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The Hazmat Legends Series presents more than 25 nationally recognized leading hazmat responders - with more than 900 years of combined boots on the ground experience. As influential instructors, widely read authors and hazmat responders, they have seen it all and now in this exciting and comprehensive series, they explain how and why hazmat teams do the things they do. These exciting programs cover it all - whether you have new recruits to train or want to provide a stimulating refresher for your team.

Risk-Based Response examines key issues in the latest edition of NFPA 472 - Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents. This program covers important issues related to safe hazmat response - whether you have new recruits to train or want to provide a stimulating refresher for your team.

This clip features Robert Ingram, WMD Branch Chief, FDNY. Chief Ingram has spent almost four decades in the Fire Service, with over 30 of those years working for the New York City Fire Department. He was the Chief in Charge of HazMat Operations from September 11th, 2001 until August of 2007 and currently is assigned to the FDNY Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness as the WMD Branch Chief. He is also a member of the NFPA 472 Committee, IAFC HazMat Committee, and an IAFF Master instructor. In this preview clip, Chief Ingram discusses why some core competency sections of NFPA 472 were developed into mission specific competencies.

And now for a limited time, the Hazmat Legends Series, along with four resource CD-ROMs with PowerPoint presentations, testing materials, risk management case studies, and additional resources to help instructors with seminar presentations, can be yours for FREE when you purchase the Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident Series. Check here for more details . . .

The Hazmat Legends Series presents more than 25 nationally recognized leading hazmat responders - with more than 900 years of combined boots on the ground experience. As influential instructors, widely read authors and hazmat responders, they have seen it all and now in this exciting and comprehensive series, they explain how and why hazmat teams do the things they do. These exciting programs cover it all - whether you have new recruits to train or want to provide a stimulating refresher for your team.

Risk-Based Response examines key issues in the latest edition of NFPA 472 - Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents. This program covers important issues related to safe hazmat response - whether you have new recruits to train or want to provide a stimulating refresher for your team.

This clip features Greg Noll, who has almost 40 years experience in safety and emergency response and is a member of numerous industry safety committees, including chairing the NFPA Technical Committee on Hazardous Materials Response Personnel, Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents.In 2011, Greg was awarded the John M. Eversole Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Association of Fire Chiefs - the highest award given by the IAFC. In this clip, Greg discusses core competencies and mission specific competencies of NR 472.

And now for a limited time, the Hazmat Legends Series, along with four resource CD-ROMs with PowerPoint presentations, testing materials, risk management case studies, and additional resources to help instructors with seminar presentations, can be yours for FREE when you purchase the Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident Series. Check here for more details . . .

A 16-mile stretch of I-95 in Johnson County, North Carolina was shut down after three major crashes occurred with hours and miles of each other. One of the crashes also caused the evacuation of everyone within a three-mile radius of the crash area.

On October 20^th, at approximately, 1 p.m., a tractor-trailer ran off the road and struck a tree line.  The crash pinned the driver inside the cab of the truck and emergency responders had to cut the cab to remove him. This crash caused onlookers to slow down and see what was happening.

Because of that slowdown, traffic began backing up and a half an hour later, just five miles down the road, an RV slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer, which was carrying hazardous material. There was an explosion and both vehicles burst into flames.

According to official reports, the tractor-trailer was transporting:

• Trichloroisocyanuric acid, dry;
• Calcium hypochlorite, hydrated;
• Oxidizing solid, n.o.s.; and
• Corrosive solid, acidic, inorganic, n.o.s.

The chemical fire caused thick, billowing smoke to flow from the crash and could be seen for miles. Because of the potential dangers of the toxic fire, everyone within a three-mile radius of the crash was ordered to shelter in place. Drivers who were stuck on the highway were told to leave their vehicles and evacuate. Several schools were set up as evacuation centers.

Some people exposed to the toxic brown smoke were taken to area hospitals for treatment and evaluation. Victims described symptoms of feeling as if their throats were closing and of feeling nauseous. Heat from the flames of the burning fire was so strong that it burned holes into the road surface.

