HAZMAT, MCI, Incident Management Flashcards
What Are Hazardous Materials?
• “Any substance or material in a form which poses an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce.”—U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Levels of Training
- First Responder Awareness (no minimum)
- First Responder Operations (8 hours)
- Hazardous Materials Technician (24 hours)
- Hazardous Materials Specialist (24 additional hours)
Responsibilities of the EMT**
- Recognize hazmat incident
- Control scene
- Establish danger zone and safe zone
- Attempt to identify substance
Identify Hazardous Material**
• Signs, labels, placards – Binoculars from safe distance – NFPA 704 system placards – Diamond-shaped DOT labels • Other sources – MSDS, bill of lading, invoice, manifest – Interview workers
Identify Hazardous Material
• Get expert advice about next actions – Dispatcher – Hazardous materials expert – Emergency Response Guidebook • Get expert advice about next actions – CHEMTREC (800-424-9300) – CHEM-TEL (800-255-3924) – State/federal radiation control authorities – Regional poison control center
Control Zones**
• Hot zone – Area of contamination or danger • Warm zone – Area immediately adjacent to hot zone • Cold zone – Area immediately adjacent to warm zone – Where equipment and emergency rescuers are staged
Treatment Area*****
• Rehabilitation operations – Located in cold zone – Protected from weather – Large enough to accommodate multiplerescue crews – Easily accessible to EMS units
Treatment Area
• Care of injured and contaminated patients – Decontaminate in warm zone – Treat in cold zone • Phases of decontamination – Gross decontamination – Secondary decontamination
Treatment Area***
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• Mechanisms for decontamination – Emulsification – Chemical reaction – Disinfection – Dilution – Absorption or adsorption – Removal – Disposal
Treatment Area
• Decontamination procedures
– Victims wearing PPE
– Victims not wearing PPE
Multiple-Casualty
Incident Operations
• Know local disaster plan – Written to address events conceivable for particular location – Well publicized – Realistic – Rehearsed
Incident Command System
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Command -Operations -Planning -Logistics -Finance
Communications
- On arrival, give brief report and request necessary resources
- Incident commander only person to converse with communications center, disseminates information to others
- Have face-to-face conversations among command staff whenever possible
EMS Branch Functions
Under Command Structure
- Mobile command center
- Extrication
- Staging area
- Triage area
- Treatment area
- Transportation area
- Rehabilitation area
Triage****
• Goal: afford greatest number of people greatest chance of survival
• Prioritizing patients
– Priority 1: Treatable life-threatening illness or injury
– Priority 2: Serious but not life-threatening illness or injury
– Priority 3: Walking wounded
– Priority 4 (sometimes called Priority 0): Dead or fatally injured
START Triage**
• Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment • Foundation of system is speed, simplicity, consistency of application • Simple commands to patients • Patient evaluation based on RPM – Respiration – Pulse – Mental status
START Triage**
• Able to walk? – Yes: Priority 3 – No: Check respirations • Respirations present? – Yes and >30/minute: Priority 1 – Yes and <30/minute: Check pulse – No: Position airway; recheck respirations – Still no respirations: Priority 4 (or 0)
START Triage page 1028 flow**
• Good pulse?
– Unresponsive, not breathing, no pulse: Priority
4 (or 0)
– Breathing, no apparent pulse: Priority 1
– Breathing, pulse, good skin signs, capillary
refill: Check mental status
• Good mental status?
– Alert: Priority 2
– Altered mental status: Priority 1
Patient Identification*****
• Color code patients by priority – Priority 1: Red – Priority 2: Yellow – Priority 3: Green – Priority 4: Black
