Hazardous Materials Articles and Breaking News

By Glenn Clapp | 01/10/2013

Many emergency responders at the scene of a hazmat call have noticed a vehicle arrive on scene marked “Emergency Management” or a person at the Command Post wearing a command vest that states likewise and wondered “What exactly does emergency management Do?” Emergency management agencies and personnel do indeed have a “place at the table” at hazmat incidents — especially those of a large-scale nature — and emergency responders that are cognizant of that fact will be able to make the most of their available resources by involving emergency management when appropriate at hazmat incidents. Read More...

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By Glenn Clapp | 10/05/2012

Many emergency responders believe that a large-scale hazardous materials incident (or even a hazmat incident of any sizeable nature) will never occur in their jurisdiction. For those personnel that do not have an interest in becoming a “glow bug” (otherwise known as a member of a hazmat team), this thought is often a strong hope that such an incident will never occur on their watch and in their territory. As emergency responders, however, we should be introspective by asking ourselves if our department is truly ready for the significant hazmat incident that often looms just over the horizon. Read More...

Relevant Tags: SIXTY ONE DELTA ONE, hazmat, incident, training, personnel, response, hazardous materials, operations level, hazmat incident, emergency responders, pre planning, north carolina, air monitoring, hazmat technician, hazmat team, refresher training

By David Greene | 10/05/2012

This issue we will be examining scrap and shredded tire fires by using the United States Fire Administration’s (USFA) Technical Report Series # 093, published in December 1998. The United States disposes of approximately 240 million tires annually. Seventy-five percent of these are added to existing stockpiled tire dumps or discarded in landfills. Burying tires in landfills has become the least desirable option as the casings trap air and buried tires often move. Read More...

Relevant Tags: HAZMAT, fire, tires, incident, equipment, heavy equipment, tire fires, united states, rubber hazmat

By Glenn Clapp | 10/05/2012

On Saturday, August 11, 2012, eight hazardous materials teams from across the state met in Raleigh for fun, fellowship, and competition in the Hazmat Challenge. The Hazmat Challenge is an annual event sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Hazardous Materials Responders (NCAHMR), held at the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association Conference/South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo. The 2012 challenge was unlike any previous iteration of the event, as the challenge was comprised not only of a practical “hands on” section, but also an academic section. This year’s challenge also featured unprecedented sponsor involvement and prizes for the ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: challenge, hazmat, teams, carolina, hazardous, hazardous materials, north carolina, hazmat challenge, materials responders, annual hazmat

Bobby Sheikhan | 08/01/2012

From the time it capsized at a refinery dock in Texas City, the listing barge — loaded with 235,000 gallons of sulfuric acid — began seeping its toxic, corrosive load into the 30-foot-deep waterway. The water mixing with sulfuric acid inside the hull had begun to corrode the steel. This process reduced the barge’s structural integrity and created reactions inside the sealed compartment that generated a cloud of highly flammable, highly pressurized hydrogen gas — just one spark away from a calamitous blast. It was time for a new plan. That plan included federal and regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel expanding the “hot zo... Read More...

Relevant Tags: COMMUNICATIONS, wireless, monitoring, systems, hazmat, response, real time, wirelessly connected, new plan, hazmat teams, sulfuric acid, connected monitoring, monitoring systems, using wirelessly, monitoring equipment

Glenn Clapp | 08/01/2012

The thought of technician-level hazardous materials response usually brings to mind the images of entering the hot zone to plug, patch, and perform other “fun” offensive actions; or even an Entry Group of Technicians exiting the hot zone towards the Decontamination Area after “saving the day.” The idea of the regulatory building blocks of hazardous materials management and response does not usually bring to mind the same “warm and fuzzy” hazmat thoughts, as the topic does not present an image of the hands-on adventurous side of hazardous materials response. While most prospective Hazmat Technicians roll their eyes when encountering the usual... Read More...

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David Greene | 08/01/2012

An increasing number of people are choosing to commit suicide by using chemical asphyxiation. I must admit that although I have read about a lot of these incidents occurring elsewhere throughout the country, we have not experienced one of these incidents yet. Unfortunately, this creates a sense of it being “someone else’s problem.” However, one of these types of incidents just occurred in a neighboring county. Its popularity is soaring as several websites describe exactly how to commit “chemical suicide.” One website even offers a PDF formatted warning poster that can be printed off and posted on the vehicle. As a result of the potential inc... Read More...