Shortly after that crash, and again just miles away, a tractor-trailer crashed into the back of an RV, causing the RV to lose control. It was then hit by a second tractor-trailer. That truck also rear-ended another vehicle, causing the vehicle to smash into the back of a third tractor-trailer.

Two people in the RV were killed instantly and a third was listed in serious condition. An occupant in one of the trucks was also seriously injured in the crash.

With millions of tractor-trailers hauling hazardous materials on our nation’s roads, it is inevitable that there will be crashes which involve spillage, leakage, and other dangers associated with these toxic chemicals. It is crucial for communities to be prepared for these events in order to reduce the number of casualties. Emergency Film Group offers many programs which can assist in that training, including Protective Actions: Evacuation/Shelter in Place, Incident Command System (ICS) for Industry Series, and Hazmat/WMD Awareness.

There has been a lot of media focus on the deadly heroin epidemic this country is facing. And rightly so. However, all that attention has overshadowed another deadly drug: methamphetamine.

Not only is methamphetamine dangerous to the people who use it, it can also be dangerous – even fatal – to innocent people who have no idea they are being exposed to the drug's deadly ingredients, and law enforcement across the country are issuing warnings for people to be aware.

Meth cookers produce an abnormally large amount of waste in their efforts to produce the drug. This trash often contains chemicals that are toxic. The chemicals are acidic, corrosive, and flammable and direct contact with skin can cause serious burns. The combination of these chemicals can often lead to fires or explosions.

This trash is often just thrown anywhere –  in the woods, side of roads or streets and highways. Especially at risk are people who spend a lot of time in the woods, such as hikers and hunters, or those who participate in Adopt-a-Highway programs and go around cleaning up trash that people discard – they may be handling meth trash and have no idea the danger it poses.

Some of the most popular containers used by meth cookers include gas cans and plastic soda bottles. Batteries which have been torn apart, coffee filters with colored stains on them, empty blister packs, rubber or plastic hoses, and Ziploc bags are all items that are used to produce the drug and may have hazardous chemical residue left on them.

It is also common behavior for meth producers to either hide or discard backpacks or bags in odd locations. The toxic chemicals are often stored in these bags. Even just sniffing what is inside these bags can cause severe injuries.

Emergency response to any location where there could be dangerous chemicals puts all emergency personnel at risk. Emergency Film Group offers many programs which can assist in that training, including Response to Illicit Drug Labs, Hazmat/WMD Awareness, and the Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident Series.

A recent truck crash in Quemado, Texas has raised serious questions regarding the dangerous Takata airbag issue. According to media reports, a tractor trailer which was carrying used airbag components failed to negotiate a curve and crashed. The truck exploded and immediately became engulfed in flames. These flames spread to a nearby home, killing a 67-year-old woman who was inside the home. The truck driver and a passenger escaped the truck before the explosion.

Witnesses say the explosion was large enough to cause damage to homes and spread parts of the truck and rubble almost a mile away from the crash site.

The used airbag components were removed from vehicles involved in the massive Takata airbag recall. The number of vehicles involved in the recall continues to grow, which more than 100 million vehicles currently affected.

Prior to 2000, Takata used the chemical tetrazole for their airbag components but found that the cost of the chemical was high. The company replaced the tetrazole with ammonium nitrate, which was substantially cheaper to use, despite repeated warnings from their own engineers how dangerous this volatile chemical is.

Tragically, those warnings became a reality, with at least 10 people dead and hundreds of more victims injured from incidents involving the defective airbags. The ammonium nitrate causes the bags to explode with such force, the protective casings collapse and shards of shrapnel spray out of the bag in into the vehicle. Another dangerous issue has been the high risk of explosion that ammonium nitrate has when it is exposed to hot or human weather for long periods of time.

Now there is concern regarding just what precautions Takata is taking when it comes to transporting the airbag components that have been removed and just what kind of danger this presents on the roads, not only to motorists but also to emergency responders who arrive on the scene of an accident.

