9 November 2001. Thanks to Garrison St.Clair.
All links are to the NFPA Web site.
See especially:
Emergency Response to Incidents Involving Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents (27 pp; PDF format, 610 KB)
Chemical and Biological Agents: An OverviewChemical and biological agents are classes of hazardous materials that are unique to military arsenals and are usually classified as secret or top secret. As such, the characteristics of these agents are difficult to recognize, identify, and treat and are unfamiliar to most emergency responders. These agents can be lethal in extraordinarily small concentrations and can be released on a target or into the environment by various surreptitious and relatively unsophisticated methods.
At an incident site, acquiring necessary information about these agents may be much more difficult than it is to obtain data about other hazardous materials. This document is a compilation of the unclassified technical information needed to fill that void. This information, once understood and integrated into local jurisdictions’ training programs, will provide a foundation upon which an effective response to such exposures can be planned, organized, and implemented.
NFPA's fact sheets on building evacuation (ASP format; 34 KB)
http://www.nfpa.org/Codes/CodesandStandards/Offer/Offer.asp
November 9, 2001
National Fire Protection Association provides hazardous materials standards and technical information to first responders and others
A message from George Miller
National Fire Protection Association
The impact of the tragic events that occurred September 11 has been felt around the world. Our lives will be forever changed by those cowardly acts of terrorism. And our way of life, as we once knew it, will also be forever changed as we face the unhappy truth that there are groups and individuals who threaten the safety and security of innocent people. Emergency service providers are our first line of defense against this type of threat. The firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel who respond to assist us in routine matters are also the ones who respond to extraordinary hazards, including threats of terrorism. Although their primary objective is the public's safety, they must take their own security seriously as well.
A Message from Chief John Eversole
Chair, NFPA Hazardous Materials Response Personnel Technical Committee;
Deputy Chief, Special Operations, Chicago Fire Department (ret.)
During these troubled times, when dramatic headlines remind us of the
threat of terrorist use of exotic weapons of mass destruction, we must remember
that common, everyday chemicals can kill us even faster than anthrax. If
we know and follow the established standards of routine hazardous materials
response and pay special attention to proper personal protective equipment,
we can operate more safely when responding to any hazardous materials incident,
not just the exotic incidents. Since 1985, NFPA has been working hard to
provide industry-wide competency standards for responders to hazardous materials
incidents. Over the years, NFPA 471, Recommended Practice for Responding
to Hazardous Materials Incidents; NFPA 472, Professional Competence
of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents; and NFPA 473,
Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials
Incidents, have become the benchmarks for proper training.
About NFPA 471, NFPA 472, and NFPA 473
Widely adopted and used throughout the United States and internationally,
these standards provide guidance to first responders who may be confronted
by emergency incidents involving chemical or biological substances. In 1997,
two NFPA Tentative Interim Amendments addressed the special situations involving
weapons of mass destruction. This TIA material is also included in the free
PDF documents.
_______________________
[All PDF format except last.]
NFPA 471: Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents (29 pp.; 792 KB)
NFPA 472: Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents (72 pp.; 1.97 MB)
NFPA 473: Professional Competence of Emergency Medical Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents (22pp.; 539 KB)
Supplements from NFPA´s best-selling Hazardous Materials Response Handbook are also available for immediate downloading:
Beginning the Hazard Analysis Process (21 pp.; 549 KB)
Guidelines for Decontamination of Fire Fighters and Their Equipment Following Hazardous Materials Incidents (20 pp.; 517 KB)
EMS Sector Standard Operating Procedures (13 pp.; 459 KB)
Emergency Response to Incidents Involving Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents (27 pp; 610 KB)
Also see: NFPA's fact sheets on building evacuation (ASP file; 34 KB)