2. Regulations / Definitions
Hazardous Materials Incident
Involves a substance that poses an unreasonable risk to;
People
The environment
Property

3. Regulations / Definitions
Hazardous Materials Incident
May involve a substance
Product or chemical
Has been released from a container
Is on fire
May be the result of
Accidental spill
Deliberate attack
Terrorist attack

4. Regulations / Definitions
First Responder Roles
Responders must meet specific training standards
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
29 CFR
HAZWOPER
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Title 40 CFR311, Worker Protection

5. Regulations / Definitions
First Responder Roles
Responders must meet specific training standards
NFPA 471, Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents
NFPA 472, Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents
NFPA 473, Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents

6. Regulations / Definitions
Awareness Level
May be the first to arrive at a hazardous materials incident
Must know basic hazards and response information
Must be able to analyze the incident to determine
Presence of hazardous materials
Notification process

7. Regulations / Definitions
Awareness Level
OSHA and NFPA requirements
Individuals trained to awareness level are expected to assume the following responsibilities
Recognize the presence or potential presence of a hazardous material
Recognize the type of container at a site and identify the material in it if possible
Transmit information to an appropriate authority and call for appropriate assistance
Identify actions to protect themselves and others
from hazards
Establish scene control by isolating/deny entry

8. Regulations / Definitions
Operations Level
Individuals who respond to releases (or potential releases) of hazardous materials as part of their normal duties
Expected to protect individuals, the environment and property from the effects of the release
Using a defensive manner
Confine the release from a safe distance

9. Regulations / Definitions
Operations Level
OSHA and NFPA requirements
Individuals trained to operations level are expected to assume the following responsibilities
Awareness level responsibilities
Identify the hazardous material(s) involved in an incident if possible
Analyze an incident to determine the nature and extent of problem
Protect themselves, nearby persons, the environment, and property from the effects of a release

10. Regulations / Definitions
Operations Level
OSHA and NFPA requirements
Individuals trained to operations level are expected to assume the following responsibilities
Develop a defensive plan of action to address the problems presented by the incident (plan a response)
Implement the planned response to control a release from a safe distance
Initiate defensive actions to lessen the harmful incident and keep it from spreading
Mitigation
Evaluate the progress of the actions taken to
ensure that response objectives are safely met

11. Regulations / Definitions
Operations Level
Exceptions to the rule
Offensive tasks allowed for operations level responders
Must have appropriate training
Must show / demonstrate competency
Appropriate PPE
Adequate / appropriate resources
Sometimes referred to as
Operations Plus level of training

12. Regulations / Definitions
Operations Level
Exceptions to the rule
Offensive operations involving flammable liquid and gas fire control of the following materials:
Gasoline
Diesel fuel
Natural gas
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

13. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
In the U.S., the four main agencies involved in the regulation of hazardous materials and / or wastes at the federal level are
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

14. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Title 49 (Transportation) CFR
Sometimes referred to as Hazardous Materials Regulations or HMR
Address the transportation of hazardous materials in all modes:
Air
Highway
Pipeline
Rail
Water

15. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Hazardous materials regulations purpose
Provide adequate protection against the risks to life, property and the environment inherent in transporting hazardous materials

16. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs
It delegates the responsibility for issuing permits, monitoring and enforcing compliance to states and tribes

17. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Superfund Act
Enacted by congress on December 11, 1980
Created a tax on chemical and petroleum industries
Provided broad federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases that endanger public health or environment

18. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Superfund Act
$1.6 billion dollars was collected over 5 years
Tax went to a trust fund and used for
Cleaning up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites

19. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites
Provided for liability of persons responsible for releases of hazardous waste at these sites
Established a trust fund to provide for cleanup
when no responsible party could be identified

20. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
Amended CERCLA on October 17, 1986
Reflected the EPA’s experience in administering the Superfund program

21. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
Stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites
Provided new enforcement authorities and settlement tools
Increased the state involvement in every phase
of the Superfund program

22. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)
Increased the focus on human health problems posed by hazardous waste sites
Encouraged greater citizen participation in making decisions on how sites should be cleaned up
Increased the size of the trust fund to $8.5 billon

23. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Protection and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
Title III of SARA
Enacted by Congress
Law designed to protect public health, safety, and the environment form chemical hazards
Required each state to appoint a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
Emergency planning districts
Local emergency planning committee
LEPC

24. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Gave EPA authority to control hazardous waste from the Cradle-to-the-Grave
Includes
Generation
Transportation
Treatment
Storage
Disposal of hazardous waste

25. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Department of Labor (DOL)
Responsible for overseeing U.S. labor laws
1970 Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH)
1971 Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created (OSHA)
Oversee compliance with the Act under the jurisdiction of the DOL

26. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Department of Labor (DOL)
Hazardous Communications Standard (HCS)
Information about chemical hazards and associated protective measures is disseminated to workers
MSDS

27. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Regulates
U.S. commercial nuclear power plants
Civilian use of nuclear materials
Possession, use, storage and transfer of radioactive materials

28. Regulations / Definitions
Regulations and Definitions
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Includes
Radiation dose limits for workers and members of the public
Requirements for monitoring and labeling of radioactive materials
Requirements for posting of radiation areas
Requirements for reporting the theft or loss of radioactive materials
Tables of individual radionuclide exposure limits

29. Regulations / Definitions
Emergency Response Centers
Centers staffed with experts who can provide 24-hour assistance to emergency responders
U.S. has several non-governmental centers
Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC)
Established by the chemical industry
Refer to your Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)
Contains a full list of emergency response centers and their current telephone numbers

30. Regulations / Definitions
Hazardous Materials Incident Statistics
Hazardous materials incidents
Not infrequent
All emergency first responders will have to deal with a hazardous material sometime in their career
So common that there are seven different U.S. government databases dedicated to tracking them

31. Regulations / Definitions
Hazardous Materials Incident Statistics
Hazardous materials incidents
Many incidents occur while hazardous materials are being transported
Majority occur while being transported via highway
Fixed facilities
Pipeline accidents lead the list
Crude oil

32. Regulations / Definitions
Works Cited
N.F.P.A. 472 “Standard for Competence of responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents” 2008 Edition
N.F.P.A 1001 “Standard for Professional Firefighter Qualifications” 2008 Edition
N.F.P.A “Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System” 2008 Edition
O.S.H.A 29 CFR “Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response”
U.S. DOT “Emergency Response Guidebook” 2008 Edition