Emergency response CHEMTREC services

CHEMTREC The Chemical Transportation Emergency Center located in Washington, D.C., a public service provided by the private Chemical Manufacturers Association, provides emergency response information and assistance twenty-four hours a day for responders to hazardous materials incidents. 

CHEMTREC provides immediate technical assistance from chemical product safety specialists, emergency response coordinators, toxicologists, physicians, and other industry experts. The Center serves as a communications link for the responder, facilitating the rapid transfer of information and allocation of resources. Calls are received from all over the world, including from ships at sea. Translation services are available for callers who do not speak English. ACC employees who are fluent in foreign languages also provide translation assistance. 

CHEMTREC s Emergency Services specialists are hazardous materials professionals, many of whom are experienced in the emergency response field. They attend a 40-hour, technician-level course on hazmat response as weU as additional specialized training courses throughout their career. They have access to an extensive database of contacts with manufacturers, shippers, carriers, and contractors if further chemical or technical assistance is required. 

When CHEMTREC receives an emergency call, an Emergency Services specialist obtains the caller s name and organization, telephone and fax number, the location of the incident, the shipper, consignee, and carrier, the product name, and the nature of the incident. CHEMTREC then provides immediate emergency response information about the chemical(s) involved, often obtained from the manufacturer s product-specific MSDS in the Center s library of nearly 2.5 million such documents. These are accessed in seconds and faxed to responders on-scene at a hazardous materials incident. Other sources of information are other technical text references and computer databases. 

CHEMTREC s Emergency Services specialists are people with extensive experience in civilian and military emergency response. The current staff of 14 Emergency Services specialists includes active and retired firefighters, former U.S. Coast Guard personnel, retired military explosive ordnance disposal personnel, and a chemist. 

In many cases, CHEMTREC is called for the first time during an actual emergency. If CHEMTREC is involved in a drill for a hazardous materials response, an additional dimension of realism can be added to the exercise. CHEMTREC handles drills in exactly the same manner as an actual emergency. By working together in advance, emergency responders will better understand what resources and services are available. This facilitates smoother operations if an actual incident occurs. 

Other services of the CMA include CHEMTREC, a 24-hour emergency response service for people who respond to emergencies involving chemicals CHEMNET, a mutual... 

With the growing threat posed by terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), CHEMTREC has developed resources to meet the response community s need for information about these new hazards. In addition to assembling product information on chemical and biological agents that can be immediately relayed to responders, CHEMTREC has an up-to-date network of contacts with military, health services, and law enforcement personnel. The Center can quickly put emergency responders in touch with experts in this field. 

FIGURE 5.4 A CHEMTREC Emergency Services specialist (with an industry response team member) receives training in chlorine leak control. 

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