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Hazardous
Materials Incident Commander |
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The
person responsible for all decisions relating to the management of the
incident. |
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The incident commander is in charge of
the incident site. This is equivalent to the on–scene commander as
defined by 29 CFR 1910.120. |
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The
goal of this course is to provide the incident commander with the
knowledge and skills to perform the following tasks safely.
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Therefore, an addition to being
competent at the awareness and operational levels, the incident commander
should be able to : |
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Analyze
a hazmat incident to determine the magnitude of the problem in terms of
outcomes.
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Plan
a response with the capabilities and competencies of available personnel,
personal protective equipment and control equipment. |
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Implement
a response to favorably change the outcomes consistent with the local
emergency response plan. |
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Evaluate
the progress of the planned response to ensure that the response
objectives are being met, and adjust accordingly. |
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Course
Outline |
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Analyzing
the Problem
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Planning
the Response |
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Implementing
the Planned Response |
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Evaluating
Progress |
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Overview
of the Hazardous Materials Standard |
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Content
of the Standard NFPA 472 (1992 edition) is divided into seven chapters and
two appendices : |
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1.
Administration. |
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2.
Competencies for the First Responder at the Awareness Level. |
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3.
Competencies for the First Responder at the Operational Level. |
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4.
Competencies for the Hazardous Materials Technician. |
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5.
Competencies for the Incident Commander. |
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6.
Competencies for the Off-site Specialist Employee. |
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7.
Referenced Publications. |
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This
course only covers Chapter 5 (Incident Commander). |
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Separate courses cover the
competencies listed in Chapters 2, 3 and 4. |
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Definition
of the HazMat Responder Levels |
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First
responders at the awareness level are those who, in the course of
their normal duties, may be the first on the scene of an emergency
involving hazardous materials. |
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First
responders at the awareness level, according to the standard, are expected
to do these things : |
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Recognize
the presence of hazardous materials. |
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Protect
themselves. |
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Call
for trained personnel. |
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Secure
the area. |
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First
responders at the operational level are those who respond to
releases or potential releases of hazardous materials as part of the
initial response to the incident for the purpose of protecting nearby
persons, the environment, or property from the effects of the release.
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They are trained to respond in a defensive
fashion to control the release from a safe distance and keep it from
spreading. |
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Hazardous
Materials technicians are those persons who respond to releases or
potential releases of hazardous materials for the purpose of controlling
the release.
Hazardous materials technicians are expected to use
specialized chemical–protective clothing and specialized control
equipment. |
