AFD FIRST RESPONDER OPERATIONS LEVEL
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REFRESHER
PLACARDS, LABELS and OTHER MARKINGS (firefighters)
Class will follow doing worksheet. Teach this section by using the method
most effective for you... It would be good to stay in the order of the worksheet.
Identify typical occupancies in the community where hazardous materials may be
encountered during manufacturing, transportation, storage, use or disposal. Ask
class for notable examples in our community.
Manufacturing (all types use chemicals)
Examples:
Doskocil
National Semiconductor (poison and asphyxiant gases, solvents,
corrosives, cryogenics)
Plating facilities (cyanides, heavy metals and corrosives)
Painting businesses (solvents)
Storage and transport warehouses (ORTHO pesticide products in Dist. 5)
City water treatment and waste water treatment (poison gases and
corrosives and poison corrosives)
There are hazards in these facilities, but the chemicals must be transported to
these facilities over road or rail.
Placards are used in transportation (but are sometimes left in place at fixed
facilities).
Placards were designed with the fire service in mind. We are the first ones on
the scene most of the time, (except for DPS in rural areas, and they are also
trained to use the DOT ERG.)
Placards indicate the primary hazard, but multiple hazards are possible.
Secondary hazards also need to be considered. For Example, anhydrous
ammonia is placarded non-flammable but it burns (LEL 16% UEL 25%). Fire
is not likely in transportation emergencies, but very likely with large leaks in
poorly ventilated areas.
Identify nine DOT hazard classes and give common examples for each hazard
class
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Explosives, TNT, C4, etc
Compressed gases, nitrogen, oxygen, etc
Flammable and combustible liquids, gasoline etc
Flammable solids and dangerous when wet, sodium metal
Oxidizers and organic peroxides, Ammonium nitrate, MEK peroxide
Poisons, pesticides, cyanides, etc
Radioactive, alpha, beta or gamma sources
Corrosives, caustic soda, sulfuric acid
Miscellaneous hazardous materials, numerous wastes and products that
don’t really fit in the other classes.
Show placards with emphasis on hazard class numbers, colors, symbols, names
and UN numbers. Create a table for them to list name, number, color(s) and
symbol(s)
#
1
2
2
2
2
3
4
4
Color
orange
red
green
white
yellow
red
candy stripe
white over red
Symbol
bursting ball
flame
cylinder
skull x bones
flaming O
flame
flame
flame
4
5
5
6
6
7
8
9
Class Name
explosives
flammable gases
non flammable
toxic gases
oxidizing gas
flammable liquids
flammable solids
spontaneously
combustible
dangerous when wet
oxidizers
organic peroxides
toxic (poison)
infectious
radioactive
corrosive
miscellaneous
blue
yellow
yellow
white
label only
yellow over white
white over black
black stripes over white
flame (W) old
flaming O
flaming O
skull X bones
biohazard symbol
propeller
test tube hand/metal
none
N/A
dangerous
red with white band
black lettering
Discuss table 1 and table 2 materials. Table 1 materials must be placarded in
all quantities. they are:
Explosives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Poison gas 2.3
Dangerous when wet 4.3
Poison inhalation hazard 6.1
Radioactive (yellow III label only)
Table 2 materials require a placard when the total weight of the material exceeds
1001 lbs.
Bulk shipments usually have UN # in a white window on the placard.
A dangerous placard can be used when multiple table 2 materials requiring
placards are present, (up to 5000 lbs. loaded at one facility for each material)
Dangerous placards (when used properly) identify mixed loads of table 2
materials. There should be no table 1 materials involved.
DOT EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDEBOOK
There are no visual aids to this section, just teach the book!
Updated every three years. We are due for an update soon.
Format has changed from 1993, more on that later.
More accurately should be called the NAFTA emergency response guidebook,
Mexico and Canada placards included.
Inside front cover discusses shipping papers and their likely location. Locating
these papers should be considered a priority in any transportation emergency
involving vehicles that might contain hazardous materials.
Just because a vehicle is not placarded, does not mean it doesn’t have
HazMats on board.
