Chapter 38 Flashcards
bills of lading
The shipping papers used for transport of chemicals over roads and highways. Also referred to as freight bills.
carboys
Glass, plastic, or steel containers, ranging in volume from 5 to 15 gallons
casualty collection area
An area set up by physicians, nurses, and other hospital staff near a major disaster scene where patients can receive further triage and medical care
Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC)
An agency that assists emergency personnel in identifying and handling hazardous materials transport incidents
cold zone
A safe area at a hazardous materials incident for the agencies involved in the operations. The incident commander, the command post, EMS providers, and other support functions necessary to control the incident should be located in the cold zone. Also referred to as the clean zone or the support zone.
command
In incident command, the position that oversees the incident, establishes the objectives and priorities, and from there develops a response plan
command post
The designated field command center where the incident commander and support personnel are located
container
Any vessel or receptacle that holds material, including storage vessels, pipelines, and packaging
control zones
Areas at a hazardous materials incident that are designated as hot, warm, or cold, based on safety issues and the degree of hazard found there
cylinders
Portable, compressed gas containers used to hold liquids and gases. Uninsulated compressed gas cylinders are used to store substances such as nitrogen, argon, helium, and oxygen. They have a range of sizes and internal pressures.
danger zone
An area where individuals can be exposed to toxic substances, lethal rays, or ignition or explosion of hazardous materials
decontamination
The process of removing or neutralizing and properly disposing of hazardous materials from equipment, patients, and rescue personnel
decontamination area
The designated area in a hazardous materials incident where all patients and rescuers must be decontaminated before going to another area
demobilization
The process of directing responders to return to their facilities when work at a disaster or mass-casualty incident has finished, at least for those particular responders
disaster
A widespread event that disrupts community resources and functions, in turn threatening public safety, citizens’ lives, and property
drums
Barrel-like containers used to store a wide variety of substances, including food-grade materials, corrosives, flammable liquids, and grease. Drums may be constructed of low-carbon steel, polyethylene, cardboard, stainless steel, nickel, or other materials.
Emergency Response Guidebook
A preliminary action guide for first responders operating at a hazardous materials incident in coordination with the US Department of Transportation’s labels and placards marking system. The ERG was jointly developed by the DOT, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico, and Transport Canada.
extrication supervisor
In incident command, the person appointed to determine the type of equipment and resources needed for a situation involving extrication or special rescue; also called the rescue officer
finance
In incident command, the position in an incident responsible for accounting of all expenditures
freelancing
When individual units or different organizations make independent and often inefficient decisions about the next appropriate action
freight bills
The shipping papers used for transport of chemicals along roads and highways. Also referred to as bills of lading.
hazardous material
Any substance that is toxic, poisonous, radioactive, flammable, or explosive and causes injury or death with exposure
hazardous materials (HazMat) incident
An incident in which a hazardous material is no longer properly contained and isolated
hot zone
The area immediately surrounding a hazardous materials spill/incident site that is directly dangerous to life and health. All personnel working in the hot zone must wear complete, appropriate protective clothing and equipment. Entry requires approval by the incident commander or other designated officer.
