A little Haz-Mat Brain Game

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Permalink Reply by Don Smith on November 28, 2007 at 7:29am

Here's what I found in ERG 2004.

1017 124 Chlorine

CALL Emergency Response Telephone Number on Shipping Paper first. If
Shipping Paper not available or no answer, refer to appropriate telephone
number listed on the inside back cover.
• As an immediate precautionary measure, isolate spill or leak area for at least 100 meters
(330 feet) in all directions.
• Keep unauthorized personnel away.
• Stay upwind.
• Many gases are heavier than air and will spread along ground and collect in low or
confined areas (sewers, basements, tanks).
• Keep out of low areas.
• Ventilate closed spaces before entering.

Initial isolation -- 30 m (100 ft)

There's no spill so I'm thinking initial isolation is adequate.

I'm not a tech so basically I do what I'm told.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Dinelli on November 28, 2007 at 11:58pm

What condition is the tank? If the tank is fine and no product is leaking then we have an ordinary MVC.
If we have a leak, how big? Since I have access to the ERG we'll follow that for now. Any signs of container failure and it is time to call out the team. What about rescues? I know that our FF turnouts will limit our exposure, so in case of a viable rescue, full ppe with SCBA and we could go for a rapid removal of the victims. Decon would be a must since turnouts will not prevent exposure and probable burns.

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Permalink Reply by Brian "Moose" Jones on November 29, 2007 at 8:31am

OK, Great! We have sparked discussion!! Here is some more info.

After reading you ERG's which you guys have stated you did, and you have taken the initial precautions and evacuations, you get a closer look and notice liquid leaking from the valve on the side of the truck. Theres a small pool underneath the valve. The truck is on its side resting on top of the car. The drivers side of the car is crushed, the driver of the truck is in the cab, seatbelted, unconcious. Youre on a two lane divided highway in the westbound lane. Time and weather are the same as above. To the north is a village, about 200 yards away, with a central school being the closest. What Now?

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Permalink Reply by Dave Dinelli on December 9, 2007 at 7:08pm

Start evacuation or protect in place depending on concentration, ability to contain cloud, general weather etc. With protection of a fog line get the victim out of the cab, Try to see what is going on in the car.
We should be able to knock down the cloud with water, however we will create a huge mess. For a life it is worth it but for property it may be better to let it dissapate.
Once the team arrives lets see what we can do to stop the leak.

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Permalink Reply by FF/MEDIC 265 on December 9, 2007 at 8:55pm

close and or cap the valve. we have hazmat and rescue trucks that responed on mvc so we can isolate spill and extricate at same time.

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Permalink Reply by Fire medic 206 on December 3, 2007 at 6:19pm

Check on number of patients and severity of accident. Check wind direction and advise all incoming units to come in uphill upwind. 1017 is Chlorine. Assess if Tank is leaking, where the car is and if it has caused damage to the tank. Upgrade the alarm. Initially isolate the area 100 ft in all directions. Use standard PPE initially for life safety rescue supported with Fog line if needed for vapor suppression.

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Permalink Reply by Squadguy2 on December 10, 2007 at 2:46pm

Well I would stage upwind look through the binocs see if it is leaking. If it is upgrade to a level 2 haz mat response and follow my erg book til i get more help. But if it is not leaking i still approach from the upwind side and see if ther eare any injuries and see if i need to call for help.

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Permalink Reply by Glen "Darren" Borror on December 18, 2007 at 9:18am

A lot of good ideas on the 1017 124 Chlorine run. The only thing that was kinda missed was, and with every other run; always use good common sense. When I was a rookie, if I didn't have at least an awareness level haz mat unit on scene, I would handle any run as the DOT Emergency Response to Hazardous Materials book would call for. Excellent resource, but common sense needs to be displayed. When I read "Not Otherwise Specified", it shows concern with known health problems or can launch and I don't know the chemical, bet your butt I would do minimum upwind and x2 distances downwind (within reason).

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Permalink Reply by Bobby Shelton on April 9, 2008 at 2:47am

Is the vessel that was transporting the Chlorine damaged? If damaged, to what extent? Use basic rules for isolation. 75 Ft. for solids,150 ft. for liquids, 300 ft. for gases. So lets start our initial isolation @ 300 ft. in all directions and then go from there

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Permalink Reply by Brent Sanger on April 13, 2008 at 6:27pm

First order is to identify the chemical on the truck. 1017 is Chlorine, as has been identified and the initial steps laid out in a previous post. We have cloudy wet conditions, which can be beneficial. However, one crucial piece of information is missing. Do we actually have a leak? That will dictate our next several courses of action.

Attachments:

• Chlorine QRS.doc, 49 KB

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Permalink Reply by Rick on August 19, 2008 at 6:20pm

What resouces and support staff do we have?

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Permalink Reply by kel229 on September 7, 2008 at 10:37am

First I back up and get my ERG. Its chlorine, so I make a hot zone and then determine if its leaking and go from there.

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