Emergency Film Group offers several programs which can assist in providing OSHA Awareness training for personnel who might be first on the scene of an emergency involving hazardous materials, including our Hazmat/WMD Awareness program.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a report recommending a more aggressive enforcement of government regulations regarding rail shipment of hazardous materials. In the report, U.S. FRA’s Oversight of Hazardous Materials Shipments Lacks Comprehensive Risk Evaluation and Focus on Deterrence, the DOT was critical of the way the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) handled its enforcement efforts.

According to the report, the FRA rarely pursues civil penalties against companies who violate hazardous materials regulations. In fact, only 4 percent of violations actually resulted in any penalties. The average penalties, according to the report, settled for much less than what the agency could have imposed, approximately five cents on the dollar

The agency also rarely refers cases for further criminal investigations. In 2015, of the 1,670 hazmat violations issued by the FRA, (including 883 non-railroad hazmat transportation companies), zero violations were referred to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for prosecution. According to the report, at least 20 percent of the violations “warranted a criminal investigation” by the DOJ.

The FRA agreed with the report’s assessment and has now adopted recommendations made in the report on issues such as making it easier for FRA attorneys and inspectors to initiate criminal investigations, as well as increasing the number of fines issued and the amount of those fines.

Under the new regulations, any individual who recklessly or willfully violate federal hazardous materials regulations will now face penalties of up to 10 years in prison and/or $175,000 in fines.

Companies can also be held criminally and financially responsible for violations committed by employees. It is recommended that all employers implement a comprehensive hazmat training and compliance program, as well as have a crisis management plan in place.

Emergency Film Group offers several programs which can assist in that training, as well as training for emergency responders who may deal with unplanned hazardous materials leaks, spills or fire during the course of their work, including our Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident Series.

Over the past several years, the amount of crude oil that has been transported by rail out of the Bakken region in the Midwest has skyrocketed. Each train carries more than 3 million gallons of oil, among 110 loaded cars, traveling across the United States. Each month, there are over 400 trains transporting this highly flammable crude.

After a string of train accidents – including the tragic Lac Megantic, Quebec incident which killed 47 people and destroyed the town - the U.S. Department of Transportation declared Bakken crude oil to be extremely more volatile than originally thought.

Bakken crude is lighter than traditional heavy crudes, making it prone to ignite at lower temperatures. Lighter crudes contain more natural gas, giving it a much lower flash point – the temperature at which vapors given off by the oil can ignite.

The causes of these train accidents have included human error, equipment failure, and railroad track problems. Although there were new railroad safety standards adopted by railroads in 2011, federal regulators have failed to mandate those standards. Instead, the number of oil train crashes continues to increase.

There have been 14 documented incidents in the past three years, with the latest crash occurring just this past June in Oregon.

Recently, the Canadian government announced it was accelerating the phasing out the type of rail cars that were transporting the crude oil in the Lac Megantic tragedy. The DOT-111 tank cars will no longer be used as of October 31, 2016. These cars do not have a thermal layer inside of them. The U.S., however, will not be ending the use of these cars until 2018, continuing to put communities across the country at high risk.

The Bakken crude oil boom shows no signs of slowing down. Instead, there are plans to build more oil terminals, which means more crude being transported. Emergency Film Group’s Crude Oil Spill Response Package provides comprehensive training for emergency personnel to effectively respond to these dangerous incidents.

Sources:

http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/transportation/methodology.pdf

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/06/oregon_oil_train_derailment_is.html

A chlorine leak in a rail tanker car at a West Virginia chemical plant caused the evacuation of several nearby communities, as well as closed down two highways that run across the Ohio River. Traffic on the river was also restricted.

The incident occurred at an Axiall Corp. subsidiary (Eagle Natrium) located in Natrium that manufactures chlorine and caustic soda. A spokesperson from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said the chlorine was in liquid form while stored in the railcar, but turned into a gas upon its release. It is unknown at this time just how much of the chlorine was released, but the same EPA official said the car could have contained “approximately 30,000 gallons” of the toxic chemical.

Axiall reported that at least seven people were treated for exposure, all employees of the plant. Five workers were treated at an on-site medical facility and two others were transported to a nearby hospital. Those two employees were treated and have been released.

