Hazmat Survival Tips: 10 Common Errors Committed During Incidents
All first responders leave their fire stations en route to emergency calls with one goal in mind--to help the citizens of their community. Unfortunately, too many take their safe return home for granted.
Although any emergency incident has the potential for exposure to unique workplace hazards not found on any other job, those involving hazardous materials present an even greater risk to personnel. Yet despite an awareness of these dangers made possible through a multitude of training programs available today, too many first responders still commit common errors that can greatly increase the likelihood of illness and injury. All of these errors are preventable through common sense, discipline, and a respect for the health and fire hazards associated with chemicals. Listed below are 10 common errors observed during my more than 25 years of dealing with hazardous materials emergency response. Those who can relate to one or more of these will hopefully take the steps necessary to protect themselves and the other members of their department to help ensure that everyone goes home.
1. Parking apparatus too close to an incident. Without a doubt, the error committed most often by first responders while on-scene at a hazardous materials incident is parking apparatus too close to the source of the release and areas impacted by the spread of the material. Although this problem usually affects only first-arriving units, on too many occasions, later-arriving apparatus, the command post, the equipment staging areas, and even the rehab stations are also staged too close.
One of the greatest threats first responders face in committing this error is exposure to the release of undetectable vapors and gases. The materials are undetectable because they have no odor, no color, or are in a concentration below the material's odor threshold but at a level that still presents a health risk. Other hazards include sudden and unexpected events such as changes in wind direction; leaking containers shifting position, thereby increasing the rate of release; or a fire igniting, exposing first responders to a toxic smoke plume, and increasing the potential of containers to explode from excessive heat. Under these circumstances, first responders may be too close to react quickly and safely to these events.
Remember, whatever you can do while parked on top of an incident, you can almost always do with a greater degree of safety by staying back at least 500 to 1,000 feet and sometimes even more.
2. Relying on a "responsible party" for hazard assessment. In a hazardous materials incident, the term "responsible party" (RP) usually refers to the person in control of a container that is the source of a release or potential release. For incidents that occur at a fixed facility, some RPs may intentionally avoid calling the fire department because they know that once first responders arrive on-scene, things are about to ramp up. The RPs' concerns usually include potential fines for violations related to environmental protection and occupational safety laws, cleanup costs, and media attention. Of course, for incidents that occur off-site, such as motor vehicle accidents, the RP will usually be unable to prevent you from responding.
However, once on-scene, some RPs will go to great lengths to persuade first responders that the material involved is not a hazardous material and that it presents little or no environmental threat. Their primary motive is to reduce costs associated with cleanup, because they know that once the term "hazardous material" is associated with the incident, the costs will greatly increase as will the scrutiny of an accident investigation.
Some RPs may base their claim on the fact that the product involved is not regulated as a hazardous material by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), but all that means is that the RP doesn't have to placard the vehicle or worry about certain requirements such as precise language on the bill of lading and container specifications. Remember that a material unregulated by the USDOT may still present risk to people, property, and the environment. First responders must therefore conduct their own research using all available resources, such as CHEMTREC, material safety data sheets, and contact with those knowledgeable of the material, including manufacturers and local and state environmental agencies' representatives.
3. Failure to wear SCBA. Today, the benefits of wearing SCBA during fire suppression operations are indisputable. Protection from products of combustion can ensure firefighters' safety on-scene and minimize their exposure to a multitude of health risks. Unfortunately, the mindset that encourages SCBA use during fire suppression does not always prevail during some hazardous materials incidents, despite the obvious benefits (e.g. calls to fuel spills, or to check for an unusual odor inside buildings).
Although most first responders will readily accept the fire hazards associated with a large spill of diesel fuel or gasoline, too many are quick to discount the potential health risks, perhaps because of their familiarity with these products. Yet, vapors these materials produce include known carcinogens and other chemical constituents that can cause nausea and headaches. Likewise, the potential for calls involving unusual odors to cause illness and injury to firefighters is ever-present.
