Hazardous Materials Firefighter Course

Lesson 1 • Properties of Hazardous Materials

Introduces physical and chemical properties that drive hazard behaviour. Students connect property data to real-world exposure and ignition risks.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory Framework and Responder Roles

Examines occupational safety standards, hazmat training levels, and incident command roles. Clarifies legal duties and competency expectations for each responder tier.

Lesson 3 • Initial Scene Size-Up Procedures

Develops systematic approach to evaluating a hazmat scene before committing resources. Proper size-up prevents premature entry and guides zone establishment.

Lesson 4 • Hazardous Materials Classification Systems

Covers the nine DOT hazard classes, UN numbering, and placard systems. Establishes the classification vocabulary used throughout all subsequent response decisions.

Lesson 1 • Donning and Doffing Procedures

Teaches step-by-step donning and doffing sequences with buddy-check protocols. Procedural discipline at this stage directly reduces contamination transfer risk.

Lesson 2 • PPE Inspection, Maintenance, and Limitations

Addresses pre-use inspection criteria, storage requirements, and service life tracking. Understanding PPE limitations prevents overconfidence during high-risk entries.

Lesson 3 • Chemical Protective Clothing Selection

Examines suit materials, permeation resistance ratings, and manufacturer compatibility charts. Correct material selection prevents chemical breakthrough during entry.

Lesson 4 • PPE Protection Levels Overview

Defines Levels A through D and the hazard conditions requiring each. Connects protection level selection to chemical property data from Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Establishing Control Zones

Defines hot, warm, and cold zone boundaries and the criteria for setting each. Zone integrity is the primary mechanism for preventing responder contamination.

Lesson 2 • Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Decisions

Teaches decision factors for evacuation versus shelter-in-place using dispersion modelling concepts. Correct protective action selection minimises civilian casualties.

Lesson 3 • Resource Coordination and Mutual Aid

Covers requesting specialised teams, equipment caches, and interagency communication protocols. Effective resource management sustains operations beyond initial responder capacity.

Lesson 4 • Incident Command System for Hazmat

Adapts standard ICS structure to hazmat-specific positions and functions. Builds on responder roles introduced in Chapter 1 within a command framework.

Lesson 1 • Instrument Selection and Calibration

Covers matching instruments to target chemicals and performing field calibration. Proper calibration is mandatory before any instrument reading can be trusted.

Lesson 2 • Interpreting Monitoring Data

Develops skills to compare readings against IDLH, LEL, and ERPG values. Data interpretation directly drives entry authorisation and PPE upgrade decisions.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Hazmat Detection

Explains detection technologies including photoionisation, electrochemical, and colorimetric methods. Understanding operating principles prevents misinterpretation of instrument readings.

Lesson 4 • Air Monitoring Survey Techniques

Teaches systematic survey patterns for perimeter, entry, and interior monitoring. Structured survey methods ensure no hazard zone is missed during assessment.

Lesson 1 • Reactive and Unstable Material Handling

Addresses water-reactive, oxidizer, and polymerising material control tactics. These materials require deviation from standard containment approaches due to reaction risk.

Lesson 2 • Product Transfer Operations

Covers pump selection, transfer hose compatibility, and grounding procedures for flammable liquids. Safe transfer eliminates the source container as an ongoing hazard.

Lesson 3 • Liquid Spill Containment

Teaches diking, damming, diverting, and retention methods for liquid hazmat releases. Containment prevents migration to drains, waterways, and uncontrolled areas.

Lesson 4 • Gas and Vapour Control Methods

Addresses vapour suppression, dilution, and dispersion tactics for gaseous releases. Gas control decisions depend on flammability and toxicity data from Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Decon Effectiveness Verification

Covers swipe sampling, instrument verification, and medical surveillance after decon. Verification confirms that personnel are safe to transition to the cold zone.

Lesson 2 • Decontamination Principles and Theory

Explains dilution, absorption, neutralisation, and disinfection as decon mechanisms. Mechanism selection depends on the chemical properties established in earlier chapters.

Lesson 3 • Technical Decontamination Procedures

Teaches the full multi-station decon line for entry team personnel and equipment. Technical decon follows emergency decon and ensures thorough contamination removal.

Lesson 4 • Emergency Decontamination Setup

Covers rapid decon corridor establishment for ambulatory and non-ambulatory victims. Speed of setup directly affects victim outcome in mass-casualty hazmat events.

Lesson 1 • Patient Packaging and Hospital Handoff

Addresses contamination-controlled packaging, transport protocols, and receiving facility notification. Proper handoff prevents secondary contamination of hospital staff.

Lesson 2 • Symptom Recognition by Chemical Class

Teaches clinical signs associated with nerve agents, corrosives, asphyxiants, and irritants. Symptom pattern recognition enables rapid treatment before lab confirmation.

Lesson 3 • Toxicology Fundamentals for Responders

Covers routes of exposure, dose-response relationships, and target organ effects. Toxicological understanding drives triage priority and treatment selection.

Lesson 4 • Antidote and Supportive Treatment

Covers atropine, pralidoxime, cyanide antidote kits, and oxygen therapy protocols. Antidote administration timing is critical to patient survival in toxic exposures.

Lesson 1 • Transportation Incident Response

Applies classification, PPE, monitoring, and containment skills to highway, rail, and pipeline incidents. Transportation scenarios introduce multi-container and multi-product complexity.

Lesson 2 • Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness

Introduces CBRN threat recognition, scene indicators, and modified response protocols. WMD incidents require immediate escalation beyond standard hazmat response procedures.

Lesson 3 • Integrated Tabletop Scenario Exercises

Facilitates command-level decision-making through structured tabletop scenarios. Tabletop exercises expose gaps in planning before live field exercises are conducted.

Lesson 4 • Fixed-Facility Release Operations

Covers pre-incident planning use, process knowledge, and facility liaison coordination. Fixed-facility incidents offer pre-plan data that must be integrated into tactical decisions.