sanitization, disinfection, or sterilization
– Sanitization — Reduces the number of
microorganisms to a safe level (such as by
washing hands with soap and water)
– Disinfection — Kills most of the organisms present
– Sterilization — Kills all microorganisms present,
with chemicals, steam, heat, or radiation
(6 of 9)
Operational Level
6–24
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Solidification — Process that treats a
hazardous liquid chemically so that it turns into
a solid
• Vacuuming — Process using high efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuum cleaners to
vacuum solid materials such as fibers, dusts,
powders, and particulates from surfaces
(7 of 9)
Operational Level
6–25
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Washing
– Process similar to dilution, but also involves using
prepared solutions such as solvents, soap, and/or
detergents mixed with water in order to make the
contaminant more water-soluble before rinsing
with plain water
• Evaporation
– Can be accomplished by simply waiting long
enough for hazardous materials to evaporate
(8 of 9)
Operational Level
6–26
Technical (Formal)
Decontamination
• Isolation and disposal
– Isolating the contaminated items by collecting
them in some fashion and then disposing of them
in accordance with applicable regulations and
laws
(9 of 9)
Operational Level
6–27
Mass Decontamination
• The process of conducting gross
decontamination of multiple people at one time
in emergency situations
• Is initiated where the number of victims and
time constraints do not allow the establishment
of an in-depth decontamination process
• Uses large volumes of low-pressure water to
reduce the level of contamination
• Check with LERP or SOPs for exact
procedures
Operational Level
6–28
Patient Decontamination
• Is necessary whenever victims have been
contaminated yet need medical attention
• Uses the same techniques as other types of
decontamination, but gives special
consideration to the injuries and medical
conditions of the victims
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
6–29
Patient Decontamination
• Ambulatory patients
– Victims who are able to understand directions, talk,
and walk unassisted
– Most are triaged as minimal
– Factors for determining priority
– Casualties closest to the point of release
– Casualties reporting exposure to the hazardous
material
– Casualties with evidence of contamination on
their clothing or skin
– Casualties with serious medical symptoms
(2 of 2)
– Casualties with conventional injuries
Operational Level
6–30
Decontamination Steps for
Ambulatory Patients
1. Direct patients by voice, PA system amplification,
and/or hand signals to the gross decontamination
area inside the hot zone but away from the highrisk areas.
2. Direct patients to remove their clothing down to
their underwear.
3. Place the patient's clothing in trash barrels
whenever possible, separating valuable personal
effects into clear plastic bags, and placing the
patient’s name or a unique identifying number on
the bags whenever possible.
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
6–31
Decontamination Steps for
Ambulatory Patients
4. Vacuum, brush, or wipe all particulate matter
off the contaminated patients.
5. Have patients close their mouth and eyes.
6. Using handheld sprayers containing tepid
water and/or diluted bleach solution, rinse the
patient from head to toe for 1 minute.
7. Direct patients to proceed to the cold zone.
(2 of 2)
Operational Level
6–32
Patient Decontamination
• Nonambulatory patients
– Victims who are unconscious, unresponsive, or
unable to move unassisted
Operational Level
6–33
Decontamination Steps for
Nonambulatory Patients
1. Remove the person from the high-risk area in
the quickest way possible and carry the
patient to the edge of the hot zone bordering
the warm zone.
2. Remove the patient’s clothing, cutting it off as
necessary, down to the underwear.
3. Place the patient’s clothes in a trash barrel,
separating personal effects into clear plastic
bags, and placing the patient’s name or a
unique identifying number on the bags
(1 of 4)
whenever possible.
Operational Level
6–34
Decontamination Steps for
Nonambulatory Patients
4. Vacuum, brush, or wipe off all particulate
matter from the patient.
5. Close the patient’s mouth and pinch the nose
shut if the patient cannot do so.
6. Using the handheld sprayer or hoseline, rinse
the patient with tepid water for 1 minute,
beginning with the face and airway and
proceeding to open wounds.
