Palm Beach County Fire Rescue SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents PDF

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Issue Date: 05/21/2018...

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Issue Date: 05/21/2018 Effective Date: 06/21/2018 PURPOSE: To establish safe and effective operating practices for initial response to Hazardous Materials Incidents. AUTHORITY:  Fire Rescue Administrator  NFPA 471, Recommended Practices for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents  NFPA 472, Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials  Incidents  Palm Beach County Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team Manual  DOT Emergency Response Guidebook SCOPE: This standing operating guideline shall apply to all Emergency Operations personnel. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A: Emergency Response Guidebook Attachment B: Wiser Attachment C: Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team (RHMRT) Manual Attachment D: Hazardous Materials Technician Training Modules IAFF Attachment E: Florida State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) (PBCFR applicable pgs) Attachment F: CHEMTREC PROCEDURE: These guidelines provide a basic framework for most incidents. 1. CBRNE Incidents a. Hazardous materials incidents encompass a wide variety of potential situations including: i. Chemical ii. Biological iii. Radiological iv. Nuclear v. Explosive b. Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) incidents are extremely hazardous and complex emergencies. Explosive not only refers to SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 1 of 7  explosive ordinance devices, but any solid, liquid, or gas that may cause a flash or explosion (i.e., Tanker fuel spill, propane pipeline rupture, etc…). c. Due to the extreme lethality of CBRNE incidents, specialized response procedures and specially trained personnel shall be required to mitigate them. d. A thorough understanding of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan(s) and Hazardous Materials are required to manage CBRNE incidents. e. Hazardous Materials Training Levels i. There are five (5) levels of Hazardous Materials training: 1. First Responder Awareness level 2. First Responder Operations level 3. Hazardous Materials Technicians 4. Hazardous Materials Specialist 5. Hazardous Materials Incident Commander ii. Hazardous Materials training levels responsibilities 1. First Responder Awareness level have four goals or responsibilities: R.I.P.Not (see 3. below). 2. First Responder Operations (FRO) level, in addition to the First Responder Awareness level, take DEFENSIVE control measure. 3. Hazardous Materials Technicians and Specialists, in addition to the FRO level, take OFFENSIVE control measures. 4. Hazardous Materials Incident Commanders must be trained to at least the FRO level and be able to implement and run a Hazardous Materials Incident Command System. f. Emergency responders, that are not Hazardous Material Technicians, are most likely to be the first to arrive on the scene of a CBRNE incident. g. Fire Rescue shall train all emergency responders to at least a First Responder Operations (FRO) level. 2. Response and Positioning a. All units responding to a suspected CBRNE incident shall consider the safety of Fire Rescue personnel in selecting the response route. b. All units arriving on the scene of a suspected CBRNE incident shall consider the safety of Fire Rescue personnel in selecting the placement of the unit. c. Always attempt to position the unit upwind and uphill of the incident. d. Always maintain a safe distance from the product, in case the wind direction shifts. e. Avoid any position that commits the unit to only one course of action. f. Units shall be positioned far enough away from the hazards to allow for a safe retreat if necessary. This may include facing the unit away from the scene. 3. R.I.P.Not a. R.I.P.Not stands for: i. Recognition and Identification ii. Isolation iii. Protection iv. Notification b. R.I.P.Not does not imply a step-by-step, cook book approach. SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 2 of 7  c. R.I.P.Not is intended as a memory tool to remind the actions that may take place simultaneously or in a different order to achieve the strategic goals. 4. Recognition and Identification a. First Arriving unit i. The first arriving unit must understand what action is appropriate as well as understand their resource and safety limitations in the presence of CBRNE or unidentified materials. ii. Quick aggressive action has no place at a CBRNE incident. All actions taken must be planned and deliberate. iii. An Incident Command structure must be initiated early, refer to SOG 200-02 Incident Command Sequence. iv. Identification of the product is a priority. v. To begin initial actions at a CBRNE incident, the FRO level must use the below resources: 1. DOT Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) 2. Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER) vi. The FRO level must remain familiar with the use of the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) (SOG 700-02 Attachment A). vii. WISER is an application program which includes the ERG information (and more), by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is available for use on smart phones. viii. Each Fire Rescue Unit shall have an Emergency Response Guide (ERG). ix. The first arriving unit should: 1. Recognize and Identify critical information 2. Determine the nature of the incident (leak, spill, fire, etc.) x. Recognition and identification of critical information shall include the following (when available): 1. Quick Access Survey information 2. Occupancy type 3. Product information: a. Hazard Classification b. ERG Guide number c. Product Name or CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) Number d. Quantity 4. Container information: a. Type b. Shape c. Size 5. Markings: a. UN Numbers b. DOT placards 6. Paperwork: a. Shipping papers b. