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Bruce my friend ... you hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head ...
and said it much better than I could!
Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program Environmental Protection Division Georgia Department of Natural Resources 4244 International Parkway, Suite 114 Atlanta, GA 30354 (404) 362-2675 Fax: (404) 362-2653 E-mail: Jim_Hardeman@dnr.state.ga.us >>> "Bruce Bugg" <obbugg@dmvs.ga.gov> 6/9/2003 15:17:46 >>> I have to heartily disagree. "All responding agencies" do not have
people equipped (tools, personnel, or education) to handle the manual or the
appropriate response. In rural areas, the firefighter is frequently a woodlands
responder with turnout gear, and a 3,000 gallon converted military 6x6 fuel
truck. Some small to medium towns may be little better off. For
radioactive materials, if meters even exist, they are an old CDV-7 kit. Even in
one large municipal fire agency, you really have three or four different fire
departments, because you have three shifts, and each shift has a different
experience in dealing with a complex incident.
I've
seen several attempts at a comprehensive response manual. Moderately advanced
firefighters don't like the Emergency Response Guidebook. We have the CHRIS
manual, the NIOSH Pocket Guide, the AAR HazMat guide book, and a recent
attempt (Mid 1990's) from the US Fire Administration, attempting to marry
"Awareness" level materials with "Operations" level materials. Add in
Broderick's Reactive Chemical's book, the Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference,
and Condensed Chemical Dictionary.
Each
is a niche product, with its own strengths and weaknesses. I have many of these,
and I'm not even a responder, per se.
In the
"old days" (mine date to the late 1980's) I have had the experience of standing
on the side of a road at 2:00 a.m. with a hazmat shipment gone wrong and no one
to contact, trying to run down someone at a company whose answering machine says
"Our hours are Monday -Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday-Friday."
Putting something in the hands of a responder to deal with every possible
chemical hazard and all the permutations of what can go wrong would require a
rolling library in more than one 18-wheeler. Far better to have someone with
experience that I can reach rapidly who can tell me whether to attempt to dike
the runoff, hose it down, or run like heck.
And
prior to 1974 (the first big US Hazmat Act), the world did end several times, at
least someone's part of the world did. Regulations and better enforcement often
derive from what we learn when good hazmat goes bad (e.g.,
ValuJet).
On the
other hand, change for the sake of change does not please me
either...
If I'm
drifting off the list topic, I apologize.
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