How Hazmat Teams Make Rescuers Who Go Into Confined Spaces Safer

Too often in the fire service, specialty teams are thought of independently. However, there arguably is no stronger connection between two disciplines than there is between confined space rescue and hazmat. Despite this link, many fire departments and rescue teams either downplay or simply don’t realize the interdependence that exists between these two disciplines and how vital joint training is to personnel safety and to the completion of successful operations.

Some of the valuable services that hazmat teams can provide to their corresponding technical rescue team include atmospheric monitoring, PPE selection, decontamination and force multiplication.

Atmospheric monitoring

The importance of monitoring air quality is well known to anyone who trained in confined space rescue. However, it often is thought of as little more than “checking a box” on an entry permit before entering a space. Although many firefighters and rescuers feel confident with the basics of using a four-gas meter, or combustible gas meter (CGM), the importance of alarm levels, short-term exposure limits (STEL) and correction factors and the intricacies of metering techniques often are overlooked by non-hazmat personnel. This is perhaps the single most valuable and important aspect of including hazmat technicians in a confined space response plan.

Atmospheric monitoring of confined spaces serves two primary purposes. First, it allows rescuers to remotely identify any atmospheric hazards that might be present in the space—and might have contributed to the incident—before they enter and to ensure that proper PPE and respiratory protection is selected. Second, it allows both the rescuers and the attendant to continually monitor the atmospheric conditions that are inside of the confined space.

The primary atmospheric hazards to be monitored in all permit-required confined spaces are oxygen, flammable (or lower explosive limit, or LEL) gases, and toxic gases (most commonly, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide). Given the circumstances of the particular incident, flammable dust also might need to be monitored.

Additionally, hazmat teams have the capability to monitor for specific hazards that might not appear on a traditional four-gas meter. Through the use of specific sensors, colorimetric tubes and other technologies, hazmat teams can help to paint a full picture of the chemical hazards that are present inside of a confined space and drive decision-making on ventilation, PPE selection and decontamination requirements.

Three important points to remember are that personnel must account for the response time of their specific meter (how long that it takes for a sensor to detect a given chemical); the draw rate (how long that it takes for a pumped meter to draw a sample through a given length of tubing to reach the meter’s sensor); and the fact that atmospheric monitoring must be conducted at all levels of a space for the purpose of accounting for heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air gases.

Depending on the configuration of the confined space that’s to be entered, its location (in a building, etc.) and ventilation requirements, more four-gas meters than are readily available to the technical rescue team might be needed. Some agencies require a minimum of five calibrated four-gas meters on all confined space incidents, to allow for continuous monitoring of the area that’s around the entrance to the space; the area that’s inside of the space near the opening (think: bottom of a sewer access; the area where the entry team is operating; the area where the backup team, if activated, is operating); and the area that’s near the exhaust opening (or as a spare).

If your agency doesn’t have enough meters to fulfill the monitoring requirements of a confined space rescue, how do you obtain them? Although mutual aid might seem like an obvious choice, there’s no guarantee that the personnel who will arrive with the meter are trained in either confined space rescue or hazmat. Assuming that the meters are calibrated properly and are in good working order, this results in more equipment to be operated by the same number of people who originally were available. By establishing a relationship with your local hazmat team prior to an incident, technical rescue teams can help to ensure that they receive the type and quantity of meters that are required; that meters are calibrated and cared for properly; and that personnel who arrive can take on the responsibility of air monitoring, to free up rescue technicians for attendant, entry and backup positions.

Tracking meter readings and advising the rescue group supervisor on how to respond to alarms is a perfect job for hazmat technicians. To further simplify the integration between these disciplines, many hazmat teams have the capability to remotely monitor atmospheric readings through the use of telemetry.

Incident staffing is bolstered when fire departments develop a tiered response plan that solidifies the connection between hazmat and technical rescue (for example, training hazmat technicians to confined space operations and rope rescue operations levels).

PPE selection

Just as the size, shape and type of confined spaces can vary greatly, so can the hazards that are present within them. One method to help to determine the best way to mitigate these hazards is known as the hierarchy of controls. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a hierarchy of controls provides a means of determining methods to implement systems and/or controls (ranging from most effective to least effective) that protect workers from injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Although hazard-mitigation tactics, such as ventilation and lockout/tagout, are integral components of any confined space entry and, according to the hierarchy of controls, are more effective than PPE is, it’s imperative to ensure that rescuers are outfitted in proper PPE when they conduct an operation in confined space.