Instead of "sniffing around" to determine the odor's source, first responders would usually do better to question occupants about any recent activity involving the use of chemicals. If an interior scouting mission is deemed necessary, using SCBA while looking for suspect containers or other obvious sources of the odor will greatly minimize health risks. Sometimes, only older firefighters who have seen their coworkers die suddenly from cardiovascular disease or suffer a prolonged and agonizing death from cancer can appreciate the need for SCBA during a hazardous materials incident.
4. Failure to thoroughly decontaminate equipment. After a hazardous materials incident, first responders who return to their station and place their equipment back in service without a thorough cleaning are unknowingly preserving history. Although the preferred historical records are each first responder's memory of the event and the requisite incident reports, contaminated boots, vehicle tires, and equipment such as shovels and brooms can also serve as a constant reminder. Sometimes, several days after a large fuel spill, significant traces of granular oil absorbent are still visible on boots stowed on the station's gear rack as a petroleum odor permeates the surrounding air. These same traces of contaminant may also be visible on the apparatus, along with oily boot prints on the tailboard.
Although some might not consider this a problem since it is perhaps "only diesel fuel," the fact remains that any level of contaminant brought back to the fire station is too much. Furthermore, this neglect of decontamination speaks volumes regarding the department's culture of discipline during a hazardous materials incident. If people don't take the time to clean their boots, do they take the time to wash their hands afterwards? Will this same lax approach to hygiene prevail for incidents that involve even more dangerous chemicals? Let's hope not.
5. Failure to perform patient decontamination. All too often, well-meaning first responders initiate emergency medical care on those injured during a hazardous material incident without first considering the need for patient decontamination. On most occasions, this is simply because first responders have not been not dispatched to a "hazardous materials incident," but rather to a generic incident, such as a report of "difficulty breathing."
What first responders don't know is that the breathing difficulty is a result of hazardous materials exposure. Unless there are obvious signs, such as large chemical stains on a patient's clothing, spilled material on the ground, or statements from the patient or witnesses regarding the involvement of a chemical, first responders will very quickly become part of the problem rather than the solution.
To avoid this, when dispatched on any incident, especially EMS calls, always suspect hazardous materials are involved, and be vigilant for the obvious signs listed above that indicate hazardous materials. Ask the patient and bystanders about the patient's activities prior to the onset of injury or illness as soon as possible on arrival. First responders don't want to learn too late that their patient, who complains of not feeling well, was actually working with a dangerous agricultural pesticide prior to becoming ill. Once the patient is in the ambulance and transported to the hospital, it may be too late for everyone involved.
6. Failure to close major roads affected by the release of a hazardous material. Most first responders will never hesitate to close secondary roads to protect the public from the affects of a potential or actual hazardous material release. However, deciding to close primary roads or Intestate routes under similar circumstances is much more difficult for some. Although sometimes this occurs because of a lack of resources needed to block several lanes of travel and reroute traffic, all too often the decision to not close these roads is based on a fear of repercussions for their actions.
First responders know that closing a major roadway will likely incur the ire of law enforcement personnel, their supervisor, or even their peers, all of whom may believe that the closure was an overreaction and showed poor judgment. However, remember that travel lanes closed during the initial (and the all too often confusing) stage of an incident are much easier to reopen once first responders learn the event's exact magnitude and scope. If first responders wait, and suddenly discover that things are getting progressively worse and lane closure is needed, their ability to do so safely may be compromised. Remember also that although some people will complain about the inconvenience of lane closures, don't hesitate to remind them that an inconvenience is temporary but that dead is forever.
7. Patient refusal with delayed effects. First responders are accustomed to patients who refuse treatment and transport. With just a couple of signatures on the appropriate lines of a prehospital care report, the ambulance and its crew is back in service and en route to the station where dinner is waiting.
