Basic Level Pre-Course Reading

Chapter 5
Control the Situation
8. Be careful not to wipe face with dirty hands.
9. Proceed under direction to a safe holding area to await
decontamination.
10. Remain in temporary shelters (from weather, bystanders, media, etc.)
that should be provided for casualties
11. Makeshift shelters can be made using tarps/tents/buses/buildings
What Personal Protective Equipment is required to safely operate the
Emergency Washdown?
When implementing Emergency Washdown, PPE limitations must be considered.
At a minimum, full firefighter bunker gear with SCBA should be utilized.
However, as described in Chapter 4, Personal Protection, firefighter bunker
gear with SCBA provides only limited protection and work time. Therefore, the
use of Level C protection with a CBRN approved respirator is an alternative after
consultation with CBRN trained HAZMAT personnel.
Responders without these levels of protection should not conduct EW and
should stay uphill and upwind.
Where would an Emergency Washdown be set-up?
• Upwind and Uphill of the release site (Hot Zone)
• Just inside the Inner Perimeter – consider the wind direction and the upgrade.
Establish an entry point/corridor from the inner perimeter and an exit
point/corridor from the EW to the holding area
• The safe holding area would be located upwind and uphill of the EW
After Emergency Washdown, can casualties be treated and transported to
the hospital?
Until casualties have been decontaminated, their treatment and transport should
be avoided except for life saving purposes. A casualty cannot be considered
“clean” after Emergency Washdown if the washdown is not followed by a
thorough decontamination process. The decision to transport patients presents a
risk-versus-benefit judgement call. Emergency Washdown is not a substitute for
thorough decontamination, but decontamination can be conducted without
Emergency Washdown. Where mass casualties occur, Emergency Washdown
may be left operational as a component of the decontamination process.
EW can be established with standard fire-fighting equipment and a water supply.
Its immediate implementation is critical to saving lives.
CBRN First Responder Training Program
49
Basic Level Course