hazmat spill?

[jns2024]

In the past month or longer my department has had numerous chemical spills and one non-related fatality. I was just wondering how other departments handle hazmat calls?

[guardo83]

We do all of it, level A suits, containment, cleanup, decon, rescue if needed.

[Fireman502]

Your department is required by federal law to have plans for responding to hazardous materials incidents. This is one of the few areas that all the big boys agree. NFPA, OSHA, and EPA all agree to required training levels, responce, reporting and even private agency fire department responsiblities. I would be really amazed that in this day and time that your department does not have this knowledge. If you dont have this knowlege you need to make your supervisors aware of you lack of training and see about getting started in a haz-mat awareness program for your own safety as well as those who work with you.

[Brian003996]

Your department is required by federal law to have plans for responding to hazardous materials incidents. This is one of the few areas that all the big boys agree. NFPA, OSHA, and EPA all agree to required training levels, responce, reporting and even private agency fire department responsiblities. I would be really amazed that in this day and time that your department does not have this knowledge. If you dont have this knowlege you need to make your supervisors aware of you lack of training and see about getting started in a haz-mat awareness program for your own safety as well as those who work with you.

I don't think this person was asking due to lack of knowledge. I think he was asking so that if our response my differ a little from theirs, he might learn something from us. And we may learn something from him too. Although everything is very standardized, some allow brigades to get involved or do their own clean up and some don't do either. We respond for mittigation perposes only. We have a separate "Haz-Waste" Department that does all the clean up and storage of all used or contaminated Hazardous Materials. We assist them but once the situation is under control, we remain in charge but they become the operational staff.

[jbrescue]

Even as a member of the Hazmat team, we do not do clean up. We do mitigation only. Clean up is not our job. Our job is to stop the event and make the scene safe. The only "clean up" that we do would be overpacking. We seal, plug and contain only. Unless you are trained at a Technician level, you job is to make notifications and rescues if necessary. Not play with the bad stuff. Hazmat can be very complicated if approached half cocked. Be careful and work methodically if there is no immediate life hazard. If you have a regional/local team, get in touch with them. We routinely go out to departments to do presentations so that they know what we are capable of.

[Firegod32]

Yep. Haz Mat, rescue, fire and medical response.

We also have a regional chlorine response team.

[firefighter3419]

When we get on scene we evaluate the situation, do rescue if need be, contact county communications, have the HAZMAT team dispatched which covers 2 counties for HAZMAT. They do minor clean up and contact a contactor to do the rest of the clean up.