Relevant Tags: HAZMAT, vehicle, incident, suicide, chemical, fire, chemical suicide, law enforcement, hydrogen sulfide, incident type, chemical asphyxiation, hazmat chemical

Jason Krusen | 04/23/2012

While fuel (petroleum) spills are not the most glamorous of hazmat calls one responds to, they are probably the most frequent. They can range from a two car MVA with a leaking fuel tank, to a MC306 overturned on an off ramp, or possibly a large above ground storage tank depending on your response area. Many departments do not consider them a hazmat call to begin with so if it ends up being larger than anticipated responders are behind the curve. I would venture to bet many departments only dispatch a single unit to these calls no matter what the quantity reported, again hindering the responder. As responders we must not become complacent wit... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Hazmat, spills, product, hazmat, response, fuel spills, surface water, gasoline/ethanol blend

| 03/22/2012

Indianapolis, IN – March 15, 2012 – RAE Systems Inc., a leading provider of toxic gas monitoring systems , is combining with the Fire Smoke Coalition to deliver the “Know Your Smoke” Symposium for emergency responders – including firefighters, EMT’s and paramedics – in North Carolina on July 20 and 21. Read More...

Relevant Tags: hazmat, firefighter training, emt, paramedic, RAE systems, north carolina, first responders, fire smoke coalition

By Todd Shoebridge | 01/11/2012

Hypoxia, asphyxia, cardiac arrest, and then death. Hopefully, I have your attention. Modern technology has changed the way we fight fires, and the ways fire burn. Due to the chemical make-up of manufactured materials, fires today burn hotter, flashovers occur more rapidly, and the smoke is much more toxic. As a result of these factors, firefighters have been dying at a greater rate than ever before from toxic chemical compounds like Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN). In the mid 70s George Kimmerle listed eight major factors that can cause death in fires and to those that are involved in them. 1 They are as follows: Direct consu... Read More...

Relevant Tags: hcn, firefighters, fire service, carbon monoxide, manufactured materials, cyanide hcn, todd shoebridge

By Jason Krusen | 01/11/2012

In January 2010, Columbia Fire Department’s Engine 6 was dispatched to an apartment to check for carbon monoxide (CO). Upon arrival the family was standing outside the apartment. They informed Engine 6 that their family member was admitted to the hospital a few hours prior with flu-like symptoms, but that the hospital had just informed them that the patient had CO poisoning. They were concerned that they too may be affected as they were spending a few days in the apartment while visiting the family member. Engine 6 was equipped with a standard four gas meter (O2, LEL, CO, and H2S) and immediately checked the apartment, but was unable to get a... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Hazmat, gas, fire, detector, carbon monoxide, columbia fire

By Glenn Clapp | 01/11/2012

On Saturday, August 13th, seven hazardous materials teams from across the State met in Raleigh for fun, fellowship and competition in the Hazmat Challenge. The Hazmat Challenge is an annual event sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Hazardous Materials Responders (NCAHMR) and is held at the North Carolina Firemen’s Association Conference/South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo. Read More...

Relevant Tags: challenge, hazmat, materials, hazardous, teams, carolina, safety, hazardous materials, hazmat challenge, north carolina, fire department

Jason Krusen | 10/14/2011

The report of a suspicious package these days has become the fire services new general fire alarm. Like a fire alarm the suspicious package is a false call 99 percent of the time, yet we tend to respond to both of them as if they are false 100 percent of the time. Ten or 15 years ago the suspicious package, if even responded by anyone other that law enforcement was a low frequency call. Unfortunately these days with the concerns of terrorism, this call has become a high frequency call, and for a good reason. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Hazmat, package, fire, suspicious, agencies, involved, suspicious package, law enforcement, fire alarm, fire service, lessons learned, haz mat

David Greene | 10/14/2011

A series of explosions occurred in Henderson, Nevada (a Las Vegas suburb) on May 4, 1988. The explosions virtually destroyed two industrial facilities, cracked windows and buffeted a Boeing 737 on final approach at McCarran International Airport seven miles away, and damage extended for a radius of up to 10 miles away. The explosions were registered on the Richter scale at an observatory in California, left a crater 15 feet deep and 200 feet long, and the resulting fire produced smoke that rose to an altitude of several thousand feet. — visible almost 100 miles away. After reading our case study for this issue ( United States Fire Administrat... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Hazmat, fire, material, ammonium perchlorate, henderson nevada, un/na hazard, hazard class, virtually destroyed

Jason Krusen | 07/05/2011

I was fortunate enough to attend the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) 2011 International Hazardous Materials Response Team Conference in Baltimore, MD the third week of May. Attending the conference provided many educational opportunities, abilities to network with peers, and a chance to see the latest technology available to the hazardous materials responder. This was my fifth year attending the conference and I still continue to be amazed. Read More...

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