Explosives and Hazardous Materials Emergencies
What has to happen in order for an "exposure" to occur?
there has to be a dose or concentration of the agent present in sufficient quantity to cause harm.
DOT estimates that what percent of all commercial cargo is haz mat materials.
10%
Injuries to professional firefighters?
10%
Injuries to volunteer firefighters?
10%
If a bomb detonation time is reported, what is the minimum amount of time to evacuate before the reported time?
15 minutes
Estimated that how many tons of haz mat materials enter the NC annually?
2 millions tons
Exposure though the skin is?
Absorption
Class C fire extinguisher
Blue circle symbol. Energized electrical equipment. Remember by C=circuit
Definition/examples of destructive devices?
Bomb, grenade, weapon that can expel a projectile more than one half inch in diameter.
What are the 5 steps to awareness?
Detection, Recognition, Identification, Notification and Call for resources
What are the most common high explosives?
Dynamite and TNT
What are the 2 types of initiating devices?
Electric and non-electric
What does ICS do?
Consolidates command and control of various agencies.
DOT class 8?
Corrosives
Define: Vapor Density
The weight of a volume of pure vapor or gas compared to the weight of an equal volume of dry air.
Vehicles carrying explosives or haz mats which are not subject to NRHM routing designation should operate over routes that do not go through what?
heavily populated areas, places where crowds are assembled, tunnels, narrow street or alleys
DOT class 9?
miscellaneous dangerous goods.
What does NRHM stand for?
non-radioactive hazardous materials
The "health", "flammability" and "reactivity" Hazards are ranked from what to what?
0-4
Of the 0-4 rankings which is the lower and which is the highest?
0=lowest, 4=highest
What are the 6 clues that should be developed for looking for clues that signal the presence of hazardous materials?
1) Occupancy/location, 2) senses, 3) container 4) shape, labels, placards and markings, 5) shipping papers, 6) driver information
Injuries to unknown responders?
30%
The UN ID number is how many digits?
4
Most extinguishers have a stream range of:
5-20 feet
Injuries to police officers?
50%
What percentage of bombs in the US are black powder pipe bombs?
70%
There are currently over how many different haz mat materials in the US?
75,000
NC ranks what number in the US for total tonnage?
7th
How many DOT classifications of hazardous materials are there?
9
Define: Specific Gravity
A comparison of the density of a solid or liquid material to the density of water at a specific temperature.
What does ORM mean?
A material which as a consumer commodity, which, although otherwise subjected to the has mat regulations, presents a limited hazard during transportation die to is form, quantity and packaging.
Define: Hazard Materials
Any material of substance that poses an unreasonable risk to safety, health and property.
What is the acronym to be used to remember the five categories of WMD's?
B-NICE
What does B-NICE stand for?
B=biological, N=nuclear, I=incendiary, C=chemical, E=explosive
An explosion is merely a rapid form of what?
Combustion
What is the main difference between chemical and biological?
Chemical = manufactures while biological = living material
What is the most common type of explosion encountered by LE?
Chemical explosion (Dynamite, TNT, C4, etc)
DOT class 1?
Explosives
Dose x Time = ?
Exposure
What are the 2 primary agencies that respond per PDD-39?
FBI and FEMA
DOT class 3?
Flammable liquids/combustible liquids
DOT class 4?
Flammable solids
DOT class 2?
Gases
What does PDD-39 do (Presidential Decision Directive - 39)
Gives the federal government authority to respond to suspected or confirmed WMD incident.
Class A fire extenguisher
Green Triangle symbol. Ordinary combustibles, such as wood, cloth and paper. Remember by A=ash
What are the colors of the 4 areas of the NFPA 704 diamond?
Health Hazard (blue), flammability (red), reactivity (yellow) or specific hazard (white)
What are the different "incident Types" that can occur in the transportation of hazardous materials?
Highway, railway, waterways, airways and pipeline.
What does ICS stand for?
Incident Command System
Taking by mouth is?
Ingestion
What are the routes of Exposure?
Ingestion, inhalation, injection, absorption
4 "routes of exposure"?
Inhalation, absorption, injection, ingestion
A dermal puncture involving the introduction of a life-threatening agent is?
Injection
What is the lowest level of protection and what is the highest?
Level D is the lowest (your uniform) and Level A is thehighest (totally encapsulated chemical resistant suit with SCBA).
There are 4 levels of protection against exposure. What are they?
Levels A, B, C and D
Who is responsible for enforcing DOT regulations?
NCSHP
Who should handle any request for the escorting of haz mats?
NCSHP
What system uses a diamond divided into four specific areas?
NFPA 704 (national fire protection association)
If a suspicious item is found (during a bomb threat), should you ever touch it?
No. Notify the bomb squad.
If conducting a search for a bomb threat, should the officer declare the area safe?
No. Only report that nothing was found.
What regulates response levels/training?
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120
What does ORM stand for?
Other Regulated Material
DOT class 5?
Oxidizers
For operating a fire extinguisher remember the acronym PASS.
P=pull pin, A=aim at the base of the fire, S=squeeze the handle, S=sweep the extinguisher from side to side.
Definition/examples of WMD?
Poison gas, weapon involving a disease organism, weapon designed to release radiation or radioactivity to be dangerous to human life.
DOT class 6?
Poisonous and toxic substances
Definition of terrorism?
Premeditated, politically motivated violence against non-combative targets.
What are the 5 phases of a WMD incident?
Prevention/deterrence, notification response, recovery, and restoration.
DOT class 7?
Radioactive materials
Class B fire extinguisher
Red Square symbol. Flammable or combustible liquids, flammable gases and greases. Remember by B=barrel
Define: Acute Exposure
Refers toa short lived and usually high dosage exposure.
What is SDS as it relates to shipping papers?
Safety Data Sheet
What does TRACEM refer to related to types of harm?
T = thermal hazards, R = radiological hazards, A = asphyxiation hazard, C = chemical hazard, E = etiological hazard, M = mechanical hazard.
Define: Viscosity
The measure of a liquid's internal resistance to flow. The lower the viscosity the easier the flow.
Define: Flash Point
The minimum temperature at which a material will give off ignitable vapors.
When responding to a bomb threat, who should you alway contact?
The person in charge of the location. Remember, you are in an advisory capacity and all decision regarding the safety of the property and employees must be made by the person in charge.
Define: explosion
The sudden and rapid escape of gases from a confined space, accompanied by high temperatures, violent shock and loud noise.
Define: Boiling Point
The temperature at which a liquid has a vapor pressure that is equal to atmospheric pressure. Varies widely.
What regulates all commercial shipments of has mat materials?
US DOT 49 CFR
What regulates handling, storage, etc of substances that can be hazardous to the environment?
US EPA 40 CFR
How should first responders approach haz mat scenes?
Upwind, uphill or upstream
Define: Chronic Exposure
Usually refers to an exposure that lasts over a long period of time in small constant doses.
The UN ID number is displayed in what kind of box?
White, rectangular box in the center of appropriate placard.
Domestic terrorism involves parties from where?
Within the US and Puerto Rico without foreign direction
Class D extinguisher
Yellow star symbol. Fire in certain combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium and potassium.
Breathing in of airborne agents is?
inhalation