incident action plan
An oral or written plan stating general objectives reflecting the overall strategy for managing an incident
incident commander (IC)
The overall leader of the incident command system to whom commanders or leaders of incident command system divisions report
incident command system (ICS)
A system implemented to mange disasters and mass-casualty incidents in which section chiefs, including finance, logistics, operations, and planning, report to the incident commander
intermodal tanks
Shipping and storage vessels that can be either pressurized or nonpressurized
joint information center
An area designated by the incident commander, or a designee, in which public information officers from multiple agencies disseminate information about the incident
JumpSTART triage
A sorting system for pediatric patients younger than 8 years or weighing less than 100 lb. There is a minor adaptation for infants since they cannot ambulate on their own
liaison officer
In incident command, the person who relays information, concerns, and requests among responding agencies
logistics
In incident command, the position that helps procure and stockpile equipment and supplies during an incident
mass-casualty incident (MCI)
An emergency situation involving three or more patients or that can place great demand on the equipment or personnel of the EMS system or has the potential to produce multiple casualties
material safety data sheet (MSDS)
A form, provided by manufacturers and compounders (blenders) of chemicals, containing information about chemical composition, physical and chemical properties, health and safety hazards, emergency response, and waste disposal of a specific material
medical incident command
A branch of operations in a unified command system, whose three designated sector positions are triage, treatment, and transport
morgue supervisor
In incident command, the person who works with area medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement agencies to coordinate the disposition of dead victims
mutual aid response
An agreement between neighboring EMS systems to respond to mass-casualty incidents or disasters in each other’s region when local resources are insufficient to handle the response
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
A Department of Homeland Security system designed to enable federal, state, and local governments and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to effectively and efficiently prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity, including acts of catastrophic terrorism
nonbulk storage vessels
Any container other than bulk storage containers such as drums, bags, compressed gas cylinders, and cryogenic containers. Nonbulk storage vessels hold commonly used commercial and industrial chemicals such as solvents, industrial cleaners, and compounds.
operations
In incident command, the position that carries out the orders of the commander to help resolve the incident
personal protective equipment (PPE) levels
Measures of the amount and type of protective equipment that an individual needs to avoid injury during contact with a hazardous material
placards
Signage required to be placed on all four sides of highway transport vehicles, railroad tank cars, and other forms of hazardous materials transportation; the sign identifies the hazardous contents of the vehicle, using a standardization system with 10 3/4 inch diamond-shaped indicators
planning
In incident command, the position that ultimately produces a plan to resolve any incident
primary triage
A type of patient sorting used to rapidly categorize patients; the focus is on speed in locating all patients and determining an initial priority as their conditions warrant
public information officer (PIO)
In incident command, the person who keeps the public informed and relates any information to the press
rehabilitation area
The area that provides protection and treatment to fire fighters and other personnel working at an emergency. Here, workers are medically monitored and receive any needed care as they enter and leave the scene.
rehabilitation supervisor
In incident command, the person who establishes an area that provides protection for responders from the elements and the situation
rescue supervisor
In incident command, the person appointed to determine the type of equipment and resources needed for a situation involving extrication or special rescue; also called the extrication officer
safety officer
In incident command, the person who gives the “go ahead” to a plan or who may stop an operation when rescuer safety is an issue
secondary containment
An engineered method to control spilled or released product if the main containment vessel fails
secondary triage
A type of patient sorting used in the treatment sector that involves retriage of patients
single command system
A command system in which one person is in charge, generally used with small incidents that involve only one responding agency or one jurisdiction
span of control
In incident command, the subordinate positions under the commander’s direction to which the workload is distributed; the supervisor/worker ratio
staging supervisor
In incident command, the person who locates an area to stage equipment and personnel and tracks unit arrival and deployment from the staging area
START triage
A patient sorting process that stands for Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment and uses a limited assessment of the patient’s ability to walk, respiratory status, hemodynamic status, and neurologic status
termination of command
The end of the incident command structure when an incident draws to a close
toxicity levels
Measures of the risk that a hazardous material poses to the health of an individual who comes into contact with it
transportation area
The area in a mass-casualty incident where ambulances and crews are organized to transport patients from the treatment area to receiving hospitals
transportation supervisor
The individual in charge of the transportation sector in a mass-casualty incident who assigns patients from the treatment area to awaiting ambulances in the transportation area
treatment area
The location in a mass-casualty incident where patients are brought after being triaged and assigned a priority, where they are reassessed, treated, and monitored until transport to the hospital
treatment supervisor
The individual in charge of the incident command triage sector who directs the sorting of patients into triage categories in a mass-casualty incident
unified command system
A command system used in larger incidents in which there is a multiagency response or multiple jurisdictions are involved
warm zone
The area located between the hot zone and the cold zone at a hazardous materials incident. The decontamination corridor is located in the warm zone.
