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Managing the Team, Managing the Incident

Ground rules if you like� Interactive

� Different strokes for different folks

� Not meant to be a NIMS class

� Enjoy and excuse any terminology errors

� Lastly, pick the fruit you like…..

HM Group Soup� So,

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HM Group Soup�What does the

literature say about Group Soup?

�NIMS reality check here

� http://www.firescope.org/ics-hazmat/pos-manuals/ICS-HM-120-1.pdf

� HAZARDOUS MATERIALS GROUP SUPERVISOR - The Hazardous Materials Group Supervisor or Hazardous Materials Branch Director reports to the Operations Section Chief. The Hazardous Materials Group Supervisor is responsible for the implementation of the phases of the Incident Action Plan dealing with the Hazardous Materials Group operations. The Hazardous Materials Group Supervisor is responsible for the assignment of resources within the Hazardous Materials Group, reporting on the progress of control operations and the status of resources within the group. The Hazardous Materials Group Supervisor directs the overall operations of the Hazardous Materials Group:

� a. Review Common Responsibilities (Page 1-2).

� b. Ensure the development of Control Zones and Access Control Points and the placement of appropriate control lines.

� c. Evaluate and recommend public protection action options to the Operations Chief or Branch Director (if activated).

� d. Ensure that current weather data and future weather predictions are obtained.

� e. Establish environmental monitoring of the hazard site for contaminants.

� f. Ensure that a Site Safety and Control Plan (ICS Form 208) is developed and implemented.

� g. Conduct safety meetings with the Hazardous Materials Group.

� h. Participate, when requested, in the development of the Incident Action Plan.

� i. Ensure that recommended safe operational procedures are followed.

� j. Ensure that the proper Personal Protective Equipment is selected and used.

� k. Ensure that the appropriate agencies are notified through the Incident Commander.

� l. Maintain Unit/Activity Log (ICS Form 214).

HM Group Soup� Sounds like a fun job, but what does it pay?

� http://www.eduers.com/JobDescriptions/Hazardous_Materials_Supervisor.html

� Hazardous Materials Supervisor

� Salary: $32.72-$39.94 hourly / $5,690-$6,947 monthly / Range: 6326

� DEFINITION: Under direction, plans, organizes and directs the activities in a major hazardous management/waste unit; and performs related duties as required.

� DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This is the first full supervisory level in the Hazardous Materials Specialist series. Incumbents supervise the daily operations of a

unit of staff responsible for such programs as hazardous waste generators, underground storage tanks and business plans.

� This class is distinguished from that of Hazardous Materials Program Manager in that the latter is responsible for the overall planning and administration of the

division.

� EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

� 1. Plans, directs, assigns and evaluates the work of subordinate professional and support staff; accompanies staff in field inspections to ensure uniformity and

completeness; prepares and conducts training sessions for staff.

� 2. Develops, interprets and implements policies, regulations, procedures and programs for the work unit; reviews legislation and evaluates impact of State policies and

procedures on local programs; identifies operational problems or inefficiencies and recommends corrective action.

� 3. Performs the more complex or sensitive investigations or studies involving emergency hazardous material control laws, regulations, and technologies; directs major

monitoring and surveillance activities and initiates prosecution actions with the District Attorney.

� 4. Represents the division in responding to media inquires; gives public speeches to educate hazardous material handlers and the public in the proper management of

hazardous materials.

� 5. Prepares project reports for management and governmental agencies; prepares records, statistics and correspondence.

� EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

� 1. Three years of professional experience in hazardous waste management, industrial hygiene, toxicology or epidemiology; or,

� 2. one year as a Hazardous Materials Specialist, Senior with Santa Barbara County; or,

� 3. equivalent combination of training, education and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities.

� Thorough knowledge of: industrial processes and remediation techniques; resource recovery techniques; geohydrologic and chemical principles; toxicology; personal

protection, risk assessment and mitigation principles; evidence gathering and prosecutorial practices; principles of incident command and responsibilities of

emergency responders and details of providing chemical incident response services; state and federal laws and regulations relating to hazardous materials

management, infections waste and underground storage tanks; chemical and laboratory techniques to identify hazardous materials and epidemiological hazards.

� General knowledge of: principles and practices of personnel management, supervision and training; program development, management and evaluation.

