Controlling the Release and Transmission of a Toxic Hazard

In chemical agent releases, the analogue to this protective cordon is determined by the fire services or HAZMAT specialists but is again enforced and controlled by the police who act under fire and rescue guidance about the hazards involved, based upon detection and identification procedures described earlier. The principal purpose of this cordon is to permit rescue and life support for casualties as early as possible but with an emphasis on protecting emergency responders becoming the next casualties from the toxic release. 

In the HAZMAT system, there is a priority in establishing a hot zone, which is the area where direct contact and contamination from the released chemical takes place. It is the task of the fire and rescue services to remove casualties from this zone as soon as possible. Access to the hot zone is restricted to trained personnel, equipped with the appropriate qualify of chemical protective clothing and, if necessary, self-contained breathing apparatus. If the nature of the released hazard has not been established, the fire service personnel usually enter the hot zone wearing level A protection with a self-contained breathing apparatus. 

1 Role of the emergency medical responder at each stage of the HAZMAT management chain 

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