When it comes to PPE for confined space rescues, habits that are developed in fire training, such as wearing fire retardant coveralls and work gloves, can give rescuers a false sense of protection that might not correspond to the hazards that are present. Because hazmat technicians are intimately familiar with the selection and use of chemical protective clothing (CPC), their expertise should be utilized by technical rescue teams/integrated with confined space rescue operations. This process helps to ensure that rescuers are protected properly from any chemical or biological hazard that might be present. Hazmat technicians also are likely to have a stockpile of various suit types, glove materials and boots.

The hazmat team also might have to provide the specific PPE that’s indicated for the hazard(s) that’s identified. Ensuring that the CPC that’s worn by entry-team members is compatible with the hazards that are present isn’t overly complicated but should be performed by a trained hazmat technician. Modern CPC options, such as suits that are compliant to NFPA 1994: Standard on Protective Ensembles for First Responders to Hazardous Materials Emergencies and CBRN Terrorism Incidents, can provide technical rescuers with a ruggedized form of chemical protection that’s more resistant to abrasion and other forms of mechanical damage that rescuers might encounter in a confined space.

Confined space rescue is an equipment- and staffing-intensive operation. Cross-training with hazmat technicians can provide additional personnel to assist with setup and operation of ventilation, supplied air and communications equipment.

Decontamination

When it comes to decontaminating members who operated in a contaminated environment, hazmat technicians are in a unique position to determine the most appropriate and effective decon methods. Although it might seem the obvious choice to non-hazmat technicians, the seemingly simple act of performing “wet” decon procedures can create a large logistical footprint and needlessly might tie up personnel who are needed elsewhere.

Modern “dry” or “hybrid” decon techniques might be indicated for a chemical or biological hazard(s) that’s present in a confined space. However, without a hazmat team presence on scene, neither the equipment nor the expertise that’s needed to verify the decon technique’s compatibility will be available to the technical rescue team.

Force multiplication

Incorporating hazmat technicians into confined space rescue training and operations can act as a force multiplier, to free up technical rescuers to fulfill other necessary positions. Air monitoring, rigging and operating rope systems, ventilation and staffing a surface-supplied air system, among others, are tasks that can be conducted by hazmat technicians who have been cross-trained in technical rescue.

To provide additional trained rescuers for actual incidents and to provide more than just a cursory knowledge of hazards and techniques, some agencies developed a tiered response plan that solidifies the connection that exists between hazmat and technical rescue. The departments trained all hazmat technicians to the rope rescue operations and confined space rescue operations levels.

Numerous benefits

Despite friendly rivalries that might exist between specialty disciplines, such as confined space and hazmat, the need for interoperability between these functions never has been greater. Incorporating a local hazmat team into a confined space response plan allows for a more efficient use of personnel. It takes advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the members of the teams in their respective disciplines. It can bolster the limited staffing that most departments face.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Confined Space Education

CMC provides comprehensive confined space rescue solutions, featuring life-safety equipment and educational programs. Confined space rescue involves diverse disciplines, including rope rescue, hazmat handling, medical response and incident command. The CMC School’s classes and educational materials prioritize safety in these operations. The curriculum delivers extensive knowledge through classes and instructor-authored manuals, reflecting real-world expertise in rope and confined space rescue.

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Combined Safety/Communication Rope

Rescom Elite from Rescom is a 10,600-lb., tensile-strength, NFPA-rated rope that has communication wires that are built in. Designed and manufactured for professionals, the intrinsically safe system provides clear, effective and continuous communication for confined space and high-angle rescue.

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Confined Space Ventilation Fan

The Nano from Super Vac is a small, powerful, confined space ventilation fan that pairs with the LFR-BF super-compact fabric ducting. The fan’s blade size is 8 inches. Its output is 1,054 cfm. It can be used for positive and negative ventilation. Adding the available hazardous-location motor provides explosion-proof operation.

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Starting Points

The following questions are just some of the discussions that technical rescue team (TRT) leadership should have with their local hazmat counterparts.

Are any of your personnel already trained in confined space rescue?
Do you have the capability to remotely conduct atmospheric monitoring with telemetry?
Besides normal four-gas monitoring, what other detection capabilities do you have that could be useful in confined space rescue?
If rescuers require technical decontamination after exiting a confined space, what capabilities do you have and what information or logistics would you need from the TRT?
What chemical protective clothing options do you carry?
Do you have supplied air or hard-wired communications capabilities? (If the hazmat team does, check compatibility with TRT equipment.)
In your opinion, what hazmat target hazards have the greatest potential for a confined space incident and when can we conduct a joint training or walk through?