Hazmat

The last few classes in the Support module were haz-mat. We'll end up getting a Hazmat Awareness certificate out of this, once we pass the test, which is only the first of several levels of hazmat training. At the awareness level, all we're qualified to do is say "Hey, looks like hazmat, let's call someone else to deal with it".

So what did I learn about hazmat? Vehicles carrying hazmat have placards on all four sides, with a color and a number or two. The color is orange for explosives, green for non-flammable gases, and what other colors and meanings I forget. The 4-digit number is the UNNA number, which you can use to look up what exactly is being carried. The 1-digit number indicated the class of material, which (in order) are: 1 Explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable liquids, 4 flammable solids, 5 oxidizers, 6 poisons, (unlucky) 7 nuclear, 8 corrosives, and the ever-popular 9 other.

When dealing with a spill, you want to be upwind and uphill of it. (And no, we didn't talk about what to do if upwind is downhill; I'm thinking of being to one side or the other, but maybe uphill is more important, as winds change and hills don't. I suppose that'll be in the next level of training.) You then establish zones: hot zone is closest, where you wear all of the needed protective gear to even be there; warm zone is next, which is less restrictive; cold zone is next, which is where first responders will be, but which will still be free of civilians.

Tank trucks have distinctive shapes that will indicate generally what they're carrying. If it's oval-shaped (from the rear), it's carrying non-pressurized liquids. Circular, with a flat end is liquids, perhaps under pressure. Circular with bands around the belly are corrosives (asphault gets carried in these, among numerous other things). Circular with a rounded end is pressurized gases (which are likely pressurized into liquid form in the truck). Propane would be in one of these. Circular w/rounded end and refrigeration unit on the end is refrigerated gases, like liquid nitrogen (among other things); unlike the unrefrigerated gases, these have issues with not being very very (cryogenically) cold, and may rupture the tank if the cooling goes out.

Our engines each contain a copy of the ERG (Emergency Response Guide), which has a list of UNNA numbers and what to do when each are spilled, (i.e. evacuate for 100 meters, evacuate for 2 miles downwind, etc.) You can actually get a PDF of the ERG at the DOT website (how many TLAs can I fit sensibly into one sentence?).

We also covered hazmat gear (what the instructor called a body bag with a view), getting info from waybills, bills of lading, etc, and I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. But those are the highpoints. So now I'm noticing all the trucks I pass a little bit more closely to see what they might be carrying.