PROTECTIVE ACTIONS

Protective actions are the steps taken to preserve the health and safety of emergency responders and the public during an incident involving releases of hazardous materials/ dangerous goods.

Table 1 - Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances (green-bordered pages) predicts the size of the area that could be affected by a cloud of toxic gas. People in this area should be evacuated and/or sheltered-in-place inside buildings.

Isolate hazard area and deny entry means to keep everybody away from the area if they are not directly involved in emergency response operations. Unprotected emergency responders should not be allowed to enter the isolation zone.

This "isolation" task is done to establish control over the area of operations. This is the first step for any protective actions that may follow.

Evacuate means to move all people from a threatened area to a safer place. To perform an evacuation, there must be enough time for people to be warned, get ready, and leave an area. If there is enough time, evacuation is the best protective action.

Begin evacuating people nearby and those who are outdoors in direct view of the scene. When additional help arrives, expand the area to be evacuated downwind and crosswind to at least the extent recommended in this guidebook.

Even after people move to the distances recommended, they may not be completely safe from harm. They should not be permitted to gather at such distances. Send evacuees to a definite place, by a specific route, far enough away so they will not have to be moved again if the wind shifts.

Shelter-in-place means people should seek shelter inside a building and remain inside until the danger passes. It is vital for first responders to maintain communications with sheltered-in-place people so that they are advised about changing conditions.

Sheltering-in-place is used either when:

• evacuating the public would cause greater risk than staying where they are
• an evacuation cannot be performed

Direct the people inside to:

• close all doors and windows
• shut off all ventilating, heating and cooling systems
• stay far from windows to avoid shattered glass and projectile metal fragments in the event of a fire and/or explosion
• tune in to local radio or TV stations, and stay inside until told it is safe to leave by first responders

Shelter-in-place may not be the best option if:

• the vapors are flammable it will take a long time for the gas to clear the area
• buildings cannot be closed tightly

Vehicles can offer some protection for a short period if the windows are closed and the ventilation systems are shut off. Vehicles are not as effective as buildings for in-place protection.

NOTE: Every hazardous materials/dangerous goods incident is different. Each will have special problems and concerns. Actions to protect the public must be carefully selected. These pages can help with initial decisions on how to protect the public. Officials must continue to gather information and monitor the situation until the threat is removed.