Chapter 1: Into to HAZMAT Flashcards
Acute
Characterized by sharpness or severity; having rapid onset and a relatively short duration.
Acute Health Effects
Health effects that occur or develop rapidly after exposure to a hazardous substance.
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)
An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or approving equipment, materials, an insulation, or a procedure.
Awareness Level
Lowest level of training established by the NFPA for personnel at HAZMAT incidents.
Bacteria
Microscopic, single-celled organisms.
Chemical Energy
Potential energy stored in the internal structure of a material that my be released during a chemical reaction or transformation.
Chronic
Marked by long duration; recurring over a period of time.
Chronic Health Effects
Long-term health effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous substance.
Corrosive
Capable of causing damage by gradually eroding, rusting, or destroying a material.
Dangerous Goods
(1) Any product, substance, or organism included by its nature or by regulation in any of the nine UN classifications of hazardous materials. (2) Alternate term used in Canada and other countries for hazardous materials. (3) Term used in the U.S. and Canada for hazardous materials aboard aircraft.
Electricity
Form of energy resulting from the presence and flow of charge particles.
Hazard
Condition, substance, or device that can directly cause injury or loss; the source of a risk.
Hazardous Materials
Any substance or material that poses an unreasonable risk to health, safety, property, and/or the environment if it is not properly controlled during handling, storage, manufacture, processing, packaging, use, disposal, or transportation.
Heat
Form of energy associated with the motion of atoms or molecules in solids or liquids that is transferred from one body to another as a result of a temperature difference between the bodies, such as from the sun to the earth. To signify its intensity, it is measured in degrees of temperature.
Incident Commander (IC)
Person in charge of the ICS and responsible for the management of all incident operations during an emergency.
Mechanical Energy
Energy possessed by objects due to their position or motion, the sum of potential and kinetic energy.
Mitigate
(1) to cause to become less harsh or hostile; to make less severe, intense or painful; to alleviate. (2) Third of three steps (locate, isolate, mitigate) in one method of sizing up an emergency situation.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
US nonprofit educational and technical association devoted to protecting life and property from fire by developing fire protection standards and educating the public. Located in Quincy, Mass.
Operations Level
Level of training established by the NFPA allowing first responders to take defensive actions at HAZMAT incidents.
Operations Mission-Specific Level
Level of training established by the NFPA allowing first responders to take additional defensive tasks and limited offensive actions at HAZMAT incidents.
Pressure
Force per unit area exerted by a liquid or gas measured in pounds per square inch (PSI) or kilopascals (kPa).
Radiation
Energy from a radioactive source emitted in the form of waves or particles, as a result of the decay of an atomic nucleus; process known as radioactivity.
Routes of Entry
Pathways by which hazardous materials get into (or affect) the human body.
Situational Awareness
Perception of the surrounding environment and the ability to anticipate future events.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Standard methods or rules in which an organization or fire department operates to carry out a routine function. Usually these procedures are written in a policies and procedures handbook and all firefighters should be well versed in their content.
Toxic
Poisonous
Toxin
Substance that has the property of being poisonous.
Virus
Simplest type of microorganism that can only replicate itself in the living cells of its hosts. Viruses are unaffected by antibiotics.
Weapons of Mass Destructions (WMDs)
Any weapon or device that is intended or has the capability to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors, a disease organism, or radiation or radioactivity; may include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) type weapons.