Of course, when dealing with patients exposed to a hazardous material, patient refusals can take on a whole new meaning because of the potential for delayed effects all too often associated with chemicals. A review of material safety data sheets will reveal that some products have the potential for delayed health effects, sometimes up to 72 hours. These effects can include pulmonary edema and other life-threatening problems. Therefore, first responders should make certain that both they and the patient fully understand the potential health risks following exposure along with the anticipated time frame for symptoms to appear. To better understand these problems, first responders should consult resources such as material safety data sheets, product manufacturer representatives, or even poison control centers.
Never rely on the patient claims (or those of their employer if the exposure is work-related) that they have worked with the material for years and have never experienced any problems. Always make sure the patient is fully aware of the ramifications of not seeking treatment and consider attaching to the prehospital care report any documentation available regarding delayed health effects should the patient decide to sign the refusal statement.
8. Use of contractors during an incident. During large-scale hazardous materials incidents, heavy equipment is often needed on-scene. These include heavy-duty wrecker vehicles or cranes to upright overturned trucks and cargo tanks, front-end loaders and backhoes to dig retention basins, dump trucks to transport sand to the scene for containment barrier construction, and cleanup companies. This equipment is usually made available by local contractors, some of whom may be familiar to members of the local fire department. As such, it may be easy to contact these individuals, and the contractors may willingly provide their services without first asking for a signed contract. Failure to obtain this contact may result because of the speed with which the contactor may need to be on-scene, or because of the fire department representative's assurance that the RP will pay the bill.
Unfortunately, the reality is that unless the RPs are involved with decisions to obtain this equipment, they may be reluctant to pay, especially if they deem the amount excessive. First responders who attempt to defend their decision not to consult the RP based on the quick response needed may lose this battle and as such be held financially liable for the results. Of course, if the RP is given the opportunity to secure the equipment but refuses to do so, first responders will likely have a more solid legal standing if they then contract for the equipment, pay the bill, and submit the charges to the RP for restitution.
Some simple advice for these types of situations is for first responders to always ask their supervisors (those with procurement authority) and the RP before purchasing any supplies or equipment that they believe is necessary to help manage the incident.
9. Too few copies of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available at the scene. The need to refer to an MSDS during a hazardous materials incident is well established with most first responders. However, some forget to have more than one copy of this document available on-scene. Although would seem to be common sense, consider that if something can go wrong it usually will, and if it involves a lack of available emergency response information, the results could be deadly.
There have been too many instances when a lone copy of an MSDS faxed from CHEMTREC or a manufacturer to a nearby fire or police station is brought to the scene. One or more pages of this document are either quickly lost or the entire MSDS is given to medical personnel who then proceed to use it en route to a hospital with a patient suffering from chemical exposure.
Either way, the document is no longer available on-scene for use by those attempting to control the incident, deal with additional medical emergencies, or cleanup during the aftermath. The solution for this all-too-common problem is to have multiple copies of any MSDS always available. This will usually require those who obtain the MSDS at a fixed facility or via fax to make copies (including stapled copies for MSDS consisting of more than one page) before bringing them to the scene. This almost sounds too simple to mention, but some day personnel who cannot put their hands on an MSDS will likely remember this advicealbeit too late.
10. Failure to prepare exposure reports. Most hazardous material response team members routinely document their exposure to any chemical they have dealt with during the course of their career. Although those on an entry team typically have the greatest potential for direct chemical exposure, members who decontaminate personnel and equipment are still subject to exposure, as is anyone on-scene who may become exposed as a result of changes in wind direction, despite the best efforts to operate upwind. This can affect not only hazardous materials team members, but also firefighters and EMS personnel operating in various support functions. Therefore, all personnel on-scene during a hazardous materials incident should document their presence and what activities they engaged in.
Remember that first responders who worked during a particular incident and who all suffer from similar illnesses years later are better positioned for a workers compensation claim if they have adequate supporting documentation. Although the fire chief and others in your department may support your disability claim and rally around you, remember that some in government are all too often focused on denying that your health problems are work related. When this occurs, incident documentation becomes an important part of your defense.
