Chapter 1 Introduction to Hazardous Materials

Question 1

Acute

Answer 1

Characterized by sharpness or severity; having rapid onset and relatively short duration.

Question 2

Weapons of Mass Destruction

WMD

Answer 2

Are any weapon of 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 the precursors, a disease organism, or radiation or radio activity; may include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) type weapons.

Question 3

Acute Health Effects

Answer 3

Health effects that occur or develop rapidly after exposure to the hazardous substance.

Question 4

Authority Having Jurisdiction

AHJ

Answer 4

An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure.

Question 5

Bacteria

Answer 5

Microscopic, single-celled organisms.

Question 6

Chemical Energy

Answer 6

Potential energy stored in the internal structure of the material that may be released during a chemical reaction or transformation.

Question 7

Chronic

Answer 7

Marked by long duration; recurring over a period of time.

Question 8

Chronic Health Effects

Answer 8

Long-term health effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous substance.

Question 9

Corrosive

Answer 9

Capable of causing damage by gradually eroding, rusting, or destroying a material.

Question 10

Awareness Level

Answer 10

Lowest level of training established by the National Fire Protection Association for personnel at hazardous materials incidents.

Question 11

Electricity

Answer 11

Form of energy resulting from the presence and flow of charged particles.

Question 12

Dangerous Goods

Answer 12

(1) Any product, substance, or organism included by its nature or by regulation in any of the nine United Nations 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.

Question 13

Hazardous Material

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Heat

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Incident Commander

IC

Answer 15

Person in charge of the Incident Command System and responsible for the management of all incident operations during an emergency.

Question 16

Mechanical Energy

Answer 16

Energy possessed by objects due to their position or motion, the sum of potential and kinetic energy.

Question 17

Hazard

Answer 17

Condition, substance, or device that can directly cause injury or loss; the source of a risk.

Question 18

Mitigate

Answer 18

(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.

Question 19

National Fire Protection Association

NFPA

Answer 19

U.S. nonprofit educational and technical association devoted to protecting life and property on fire by developing fire protection standards and educating the public. Located in Quiney, Massachusetts.

Question 20

Operations Level

Answer 20

Level of training established by the National Fire Protection Association allowing first responders to take defensive actions at hazardous materials incidents.

Question 21

Operation Mission-Specific Level

Answer 21

Level of training established by the national fire protection association allowing first responders to take additional defensive tasks and limited offensive actions at hazardous materials incidence.

Question 22

Pressure

Answer 22

Force per unit area exerted by a liquid or gas measured in pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascal (kPa).

Question 23

Route of Entry

Answer 23

Pathways by which hazardous materials get into (or affect) the human body.

Question 24

Radiation

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Situational Awareness

Answer 25

Perception of the surrounding environment and the ability to anticipate future events.

Question 26

Toxic

Answer 26

Poisonous.

Question 27

Toxin

Answer 27

Substance that has the property of being poisonous.

Question 28

Standard Operating Procedures

SOPs

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

Virus

Answer 29

Simplest type of microorganism that can only replicate itself in the living cells of its host. Viruses are unaffected by antibiotics.