7. Ensure that the armpits, genitalia, and the
back are rinsed.
(2 of 4)
Operational Level
6–35
Decontamination Steps for
Nonambulatory Patients
8. Rinse the backboard before transferring the
patient to the cold zone, unless switching to
clean basin.
9. Apply a C-collar as soon as possible if a Cspine injury is suspected and a collar is
available.
(3 of 4)
Operational Level
6–36
Decontamination Steps for
Nonambulatory Patients
10. Determine whether secondary decontamination
will be done. If not, carry the patient into a
decontamination alley to be quickly dried,
covered, wrapped in an enclosing blanket, and
then carried to the cold zone on a backboard.
11. Scan the patient with detection equipment and
report the results to the treatment team if a
radiological agent is involved.
12. Transfer the patient to properly protected coldzone personnel who will perform indicated
patient care.
(4 of 4)
Operational Level
6–37
Factors to Consider when
Choosing a Decontamination Site
• Accessibility
– Must be away from hazards, but adjacent to the
hot zone
– Crucial time periods to consider
– Travel time in the hot zone
– Time allotted to work in the hot zone
– Travel time back to the decontamination site
– Decontamination time
(1 of 4)
Operational Level
6–38
Factors to Consider when
Choosing a Decontamination Site
• Terrain and surface material
– The decontamination site ideally slopes toward the
hot zone.
– Diking around the site prevents accidental
contamination escaping.
– It is best if the site has a hard, nonporous surface to
prevent ground contamination.
– When a hard-surface driveway, parking lot, or street
is not accessible, some type of impervious covering
may be used to cover the ground.
– Use covers or sheeting to form the decontamination
corridor regardless of whether the surface is porous. (2 of 4)
Operational Level
6–39
Factors to Consider when
Choosing a Decontamination Site
• Lighting (and electrical supply)
– A site illuminated by streetlights, floodlights, or
other type of permanent lighting reduces the need
for portable lighting
• Drains and waterways
– Avoid locating a site near storm or sewer drains,
ponds, ditches, and other waterways.
• Water supply
– Water (and sometimes detergent) must be
available.
Operational Level
6–40
(3 of 4)
Factors to Consider when
Choosing a Decontamination Site
• Weather
– Set up the site upwind in order to prevent the
spread of contaminants into clean areas.
– Make every attempt to shield victims from cold
winds while they are removing protective clothing.
(4 of 4)
Operational Level
6–41
Setting up a
Decontamination Corridor
• Ensure privacy.
– Provide a private, restricted area in which to
conduct decontamination.
– Use female responders to assist whenever
possible when decontaminating women.
(1 of 2)
Operational Level
6–42
Setting up a
Decontamination Corridor
• Bag and tag contaminated clothing/effects
carefully.
– Label bags whenever possible.
– Separate personal effects into clear plastic bags
clearly marked with the person’s name.
– Mark all personal effects so that they can be
returned to their proper ownders after the incident
without confusion.
• Make the corridor visually recognizable – with
barrier tape, safety cones, etc.
Operational Level
6–43
(2 of 2)
Decontamination Corridor
Operational Level
6–44
Collecting Evidence
at Crime Scenes
• Minimize disturbance to possible crime-scene
evidence, while still making life safety the top
priority.
• Take notes or pictures documenting where
victims were located and how the scene looked
upon arrival.
• Dead victims at crime scenes must go through
a decontamination process before transport to
the medical examiner.
Operational Level
6–45
Terminating an Incident
• Hold a debriefing for those involved in the
incident as soon as possible.
• Provide exposed persons with as much
information as possible about the delayed
health effects of the materials involved in the
incident.
• Schedule follow-up examinations with medical
personnel if necessary.
Operational Level
6–46
Operational Level
Lesson 6 Presentation
Hazardous Materials for
First Responders, 3rd Ed.