“THIS LOOKS SERIOUS…THOUGH IT`S HARD TO TELL THROUGH THESE BINOCULARS”
BY STEPHEN L. HERMANN
A number of years ago, a mixed-chemical spill occurred on Interstate 10 in Arizona. When I arrived at the scene, the road had been closed for more than three hours and a load (comprised of dozens of mixed chemicals) was burning.
To my surprise, I found that the emergency responders were gathered about a quarter of a mile away, peering at the mess through heavy lenses. The situation was (as you can imagine) a bit disconcerting. Several folks were standing around the command post, grandly scanning the far horizon with their binoculars.
To this day, I can`t figure out whether they were meditating and awaiting divine guidance, scouting for tidal waves, or hoping to observe the Grand Haz-Mat Wizard parachute in. I do know what they were not doing, and that is solving the problem. Peering through binoculars is a great excuse for doing nothing, but it usually doesn`t answer the mail. We need to formulate a plan and get on with it.
Fortunately, however, in this particular incident, examination of the shipping papers showed that the load consisted of pretty innocuous stuff–most of the chemicals were not even regulated as “hazardous materials,” and there were only small amounts of each of those chemicals.
Let me clarify: At the first responder awareness and operational levels, binoculars are appropriately a key tool. However, for those responders trained to the haz-mat technician level, the response goes beyond looking at the scene from a distance through binoculars. Binoculars occasionally do have a role. They may be necessary to make sure the whole place isn`t about to turn into a giant fireball. However, from a distance it is rarely possible to determine where a leak is coming from; if valves are accessible, and, in general, the true status of the incident.
At the strategic, campaign level, binoculars may be necessary. But at the tactical level, where the hot zone meets the road, binoculars look silly. Unless you have a remote-sensing pyrometer to take the temperature of something (and thus determine the next step), you need to get “in amongst it.” Remember that, before we can properly determine the necessary level of personal protective equipment (PPE), we have to characterize the scene from the command post, using monitoring and detection instruments. To take the required readings, someone has to take the instruments into the actual environment.
Another incident I recall involved a 10,000-gallon propane cargo tank that went through a guard rail and crashed into a 300-foot-deep canyon. The steep embankment, which had a number of large rocks, cracked the tank. You could hear the roar of the escaping propane from 100 yards away, and frankly, it was a pretty scary sound. We all stood around a lot, examining the tank with binoculars. Unfortunately, the spill was on the other side of the tank and we couldn`t see it.
After awhile, the stalling started to be embarrassing. It was obvious that, sooner or later, someone was going to wander down there to take a look. So, armed with a combustible gas indicator that had a very short three-foot aluminum probe, we made entry. Much to our surprise, we discovered that, due to the strong 15-mph wind whipping through the canyon, we were out of flammable range two feet from the crack. (The massive amounts of fresh air diluted the propane vapors.) And since there was no potential source of ignition within that distance, the hazard was minor.
In other words, we could have peered at the grand spectacle through binoculars for days without understanding much more than we learned in the first five minutes. Typically, after the first 30 seconds of a spill, the scene pretty much stays the same–unless, of course, a fire is potentially involved. To determine what PPE to utilize, you need to make entry.
Another common reason for putting away the binoculars and preparing for an entry is that, in most transportation accidents, it`s unclear just how many packages may be damaged and what–if anything–is leaking. Experience shows that, even with violent, high-speed impacts or rollovers, only one or two out of hundreds of hazardous materials packages will be damaged enough to leak. The only way to discover what has spilled is to get inside the trailer and look.
The practical fact is that, most of the time, you can`t discover what you need to know with binoculars. They generally are not useful in haz-mat incidents because they delay the implementation of an action plan. n
STEPHEN L. HERMANN is hazardous materials coordinator for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona`s senior state on-scene hazardous materials coordinator, and the former national chairman of U.S. DOT`s COHMED.