� Ability to: plan and coordinate field investigations and major emergency incidents; evaluate effectiveness of field work and recommend changes in operations; sample

and conduct field analysis of solid, liquid and gaseous materials and interpret results; assess hazardous risk situation, interpret findings and make appropriator

recommendations; educate staff and the public on appropriate hazardous material practices; write technical reports; supervise and train subordinates; handle difficult

public contact situations and negotiate compliance points; deal effectively with industry, community groups and agencies to gain cooperation in environmental

management; analyze inspection and investigation findings.

� ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: A valid California Class C Driver's License is required at time of appointment.

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HM Group Soup� A NIMS or FireScope list is useful

� Checklists are invaluable

� Aircraft pilots use them repeatedly to build repetition and memory, but….

� A check box can only take you so far

HM Group Soup� So again, what exactly is it that the Group Soup should

be doing?

� “SUPERVISING”

� But far more than that…..the HMGS should be the person bringing it all together

Bringing it together� Two Aspects

� Team’s Activities

� Seeing the BIG picture

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Team Activities

� Who’s doing what?

� HM208 Form

� Identifies positions that can be filled

� Expand or contract based on size and scope of incident

� Serves as Site Safety Plan!

� But who’s doing what?

Team Activities� How does your hazmat call go?

� Does your team pull up and 8 guys jump off and…..

� Set up Decon

� Grab suits

� Grab boots

� Grab air packs

� Grab meters

� Grab tools

� And so on……

Team Activities� What may be the first key position to fill on arrival?

� Research

� Key to knowing hazards

� Knowing hazards drives risk management approach

� Personal preference – Mike Callan’s Street Smart Approach

� Eliminate/Identify Unknowns

� Remove/Neutralize Energy

� Address Flammable Atmospheres

� Protect against Toxics and Corrosives

� Research provides key data for Safety Officer & Group Soup

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Team Activities� Initial team actions can be the hardest moment for a

Group Soup

� Troops are waiting for orders

� Orders depend on research

� Correct PPE (are SCBA chemically compatible with product?)

� Correct meters and correction factors

� Correct decon procedures and solutions

� Identify hazards to public

� Medical management of any exposures

Team Activities� Research might require more than one person initially

assigned

� Research’s actions flow right into the needs of the Assistant Safety Officer-HM and Incident Safety Officer

� Research, ASO-HM and HM Group Soup are working to compile the 208HM and IAP in conjunction with the Incident Commander

Team Activities� Ok Group Soup – You’ve got the leg work behind you

(chemical researched, IAP and 208HM completed)

� The deeper question becomes who are your players?� Let’s back that question up

� Do you know your people?� What are they good at?

� Whose your….

� Macgyver – Gimme a Swiss Army Knife and a piece of string!

� Urkel – Did I Do That?

� Sheldon – Bazinga

� Equipment Manager (that guy who always knows where everything is at on the truck)

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Team DynamicsKnow your people Know yourself

� Know how and experience affects all in different ways

� Is one time enough to be ready for the next one?

� Example – Any EMTs here?

� Esophargyl Phargensis – ever seen it?

� One time is a world of experience

� Experience is generational

� Compare those of us that learned how to drive a manual transmission versus apparatus with automatic transmissions?

� Generational experience can have a impact on Life Safety issues.

Case Study� 2010 Lexington, NC – Overturned DOT 406

� Four different flammable liquids in 5 compartments

� Clean up crew and RRT joint operation to offload

� Clean up crew sets up double diaphragm pump with offloading hose routed to empty tanker

� Operator of empty tanker sets up to receive product by opening dome lid and top load recovered product into his trailer

� GROUP SOUP – What do you think?

Case Study� You guessed it

� Top loading represented a potential fire hazard

� Generationally speaking, only a couple of the RRT members had careers that spanned the 80’s and 90’s to have witnessed or responded to loading rack fires

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Case Study – Part 2!� The one that got

away?� Tanker in

question had a capacity of 8000 gallons

� Several hundred less than that unaccounted for after off loading

� Group Soup –Where’d it go?

Team Activities� Moral of the story?

� Put the Team together than solves the problem, but recognize opportunities to enhance the experience of personnel

Internal baffles had splitFuel was between compartments

Peanut Gallery

Perspective� Be a supervisor, not a micro manager

� Radio silence is deafening, but a Group Soup calling you ever 30 seconds is annoying

� Agree with entry team members on how much time should pass between radio reports

� Be an efficient supervisor� Recognize when people can rotate to another role

� Can research move to assist decon or rehab after the bookwork is done?

� Has decon been relieved?

