FOCUS
Modernising guidance Dave Walton explains how hazmat guidance for the fire and rescue service has been reviewed and modernised in order to provide international synergy
as these materials are more commonly known, could be part of the first incident a firefighter turns up to or could be at the heart of the biggest incident they ever attend. Either way, all firefighters need knowledge about hazmat. Fire and rescue services respond to a
K
wide range of incidents involving hazardous materials which have the potential to cause harm to fi refi ghters, the surrounding community and the environment. They may be called specifi cally to deal with emergency spillages or releases, or they could encounter hazardous materials at fires and other emergency incidents. The number of hazmat incidents that
are attended by fire and rescue services in England has remained reasonably consistent over the years, however since 2014 we are beginning to see a slight upward trend.
24 APRIL 2018
www.frmjournal.com
NOWING HOW to deal with hazardous materials at an incident is central to the role of every fi refi ghter. Hazmat,
Hazmat guidance
In my role as hazmat lead for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), I was delighted to be asked to be the project executive for the National Operational Guidance (NOG) project to review and modernise the existing guidance for fi re and rescue services, ensuring that it will be in line with international best practice. As part of our work, we reviewed the 2012 publication by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the chief fi re and rescue adviser (CFRA), Operational Guidance – Incidents involving hazardous materials. The project team deconstructed this publication, repackaged it using the NOG approach and brought the knowledge within it up to date. This was a substantial project and resulted in the publication of a suite of modern online guidance covering a whole range of hazmat areas, including environmental, health and physical hazards. This can now be found on the
ukfrs.com website, alongside a more detailed foundation document.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
