Hazardous Materials Response

photos: Jim Xavier

The crew from hazmat 2 suiting up at an incident in Morgan Hill. The followup report is below:

On 11/11/02, T12, E13, B3¹, and Gilroy E61 (South County Units were not available) were dispatched to a possible HAZ-MAT call at [company name] at [company address] in Morgan Hill. The initial report was that there were 700 employees evacuated from the business due to a smell like burning enamel in the manufacturing area of the building and that there was no one injured at this time. While enroute T12 requested H2, two AMR² paramedic units, and the AMR Supervisor to respond. Upon arrival, T12 found the majority of the employee standing in the north parking lot. There were more to the rear of the building, but that is the direction of the wind and put them in the way of the possible HAZ-MAT plume. T12 had the employees to the rear of the building move to the north parking lot. T12 met with the facilities manager and the ERT³ leader. Neither knew what was causing the smell. The smell was said to have caused several of the employees on the manufacturing floor to choke, but they all felt better after going outside. None of the employees requested EMS. T12C⁴ reported on conditions, established ICS⁵, and isolated and denied entry.

It was discovered by the [company] ERT that there were 24 employees unaccounted for. T12 firefighters and one firefighter from E13 were assigned to search the manufacturing side of the building in level "C" protection⁶. B3 arrived and assumed IC after a face to face with T12C. T12C then became "Operations". E13 was initially assigned RIC⁷, then later decon unit. H2 arrived and set up for a level "A" entry⁸ after a meeting with IC and OPS. Gilroy E61 arrived and was assigned to search the office building as the 24 missing employees were not yet accounted for. It was suspected that the missing employees had left the scene in their vehicles prior to the parking lot being sealed off by MHPD⁹. No cause for the odor was ever found during this event. H2 determined that there was no hazardous atmosphere in the building and the property was turned over to the business management. There was one firefighter from Gilroy sent to St. Louise [hospital] for observation. The Gilroy engine had just cleared a structure fire in South County's area and responded to the HAZ-MAT incident. South Count Fire units were not available due to the structure fire in their area. 2-I-1¹⁰ responded and became PIO¹¹, providing information to the media. Units were on scene for three hours on this call.

¹ T: Truck; E: Engine; B: Battalion, H: Hazmat
² AMR: American Medical Response, contract paramedics
³ ERT: Emergency Response Team
⁴ T12C: Truck 12 Captain
⁵ ICS: Incident Command System
⁶ Level "C" protection: structural firefighting gear and SCBA
⁷ RIC: Rapid Intervention Crew - a standby rescue team
⁸ Level "A" protection: fully encapsulated suits and SCBA
⁹ MHPD: Morgan Hill Police Department
¹⁰ 2-I-1: County Fire's fire investigation officer
¹¹ PIO: Public Information Officer

Slang for a bad chemical: "Methyl Ethyl Nasty" Slang for a really bad chemical: "Methyl Ethyl Death"

The Department dispatches the closest engine company to investigate all reported hazmat calls, with the Hazardous Materials Team responding as required. The Hazardous Materials Team, consisting of three "Specialist" level team members per shift in a specially equipped vehicle, is available 24 hours a day. The response may be augmented by additional "Specialists" assigned to an engine company from the same station. Additionally, the Senior Hazardous Materials Specialist from the Fire Prevention Division may respond to emergencies involving hazardous materials on an as needed basis for technical support. The Hazardous Materials Team is available both in and out of Department areas to assist other agencies and jurisdictions with emergencies. Source: Santa Clara County Fire Department 1998 Business Plan

photos: Captain Kendall Pearson

Members of the Santa Clara County, Saratoga and San Jose Fire Departments gather to practice a Mass Decontamination Drill, where they learn how to deal with an incident where large numbers of people have been potentially exposed to a hazardous substance or weapon of mass destruction. Protocols require that all victims be decontaminated before being transported for treatment, to avoid exposing additional people or medical personnel.

Top: FF/E/P Doug Young demonstrates how to administer an auto-injector, containing an antidote to WMD nerve agents.
Bottom left: an emergency decontamination corridor is set up between two engines. Exposed victims would walk through this corridor to wash off whatever they had been exposed to. This is considered "gross-", or primary, decontamination. Later, when more time permits, a more thorough secondary decontamination would be administered.
Bottom right: "Victims", County Volunteer FFs Arleigh Movitz and Jill Levy, are "decontaminated". Volunteer "victims" for the drill were members of the County Volunteer Firefighters and Cupertino C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response Team.)

from the collection of Jim Ackley

The Old Days: Firefighters flush gasoline off the roadway with hoses, after a five-yard transit cement mix truck skidded on wet pavement and overturned at Almaden Rd at Curtner Av, dumping concrete one foot deep over the road. The truck, minus its large round mixer, is shown lying on its side. From a newspaper clipping dated 14 May 1957. Prior to recent sensitivity about the damage that this can cause to the environment, "washdown" calls such as this were common.