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    REACH-A-Child Aids Responders with Children During Emergencies

    Dec. 18, 2014
    REACH-A-Child includes a backpack and book that firefighters and EMS crews can give to children to direct their attention away from the emergency scenes

    REACH-A-Child includes a backpack and book that firefighters and EMS crews can give to children to direct their attention away from the emergency scenes.

    © Yuri Arcurs │ Dreamstime.com
    Rob Fleeup Handling Setbacks Pic 1 Id 326958103 © Yuri Arcurs │ Dreamstime
    Images courtesy of U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
    Every four years, the U.S. Department of Transportation updates the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) and distributes it to emergency responders across the United States. Among the sources of information that are listed in the ERG is CHEMTREC, which is provided by the chemical industry. Resources from the chemical industry can be notified by CHEMTREC, including having strike teams dispatched from companies that are familiar with the hazardous materials that were spilled. Several other private sector agencies are also mentioned on the inside of the back cover. Page 396 lists information for contacting the National Response Center (NRC). The NRC is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and is the main contact point for hazmat releases to activate federal assistance for a chemical release anywhere in the United States. The NRC’s capabilities include the computerized version of the Coast Guard chemical data base, which is the largest collection of safety data sheets (SDS) in the world.
    NFPA
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    Fire Safety Research Institute