The shipping papers contain:
Emergency contact number
Proper shipping name of the material(s)
4 digit UN ID number
The hazard class number
The quantity by weight or volume
For bulk shipments placards are shown with UN number in a placard window, or
a placard with the UN number in an orange rectangle (more commonly seen in
rail transportation.
Page 1 has instructions-go over them.
Page 2 is a quick reference of safety precautions
Page 8 Discussion of “initial phase”. Also add that if chemicals are mixed or
involved in fire the book may not be adequate. Use guide 111 in these
instances.
Book may not work well for fixed facility emergencies, especially indoors.
HOW TO USE THE BOOK
Example #1 UN # 1075 page 20 in yellow edged section
guide number 115 (orange section) is indicated
Potential hazards section
The primary hazard is listed first. For propane it is fire hazard. In other guides
the health hazard section is listed first.
This section will help you estimate “the potential outcomes” of the incident.
Fire and explosion hazards for propane are apparent to most firefighters, but
under “public safety” the instructions are to isolate for 50 to 100 meters in all
directions. This is the first thing that should be accomplished. Bear in mind a
wider area may be advised as the incident progresses.
Under protective clothing you find
1
wear scba (an emergency response requirement by SOP and
NFPA)
2
structural firefighting gear will only provide limited protection... this
is because these guides are generic for multiple chemicals and this
guide may cover other chemicals that bunker gear is not rated
for.
If on fire read fire section
If spill or leak and no fire read spill or leak section
If you have victims read first aid section
Be aware that there are multiple listings in the UN number section, do not
stop at the first name you find by a UN number and use that entry for a
positive chemical ID...
Example: For UN 1993 the first entry (out of 13) is combustible liquid NOS...see
the guide book for other possibilities.
Using the Chemical name guide (blue pages)
used the same way as the UN number guide
Look up HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, anhydrous
guide number 125 is listed but the name is highlighted
Highlighted entries have extended isolation and protective action distances found
in the green section
Before using the green section you should have:
1
2
3
identified the material by ID number and name
read the guide pages for that material
notated the wind direction
using the UN id (1052) number go to the green section (table of initial
isolation and protective action distances)
decide small or large spill...discuss the difference
day or night...discuss the difference and why
initial isolation distance and down wind protection
the width of the plume is estimated as ½ the downwind protective action distance
as shown on pages 298 and 299.
compare the initial isolation distance in the table to the one in guide125
remember that the guide is generic and the green section is specific for the
chemical. The green section overrides the orange section for protective action
distances.
Look up UN id number 1732 and discuss the considerations. THIS IS A
MATERIAL that when released into water creates a (PIH) poison inhalation
hazard by giving off hydrogen fluoride vapors. This requires the user to back
track to develop initial isolation and protective action distance of .5 to 6.0 miles.
NFPA 704M
Powerpoint
The NFPA 704M is used at fixed facilities and is sometimes seen on individual
containers.
UFC incorporates 704M but it is not enforced in Arlington. Companies that
respond automatic or mutual aid to Fort Worth can expect to see it.
5 degrees of hazard
The colors/hazards on the NFPA 704M system do not correspond with
colors/hazards DOT placards.
It uses 4 colors
Red for relative flammability
Blue for relative health hazard
Yellow for relative reactivity (stability)
White for special hazards
BLUE-HEALTH
A number of 2 or greater tells the firefighter that (in an emergency for that
area) an SCBA is the minimum protection required.
A number of three or greater requires specialized chemical protective
clothing
RED-FLAMMABILITY
4 is generally reserved for flammable gases, gasoline gets a three in this
scheme.
YELLOW-REACTIVITY
More correctly called stability because this characteristic deals with selfreaction-not reaction with other chemicals. An example might be sensitive
explosives with mass detonation hazard.
This also incorporates water reactivity. A number 4 on reactivity with a W
means that water may cause the chemical to become extremely unstable
or cause toxic by products to be released.
WHITE-SPECIAL HAZARDS
SPECIAL HAZARDS ARE LISTED ON THE SLIDE