There was concern by officials that the leak was spreading throughout a 26-mile radius. The northern section of New Martinsville, W.Va., as well as several Ohio towns – Hannibal, Kent, and Proctor – were evacuated. Both Highway 2 in W.Va. and Highway 7 in Ohio were closed. All industrial plants in the area were also advised to have employees shelter in place.

Exposure to chlorine – even small amounts – can cause serious to severe injuries. Small exposure can burn the eyes, skin, and throat. Coughing or choking can also develop. If a person inhales a large amount of the gas, the lining of the lungs can become inflamed and airways get constricted. High levels of exposure are lethal.

Axiall Corp. has a history of life-threatening incidents at the Natrium plant and other locations the company owns. In December of last year, a tank on an industrial boiler at the plant released steam and ash into the air, injuring 11 employees.

In September 2014, one employee was killed and three other workers seriously injured while replacing a valve in a process line used to transport caustic solution from storage tanks to a loading rack. During the replacement process, all four were sprayed with the caustic solution.

In 2013, in what the company itself said was a “near-catastrophic blowout” at a Louisiana chemical plant, an explosion and fire occurred during a natural gas drilling operation at the location. Almost 3,000 people have sued the company blaming the blast for causing personal injuries and/or property damage.

There have been numerous chlorine leak incidents around the country. One government study cited chlorine releases as the number one cause of victim injuries and evacuations over every other substance. Emergency personnel responding to these events need to know all the dangers involved in a chlorine leak accident. Emergency Film Group’s Chlorine safety training program describes the hazards of chlorine as well as safe work practices and safe response to incidents where chlorine is involved.

Source:

https://www.rt.com/usa/357434-chlorine-plant-leak-virginia/

http://www.statejournal.com/story/32854053/chemical-spill-shuts-down-route-2-in-moundsville

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3035437-Chemical-leak-chlorine-report.html

On May 19, 2015, a pipeline located on the California coastline ruptured, spilling more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil. At least 21,000 gallons of the of the crude were dumped into the Pacific Ocean, creating a nine mile oil slick before the pipeline, which is owned by Plains All American Pipeline, was finally shut off – three hours after the rupture occurred.

According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHSMA), Plains All American Pipeline is one of the worst offenders for safety and maintenance infractions. In less than a decade, the company has been cited for 175 safety and maintenance violations, including being responsible for at least 10 other oil spills in four other states.

A man tries to rescue an oil soaked bird (Lara Cooper/Noozhawk.com via Reuters)

Plains All American operates almost 18,000 miles of pipeline through several states. The company’s rate of incidents per mile is more than three times the national average of other pipeline operators, according to a recent independent analysis. Of the more than 1,700 pipeline companies that operated in the U.S., only four other companies have more reported violations than Plains All American.

The company has paid over $115,000 in civil penalties for violations which include failing to maintain adequate firefighting gear and relying on local volunteer fire departments. They have also been cited for failing to install equipment to prevent pipe corrosion, failing to prove it had completed repairs recommended by inspectors and failing to keep records showing inspections of breakout tanks used to ease pressure surges in pipelines.

Staff and volunteers work to clean oil off a brown pelican at the International Bird Rescue center in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

The Santa Barbara oil spill area has been declared a state of emergency, with both Refugio State Beach and El Capitan State Beach closed. More than 850 workers have been attempting to clean the damage that has been done to the area. As of today, more than 280 dead animals have been recovered, including 180 birds and 100 marine mammals. So far, workers have recovered 14,267 gallons of oily water and 960 cubic yards of oily sand. The cost to date is at least $65 million, with more months of clean-up recovery expected.

A crew cleans oil from the beach at Refugio State Beach on May 20, 2015 (David McNew/Getty Images)

Emergency Film Group’s Oil Spill Response Series is a five-part training series that provides important health and safety information for clean-up workers. Created with the assistance of the US Coast Guard, this series examines all recognized clean-up technologies and emphasizes waste management techniques. It is used worldwide by the US Coast Guard and some 500 other organizations. It is ideal as a crash course to meet OSHA and USCG regulations.