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) c. Bill of lading SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 3 of 7  5. Isolation a. FRO level personnel are to operate in Bunker gear and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). FRO level personnel shall NOT come into contact with any product. b. Isolate the area without entering the immediate hazard area and ensure the safety of responders and citizens. c. The Incident Commander shall identify the Initial Isolation Zone around the hazard based on the information provided by the ERG or WISER. The Initial Isolation Zone becomes the Hot Zone when the product is confirmed and additional reference materials confirm the distances. d. The Incident Commander or Site Access Control Leader (if established) should establish an Area of Safe Refuge (ASR) for victims who are considered contaminated and in need of decontamination. e. The ASR should be located immediately uphill and upwind of the Hot Zone. f. Victims who are considered contaminated should not be brought out of the ASR until they can be decontaminated. g. A Safe Refuge Area Manager may be established to manage the victims in the ASR. h. All victims not requiring decontamination shall be directed to move away from the hazard (uphill and upwind) to a specific location or distance. SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 4 of 7  6. Protection a. Protection includes that of the responders, public, property, environment, and evidence. b. Consider all devices, drums, containers, cylinders, tanks, spills and suspicious or unclaimed objects as being dangerous and the material in them to be hazardous until proven otherwise. c. A downwind Protective Action Zone shall be identified and evaluated to determine if victims within this area should be evacuated or protected in place. Law Enforcement and the reverse 911 system should be utilized to rapidly alert potential victims and secure the Protective Action Zone. d. FRO level personnel may take DEFENSIVE actions to include: i. Diking ii. Damning iii. Diverting iv. Vapor suppression or diversion v. Fire suppression or exposure protection vi. Emergency Decontamination vii. Technical Decontamination (only when supervised by a Hazardous Materials Technician) viii. Remote valve shutoff activations (only if the remote valve shutoff is clearly marked and the FRO knows what will occur, i.e., at a Gasoline fill station). ix. Moving or relocating uninvolved and stable containers e. All DEFENSIVE actions must be accomplished without the FRO level personnel becoming contaminated. SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 5 of 7  7. Notification a. The first arriving unit shall communicate safe response routes. b. If the Incident Commander determines the incident is beyond the capabilities of FRO level personnel, a Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team (RHMRT) shall be requested. c. The Communication Center shall then make response notification to the appropriate RHMRT(s). d. Pertinent information gathered as the incident unfolds shall be relayed to the Communication Center and responding units. 8. Life Safety and Rescue Attempts a. Only quick, line-of-sight Rescue attempts for viable victims may be made by FRO level personnel in the Initial Isolation Zone if ALL of the following are met: i. There is visible movement or chest rise and fall by the victim(s). ii. The FRO level personnel are wearing full Bunker gear with SCBA. iii. A pre-connected hose line is ready prior to entry. iv. The hazard is NOT fluorine. 1. Water treatment facilities may store fluorine. v. The FRO level personnel can be dragged out with their Drag Rescue Device (i.e., do NOT enter a container even if it is in line of sight). b. The FRO level personnel SHALL NOT remove their SCBA prior to Decontamination i. Do NOT enter a tight space ii. Expect the Bunker gear to be off gassing c. In no other instance shall FRO level personnel enter an Initial Isolation Zone or Hot Zone. 9. Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team a. If a RHMRT is needed, there shall be an exchange of information between the Incident Commander and the Hazardous Material Group Supervisor. b. Upon arrival of the RHMRT, FRO level personnel shall maintain their current course of action until the Incident Commander changes the Incident Action Plan (IAP). c. FRO level personnel may be needed to assist the RHMRT while working under the direction of a Hazardous Materials Technician. 10. Hazardous Materials Technician a. Once on scene, Hazardous Material Technicians shall initiate the following actions in accordance with RHMRT Manual: i. Develop a Site Safety and Control Plan ii. Perform atmospheric monitoring iii. Perform product sampling iv. Contain or control the product b. Refer to SOG 200-03 Safety Officers for Assistant Safety Officer requirement. SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 6 of 7  11. Acts of Terrorism and WMD a. Acts of terror utilizing Weapons of Mass Destruction are essentially a CBRNE incidents with a willful intent to cause harm. b. Responders may not initially realize they are at the scene of a terror attack. Once recognized, responders should: i. Be mindful for secondary devices ii. Be alert for actions against responders iii. Implement PPE measures (including SCBA use) iv. Use extreme caution prior to initiating any tactical actions v. Preserve evidence c. Indicators of a terror attack, include: i. A target hazard or target event location is involved ii. There is a Credible Threat (refer to SOG 700-04 Responding to a Suspicious Biological Threat) iii. CBRNE substances are involved iv. There are multiple victims v. Responders are victims vi. Responders are becoming victims Supersession History 1. SOG #2401, issued 10/01/2005 2. SOG #2401, issued 10/01/2012 3. SOG 700-02, clerical 05/01/2018 4. SOG 700-02, issued 05/21/2018 SOG 700-02 Response to Hazardous Materials - WMD Incidents Page 7 of 7