Haz Mat Ch 4 Flashcards
What is the primary role of first responders trained to the Operations Level?
To protect nearby persons, contain the release from a safe distance, and prevent exposures from the effects of the release.
What does the APIE-T process involve for Operations Level Responders?
Analyzing the incident.
What is involved in analyzing the incident for Operations Level Responders?
Identifying and assessing the on-scene hazards.
What knowledge is required for Operations Level Responders when assessing hazards?
Knowledge and understanding of the materials involved and the hazards they present.
After analyzing the incident, what do Operations Level Responders begin to do?
Plan an appropriate response based on their training and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Fill in the blank: The first responsibility of the Operations Level Responder is to _______.
analyze the incident.
True or False: The first responders’ role includes protecting life, the environment, and property.
True
What problems can a hazmat release from a container create?
It can create many problems affecting people, living organisms, other chemicals, and the environment.
How do a material’s physical and chemical properties affect its behavior?
They determine how the material behaves, the harm it can cause, and the effects on everything it contacts.
What influences how a container behaves if it is damaged or ruptured?
A material’s physical and chemical properties influence how a container will behave if damaged.
What do first responders need to collect?
First responders need to know how to collect hazard and response data that provide information about the substance’s physical and chemical properties.
How can proper resources assist first responders?
Proper resources can greatly assist the responder in determining the present hazards, estimating the potential harm, and predicting how the incident may progress.
What are physical properties?
Physical properties are the characteristics of a material that do not involve the chemistry or chemical nature of the material.
What do physical properties describe?
Physical properties describe how a material behaves in relation to physical influences, such as temperature and pressure, or how a material behaves when mixed with, or compared to, another material.
What are some examples of physical properties?
Materials can be characterized by the following physical properties: states of matter, melting point/freezing point/sublimation, vapor pressure, boiling point, specific gravity, molecular weight, particle size, persistence and viscosity, appearance and odor, water solubility/miscibility, and vapor density.
What are the three states of matter?
Gas, Liquid, Solid
Why is it important to learn about the physical state of hazardous materials?
Because gaseous, liquid, and solid hazardous materials behave differently, influencing their potential hazards.
How does understanding the states of matter help with hazardous materials?
It helps predict where the hazardous material is going, what exposures it may affect, and what those effects may be.
What does the state of matter indicate about hazardous materials?
It indicates what exposures that material may become and helps determine if there will be far-reaching hazardous properties.
What is the general mobility of solids compared to gases?
Solids are the least mobile, while gases have the greatest mobility.
How does the state of a substance change with temperature?
A substance’s state may change if the temperature changes.
What happens to a solid when the temperature increases?
A solid may change to a liquid if the temperature increases.
What factors should be considered regarding a substance’s state in outdoor incidents?
You should consider the temperature’s effect on a substance, as air temperature and weather factors can strongly influence its state of matter and behavior.
What are the potential dangers of gas incidents for emergency responders?
Incidents involving gases are potentially the most dangerous for emergency responders.
What is a common cause of hazmat-related injuries?
Many hazmat-related injuries are due to the inhalation of vapors or gases.
What are some characteristics of gaseous materials?
Gaseous materials may have an odor, be colorless, odorless, and/or tasteless, and may be toxic, corrosive, or flammable.
Give an example of a gas that has an odor.
Chlorine
Chlorine has a distinct odor.
Give an example of a colorless and odorless gas.
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless.
What are the possible hazards associated with gases?
Gases may be toxic (e.g., phosgene), corrosive (e.g., ammonia), or flammable (e.g., methane, natural gas).
What is a characteristic of high-pressure gases?
They may have high pressure in excess of 15,000 psi (103 421 kPa), such as liquid helium.
What happens to gases upon release?
Gases may be extremely cold upon release and/or may have a large vapor expansion ratio if liquefied.
What is a key property of gases regarding shape and volume?
Gases have an undefined shape and volume and keep expanding if uncontained.
Why is it difficult to detect gas leaks?
It is difficult to detect where gases are, where they are not, and where they may be going.
How can a gas leak in a building spread?
A gas leak may spread throughout the building, to other buildings, through access shafts, into the soil, or into the street.
What factors influence the spread of gas in a leak?
The spread of gas may depend on ventilation and other factors, including pressure and air currents.
What are the challenges of containing gases for mitigation purposes?
Gases are difficult (if not impossible) to contain for mitigation purposes. Compressed gases and liquefied gases expand rapidly when released, potentially threatening large areas.
How can invisible or odorless gases be detected?
Invisible and/or odorless gases may be impossible to detect without specialized detection equipment, such as a multigas detector.
What happens to materials under extreme pressures or temperatures when released?
Materials kept under pressures and/or temperatures higher or lower than ambient conditions may change state upon release.
What is the significance of the expansion ratio of gases?
The expansion ratio of a gas from its liquid state is significant in mitigating a hazmat incident involving materials under specific conditions, especially cryogenic liquids and liquefied gases.
What warning is associated with expanding gases?
WARNING: Expanding gases can displace oxygen, creating an asphyxiating atmosphere.
What hazards do gases present in the air?
If a hazardous material is a gas, it may linger in the air and present a breathing/inhalation hazard. Some gases may also present a contact hazard.
How do gas incidents compare to other states of matter in terms of mitigation?
Incidents involving gas are generally much harder to mitigate and affect larger areas than incidents involving other states of matter.
What is required to protect responders and the public during gas incidents?
Incidents involving gas require complex and difficult actions to protect responders and the public.
How are liquids typically detected?
Liquids are usually visible, even if their vapors are not, making it easier to detect their presence.
Do liquids travel as far as gases?
