Personnel hazardous material incident responders

The goal of the hazardous materials specialist level is to provide the advanced level response personnel with the following competencies to respond safely to hazardous materials incidents ... 

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) A voluntary membership agency to promote fire safety and allied considerations. NFPA publishes standards of interest to hazardous materials responders such as, NFPA-471 Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents, NFPA-472 Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents, and NFPA-473, Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents. 

Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents - NFPA 473. Quincy, MA. National Fire Protection Associations, 1992. 

First responder—Personnel who have responsibility to initially respond to emergencies. Some examples are firefighters, HAZMAT team members, law enforcement officers, lifeguards, forestry personnel, ambulance attendants, and other public service personnel. In the case of hazardous materials incidents, these personnel typically respond at the site where the incident occurred. 

While CHEMTREC personnel do not actually go to the scene of hazardous materials incidents, this training coupled with prior experience allows them to understand conditions faced by responders and to provide guidance on technical issues, such as selecting air monitoring or personal protective equipment. 

The U.S. DOT has prepared a guidebook, from which a great deal of the information in earlier chapters has been extracted, for use by firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a hazardous materials incident. That guidebook, or in feet this publication, can be used to assist first responders in ... 

Even with a written plan, it is important to keep in mind that under no circum-stanc e should untrained personnel respond to a hazardous materials incident. 

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