� “Hey, Group Soup – Put down the doughnut and help out at the end?” – Maybe its time you can stop supervising

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Peanut Gallery

Perspective� Be trusted as a Group Soup

� Knowledgeable versus be a know it all� Make sure your decisions are sound, not founded rooted in a

“Hey Y’all Watch This….”� Sometimes getting others to see the solution the way you do

isn’t possible – you have to find another way to explain yourself

� Remember that NIMS thing about Demobilizing?� Your crews will probably know better what needs to be

packed up to leave, but be careful about the ending of an incident

� Easy time to loose focus, important to rely on those who are good with organizing all the toys

The BIG Picture� What is this BIG Picture you speak of?

The BIG Picture aka The Incident� Pre-planning aside (the what-if world), every Incident

has 2 parts

� A “Before” and an “After”

� Before – Before you arrived

� After – After you arrived

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Before and AfterBefore After

� Different “Befores”� Before accident

� Before 1st Responder arrives

� Before HazMat’s arrival

� Before ???

� How far before?� How far back in the past

matters

� You may not know

� Think like a medical call –can you get a SAMPLE Hx?

� Knowing “exactly” (as well as possible) what conditions were and what happened before you arrived will influence your line of thinking AFTER arrival as much as the unknowns of what happened before you arrived

Case History� 2015 - Guilford County, NC – Vapor cloud inside hotel

� Dispatched on reported vapor cloud in indoor pool area inside hotel

� Evacuation underway

� From desk employees state smoke or duct detectors activated and visible cloud in the pool area and hallway outside of pool

� FD on scene with confirmed vapor cloud

� Site of a previous hazmat call that possibly involved a chlorine release (never confirmed)

Case History� Ok Group Soup

� What questions come to mind?

� What’s really happening hear?

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Group Soup and the Before� So, the Group Soup has to think like a detective

� Remember all those detective classes you had between ladders and hose training in rookie school?

� Remember all those detective classes you learned in HM Tech school?

� Firefighters don’t get the benefit of a law enforcement perspective to look for cause and effect

Group Soup and Detectives

� The Group Soup has to think and act like a detective� What kind of detective

� Are you looking just at the facts Joe?

� How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?

� Or just fumble your way along?

� Joe Friday – Just the facts

� Never said those exact words

� Sherlock Holmes –Elementary, My Dear Watson

� Never said those exact words

� Inspector Cluso

� I have no clue what he said, but it was always funny

Detective and CSI Perspective

� What is not said may be as important as what has been said

� Case Study – CO versus CO2

� What is not known may be more important that what is known.

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Case History Time!� Circa 2014 – Whitsett, NC Chemical reaction at printing

company� Unknown reaction during a mixing process at a facility that

prints product packaging on boxes and heat dries them

� Facility is large big box design (200,000 Sq Ft)

� Reaction creates vapor cloud that is pulled into HVAC system and activates alarm system

� Building is evacuated, FD responds – advised of chemical accident

� Employees have removed chemical drum from inside

� Recon team finds no signs of chemical vapors, but all meters show elevated CO levels (80-90ppm and climbing)

Case History� Ok, Group Soup

� What’s happening?

� Be a detective, ask questions

� Some answers are already there, but the devil is in the details

Closing Thoughts - Training� Training

� Any drill you plan will not go like what YOU planned

� The people in the drill will think of a twist, shortcut or answer that you didn’t foresee

� How many of us have seen organizations that as soon as a drill is announced will have someone in charge volunteer a subordinate to be in charge to “get them more experience”

� That’s great until one day you realize the guy in charge hasn’t really played in the sand box while wearing his “in charge hat”

� Worse, you realize this when it’s the working call

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Closing Thoughts - Training� Try this – “Scripted Training”

� Like a good movie, there’s a script – but only the IC may know� Works whether the IC is the voluntold guy/gal or the Head

Cheese their self

� How does it work?� Plan the drill and the IC knows the problem and the solution

� The IC focuses on making assignments without fear of “looking bad” or “making a mistake”

� The other players carry out their tasks

� Adjustments to people’s actions only needed when it becomes a training/teaching movement

Scripted Training Example –

Ops/Technician Level Drill� Units are given a response to a reported explosion

inside a house. Caller advises home has been vacant for some time. On arrival, work truck in driveway with smoke showing.

� Only IC knows call is based on a gas explosion

� IC makes normal assignments (Fire Attack, Search, etc.)

� Units are given other details as they carry out their tasks

� Key here for IC is “no surprises”

Thank you� Alan Cagle,

� Captain - Greensboro Fire Department & HazMat Team

� Team Leader - Guilford County Emergency Services HazMat Team

� abcagle@gmail.com