Bob Kenyon – K8LJ
For
the past several weeks we have been discussing how to become better equipped to
deal with a potential HazMat incident. Last week Rod Cook, E.D. of our local Red
Cross, gave us some of his views on dealing with a chemical cloud incident,
which is his greatest concern. He covered the two methods of sheltering: off
site and in-place. For this training tip we will briefly consider the latter,
which may be necessary because of time considerations or insufficient external
shelter facilities available to accomplish the former. Shelter-in-place does
not mean completely sealing off your home or any other building. In the case of
a chemical incident it also does not mean seeking shelter in a basement or
lowest possible level, as we are instructed to in a tornado warning. Chemical
gases are usually heavier-than-air and fall to the ground over time and can
settle in basements or low-lying structures. It means selecting a small
interior room, as high as possible, with no or few windows, sealing it off and
taking refuge there. Duct tape, plastic trash bags, sheet plastic, bed sheets,
towels, etc. are valuable resources at such a time. Instructions to
shelter-in-place are usually provided for durations of a few hours, not days or
weeks. There is little danger the room you are sheltering in will run out of
oxygen, causing you to suffocate.
There
are four venues where sheltering-in-place may become necessary. They are at
home, at work, at school, or in a vehicle. The first three are similar but
obviously have their differences and specific needs, the details of which will
not be covered here. Those in a vehicle at the time of an incident have a quick
decision to make, depending on the relative location of the incident, wind
direction, and their distance from home or a shelter. If the latter are
reasonably close, go there. Otherwise shelter in the vehicle using techniques
similar to anywhere else. Keep a roll of duct tape and some plastic sheeting or
a trash bag or two in your vehicle.
The
purpose of this training tip was to get each of us better informed on this
topic so we can better protect or our own safety, that of others, and be better
communicators in the event of an incident. As mentioned in last week’s training
tip, you can find a detailed Red Cross fact sheet on this topic at the
following web site:
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/shelterinplace.html