Liquids typically do not travel as far as gases unless they spill into a path or channel that transports them quickly.
What factors influence the flow of liquids?
Liquids will flow or pool according to surface contours and topography, allowing for containment opportunities.
What hazards do liquids present?
Liquids present a splash or contact hazard.
What unique challenges do liquids pose to responders?
Liquids may emit vapors, increasing their mobility and complicating response efforts.
How do vapors from liquids behave compared to gases?
Vapors from liquids may travel like gases but typically not as far from their source and are harder to detect.
What types of hazards can vapors from liquids pose?
Vapors from liquids may be contact hazards, corrosive, inhalation hazards, toxic, or flammable.
What is the mobility of solids compared to other states of matter?
Solids are the least mobile of the three states of matter.
What external forces can act on solids?
Solids typically remain in place unless acted upon by external forces such as wind, water, and gravity.
How does particle size influence the behavior of solids?
Larger particles usually settle out of the air quickly, while smaller particles may remain suspended in air longer and travel further.
What unit is typically used to express particle size?
Micrometer (also known as micron) (um) is the unit of measure typically used to express particle size.
What are some dangerous properties of solids?
Solids may have inhalation or contact hazards, small combustible particles that may explode if ignited, entrapment hazards in large containers, and can be flammable, reactive, radioactive, corrosive, or toxic.
How can you usually detect a solid?
You can usually detect a solid visually, unless it has microscopic particles.
Why is detecting solids easier than detecting gases or vapors?
The visibility of solids makes detecting their presence easier than detecting gases or vapors from liquids.
What are some examples of solids that may sublimate?
Solids such as dry ice, elemental iodine, and naphthalene may sublimate.
What hazards do sublimating materials present?
Sublimating materials present the same hazards and concerns as liquids that emit vapors.
How are incidents involving solid materials typically characterized?
Incidents involving solid materials are usually confined to limited areas, with less likelihood of undetected travel.
What is the complexity of mitigation and protective actions for solid incidents?
Solid incidents may require less complicated mitigation and protective actions than gas and liquid incidents.
What does the response to solid incidents depend on?
The response depends on the chemical and physical properties of the material involved.
What is dust?
Dust is a solid particle formed or generated from solid organic or inorganic materials by reducing its size through mechanical processes, such as crushing, grinding, drilling, abrading, or blasting.
Example: Grain elevators with airborne grain dust.
What is a fume?
A fume is a suspension of particles that form when material from a volatilized (vapor state) solid condenses in cool air.
Examples include paint and smoke.
What happens to solid particles in fume formation?
In most cases, the solid, smoke-like particles resulting from the condensation react with air to form an oxide.
What is mist?
Mist is a finely divided liquid suspended in the atmosphere.
How is mist generated?
Mists are generated by liquids condensing from a vapor back to a liquid or by breaking up a liquid into a dispersed state by splashing, foaming, or atomizing.
Can mists be generated during temperature differentials?
Yes, mists may also be generated during temperature differentials, such as temperature inversions.
Are mists usually pressurized?
No, mists are not usually pressurized.
Give an example of a substance that can form mist.
An example of a substance that can form mist is sulfuric acid.
How can solids usually be detected?
Solids can usually be detected visually, making their presence easier to identify.
What is an aerosol?
An aerosol is a form of pressurized mist characterized by highly respirable, minute liquid or solid particles.
Example: Released anhydrous ammonia.
What is an example of a high-temperature aerosol?
Leaking thermanol is an example of a high-temperature aerosol.
What is fiber?
A solid particle whose length is several times greater than its diameter. Formed by a disruption of the natural state.
How is fiber usually identified?
Usually not visibly identifiable in the air.
Example: Asbestos.
What is vapor?
Gaseous form of a material that is normally in a solid or liquid state at room temperature and pressure.
How are vapors formed?
Vapors are formed by evaporation from a liquid or sublimation from a solid.
What do vapors look like?
Vapors are visible as atmospheric disturbances (wavy lines) over a surface.
What is a characteristic of vapors?
Vapors are volatile.
Can you give examples of vapors?
Examples include gasoline and solvents.
What is fog?
Fog is a visible aerosol of a liquid formed by condensation.
What causes fog to form?
Fog forms from liquefied gases that auto-refrigerate at low pressure.
How do fog particulates compare to mists?
Fog particulates have a smaller droplet size than mists.
How can fog be identified?
Fog is usually identifiable and discernable from an aerosol by its relatively low speed of travel, which is dependent on wind speed.
What are examples of substances that can form fog?
Examples of substances that can form fog include chlorine and anhydrous ammonia.
What is a physical change?
A physical change occurs when a substance alters its physical state (solid, liquid, or gas), but the chemical composition remains the same.
Are physical changes reversible?
Some physical changes are easily reversible.
What is melting?
Melting is the temperature at which a solid substance changes to a liquid state at normal atmospheric pressure.
What is freezing?
Freezing is the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid at normal atmospheric pressure.
What is vaporization?
Vaporization is the process by which a liquid becomes a gas at normal atmospheric pressure.
What is condensation?
Condensation is the process by which a vapor in the air is changed into a liquid.
What is sublimation?
Sublimation is the change directly from a solid into a gas without going into a liquid state in between.
What is deposition?
Deposition is the change directly from a vapor to solid without going into a liquid state in between.
How do temperatures change throughout the day?
Temperatures change throughout the day due to weather patterns and exposure to the sun.
How can temperature affect materials?
A material that begins the day as a solid may change to a liquid if heated sufficiently.
Why are materials easier to control as solids?
Materials are typically easier to control as a solid than a liquid, which may affect mitigation strategies.
