THE FIRE DEPARTMENT’S ROLE IN A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL

In 2015, the Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 168 hazardous material emergency calls. These calls vary from a tank leaking, to a large spill of a known substance to determining the best way to handle an unknown substance/s.

In a hazardous material incident, the Saskatoon Fire Department’s focus is on keeping people and property safe. We keep people safe by establishing hot, warm and cold zones around the incident. Our work to protect property can take many forms such as covering drains, shutting off valves and/or diking an area. During a hazardous materials incident, emergency crews will often work with provincial and municipal agencies to mitigate the threat. Once that is completed, the work is transferred to a private company for cleanup.

When a 9-1-1 call comes in alerting us to a hazardous good spill, a fire truck from the closest station is dispatched along with specially trained firefighters and equipment from Fire Stations No. 7 (3350 Wanuskewin Road) and No. 9 (870 Attridge Drive).

The first arriving crew will move people a safe distance away and gather information. When the hazardous material and decontamination crews arrive, they will use the gathered information to established hot, warm and cool zones, work to identify the substance, if needed, and mitigate the harm done to the environment. The size of the hot, warm and cool zones is based on the wind speed, time of day, weather vapour, moisture content, number of people in the area and volume of the release.

At some incidents, we know exactly what the hazardous material is before we ever arrive, other times that is not the case. When we are dealing with an unknown substance the initial zones will be large enough to cover the worst case scenario. Firefighters then don suits that provide them with the highest level of protection (Level A) and collect a sample to identify the material. Once the chemical and corresponding hazards are known the hot, warm and cool zones will be adjusted accordingly and a plan formulated to mitigate the risks.

The Saskatoon Fire Department is here to protect the citizens of Saskatoon during emergencies. In order to do that we have firefighters trained in fire safety as well as emergency medical response, dangerous goods, water rescue, and technical rescue.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases,  Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.