Hazardous Materials Response Policy PDF

Policy 319 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response - 1 Hazardous Materials Response 319.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) may include toxi...

Policy 319 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response - 1 Hazardous Materials Response 319.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) may include toxic, flammable, corrosive, explosive, radioactive, or reactive materials; materials that can cause health hazards; or a combination of these materials. The purpose of this policy is to provide a general framework for handling a HAZMAT incident. Training related to HAZMAT response is addressed in the Hazardous Materials Training Policy. 319.1.1 DEFINITIONS Definitions related to this policy include (Va. Code § 44-146.34): Hazardous materials - Substances or materials which may pose unreasonable risks to health, safety, property or the environment when used, transported, stored or disposed of, which may include materials which are solid, liquid or gas. Hazardous materials may include toxic substances, flammable and ignitable materials, explosives, corrosive materials and radioactive materials. They also include: (a) Those substances or materials in a form or quantity which may pose an unreasonable risk to health, safety or property when transported, and that the Secretary of Transportation of the United States has so designated by regulation or order. (b) Hazardous substances as defined or designated by law or regulation of the Commonwealth of Virginia or of the United States government. (c) Hazardous waste as defined or designated by law or regulation of the Commonwealth of Virginia. 319.2 POLICY It is the policy of the Chesapeake Fire Department to protect the safety of the public and responders to HAZMAT incidents, to comply with the Southside HazMat Response Team Memorandum Of Understanding , and to comply with all applicable state and federal laws during the management and mitigation of all HAZMAT incidents in coordination with the Virginia Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Program (29 CFR 1910.120; Va. Code § 44-146.34 et seq.; 16 VAC 25-60-30; 16 VAC 25-90-1910),. 319.3 RESPONSIBILITIES All HAZMAT responses should be managed using the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) in accordance with applicable federal law and Virginia guidelines, rules and laws (Va. Code. § 44-146.17). The Chesapeake Fire Department shall appoint a hazardous materials coordinator to coordinate the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Program within the City (Va. Code § 44-146.38). 319.3.1 INITIAL ACTIONS If available, information should be provided by Emergency Dispatch Center to the units responding to a HAZMAT incident including the name and type of the material involved (e.g., hydrochloric Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Hazardous Materials Response Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response - 2 acid, corrosive), the size and quantity of the containers involved, the nature of the problem (e.g., spill, leak) and any known dangerous properties of the materials. The first-arriving unit approaching the incident should use caution, approach from upwind and upgrade of the incident, establish Incident Command and begin a size-up of the situation. The purpose of the size-up by the first-in company is to determine the nature and severity of the HAZMAT incident and formulate an initial Incident Action Plan (IAP). While it may be necessary to take immediate action to make a rescue or evacuate an area, any action should be taken with an awareness of the risk to department personnel and making appropriate use of available protective equipment. It is important to avoid the premature commitment of personnel to potentially hazardous locations, companies must remain intact at designated staging areas until assigned. In some cases, isolating the incident and denying entry until more resources arrive may be the safest approach. In assessing the incident, all available references should be used to determine the hazards that are or potentially could be present. These references may include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Emergency Response Guidebook, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), HAZMAT business plans, manifests or bills of lading, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) placards, U.S. DOT placards and United Nations Substance Identification Numbers. Other sources of information may be available, such as the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC®), facility personnel, department specialists or manufacturers of the materials involved. The hazards presented by a HAZMAT incident may change significantly as the materials interact with other materials, the surrounding environment and the actions taken by responders. Responders should consider site topography, surroundings, other potential hazards and prevailing weather conditions. The initial perimeter established for the incident may need to be expanded to establish the appropriate control zones for the response (e.g., exclusion zone, contamination reduction zone, support zone, which are also known as hot, warm and cold zones). 319.4 INCIDENT ACTION PLAN The primary goal of the IAP will be to protect the safety of the public and responders. The initial IAP should focus on identifying a safe approach for other arriving units, determining the type of hazard and the scope of the incident, isolating the area and denying entry to the public, determining incident-specific personal protective equipment (PPE), and initiating notifications. The initial IAP may be a written document or may be notes kept and controlled by the Incident Commander (IC). The initial IAP should include the following minimum information: (a) Incident name, agency or unified command, and command post location. (b) Information for responding units on the best route of travel, staging locations, and minimum isolation distances to maintain the safety of responding members. (c) The information available on the products involved or an indication that the products are not yet known. Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Hazardous Materials Response Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response - 3 (d) The incident control objectives and goals. (e) An incident site safety plan and designation of an Incident Safety Officer. (f) A communications plan including radio frequencies and contact telephone numbers. When a HAZMAT incident response will be prolonged and will extend beyond an initial operational period, a written IAP should be developed. The written IAP should utilize standard NIMS/ICS forms that may include but are not limited to: • ICS-201 Incident Briefing. • ICS-202 Incident Objectives. • ICS-203 Organization Assignment List. • ICS-204 Assignment List. • ICS-205 Incident Radio Communications Plan. • ICS-206 Medical Plan. • ICS-207 Incident Organization Chart. • ICS-208 Safety Message/Plan. 319.5 RESOURCE CONSIDERATIONS Most HAZMAT incidents will require the IC to request additional resources in order to implement the IAP and safely mitigate the hazard. The response to a HAZMAT incident may require numerous specialized resources to achieve incident stabilization and return to normal operations. The IC should consider involving: (a) Activation of local or Virginia-designated regional hazardous materials response teams for assistance. (b) Specialized HAZMAT teams at the technician and/or specialist levels for assistance with mitigating the release of material. Teams may be operated by local or regional fire agencies, military or private industry. (c) Specialized operators or contractors to address post-response mitigation, removal, cleanup and required disposal of material. (d) Local law enforcement for assistance with scene security and evacuation, if necessary. (e) United States Coast Guard assistance for spills affecting waterways. (f) Public works and road departments for diking, diversion or other activities. Resources shall be coordinated using NIMS/ICS as the response is reinforced. It is important that duties assigned to personnel are suitable for their level of training under federal regulations and Virginia law (29 CFR 1910.120; Va. Code § 44-146.34 et seq.; 16 VAC 25-60-30; 16 VAC 25-90-1910). Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Hazardous Materials Response Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response - 4 It is also important to consider the limitations of available PPE and the limitations of chemical detection or monitoring equipment on hand when preparing to commit personnel to a potentially hazardous area. 319.6 NOTIFICATIONS Managing the response to a HAZMAT incident may involve required notifications to various local, regional, state or federal agencies. ICs should consider notifying the following agencies when applicable or required: (a) The public, media and other affected entities, such as schools and businesses (b) Adjoining jurisdictions that may be impacted by incident activities (c) Local and regional elected officials and emergency management personnel (d) Virginia Department of Emergency Management (e) Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office (f) Virginia Department of Health (g) Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (h) Virginia Department of Transportation (i) Virginia State Police (j) United States Environmental Protection Agency National Response Center (k) United States Coast Guard