Incident Management, MCIs, and Hazardous Materials Response

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), mass-casualty triage systems (START), and hazardous materials identification, containment, and scene safety.

Mass-Casualty Incident (MCI)

An emergency situation that involves three or more patients, places great demand on the EMS system, and has the potential to produce multiple casualties.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

A federally mandated framework implemented in 2004 that enables federal, state, and local governments, along with private-sector and nongovernmental organizations, to work together effectively and efficiently to manage emergency incidents.

Incident Command System (ICS)

A standardized organizational management system used to ensure responder and public safety, achieve incident management goals, ensure efficient resource use, control duplication of effort, and prevent freelancing.

Span of Control

The organizational principle within the Incident Command System that limits the number of workers directly supervised by a single individual, typically maintaining a ratio of one supervisor for three to seven workers.

Incident Commander (IC)

The individual in charge of the overall incident who establishes command, assesses scene needs, manages resources, and oversees tactical operations until command is transferred.

Finance Section (ICS)

The ICS functional area responsible for documenting and tracking all expenditures at an incident to facilitate reimbursement.

Logistics Section (ICS)

The ICS functional area responsible for providing facilities, services, and materials, including communications equipment, food, water, fuel, lighting, and medical supplies.

Operations Section (ICS)

The ICS functional area responsible for directly managing tactical operations and supervising the personnel working at the incident scene.

Planning Section (ICS)

The ICS functional area responsible for solving problems as they arise and developing an incident action plan for the operational period.

Safety Officer

An ICS command staff member who monitors the incident scene for existing or potential conditions and operations that may present hazards to responders or the public.

Public Information Officer (PIO)

An ICS command staff member responsible for serving as the conduit between incident leadership and the media by releasing clear, accurate, and understandable information.

Liaison Officer

An ICS command staff member who relays information and concerns among the incident commander, general staff, and coordinating external agencies.

Triage Supervisor

A designated officer within the medical branch responsible for counting and prioritizing patients, ensuring every patient receives an initial assessment before treatment begins.

Treatment Supervisor

A designated officer within the medical branch who establishes and oversees the treatment area, sets up tiers for each patient priority, ensures secondary triage is conducted, and coordinates with transport.

Transportation Supervisor

A designated officer within the medical branch who coordinates patient distribution to receiving hospitals and tracks transport vehicles, transported patients, and destination facilities.

Staging Supervisor

An ICS officer assigned to multivehicle or multiagency responses who establishes a staging area away from the scene and controls the release and routing of responding emergency vehicles.

Rehabilitation Supervisor

An officer within the medical branch who establishes a designated area providing shelter, fluids, and food to responders, while monitoring them for physical and emotional signs of stress.

Morgue Supervisor

An officer within the medical branch who coordinates with medical examiners, coroners, disaster mortuary teams, and law enforcement to handle the removal of bodies and body parts out of view of survivors and responders.

Triage

A process meaning 'to sort' that categorizes patients based on the severity of their injuries to establish priorities for medical treatment and transport.

Primary Triage

An initial, rapid assessment conducted in the field to identify and categorize patient conditions before moving them to a treatment area.

Secondary Triage

A re-evaluation of patients performed upon their arrival in the designated treatment area to determine ongoing treatment and transport priorities.

Red Tag (Immediate Priority)

A triage category designating first priority for patients who require immediate medical care and transport due to conditions such as airway compromise, severe bleeding, signs of shock, severe burns, or open chest/abdominal wounds.

Yellow Tag (Delayed Priority)

A triage category designating second priority for patients whose treatment and transport can be temporarily delayed, such as those with burns without airway compromise, major/multiple bone injuries, or back injuries.

Green Tag (Minimal Priority / Walking Wounded)

A triage category designating third priority for patients who require minimal or no medical treatment and whose transport can be delayed until last, typically presenting with minor fractures or soft-tissue injuries.

Black Tag (Expectant Priority)

A triage category designating fourth priority for patients who are already dead or have injuries so severe that survival is unlikely (e.g., obvious death, major open brain trauma, or cardiac/respiratory arrest when resources are limited).

Triage Tag

A weatherproof, color-coded, and serialized tag or tape attached early to a patient to indicate triage priority and maintain an accurate tracking record of their status.

START Triage

A triage algorithm standing for Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment that initially directs walking wounded to a landmark, followed by assessing nonambulatory patients based on respiratory rate, hemodynamic status, and neurologic status.

Casualty Collection Area

A coordinated staging area established during large-scale disasters with overwhelming numbers of casualties to facilitate centralized triage, medical treatment, and transport under the ICS.

Hazardous Material

Any substance that poses an unreasonable risk of damage or injury if not properly controlled during handling, storage, manufacturing, processing, packaging, usage, disposal, or transportation.

Bulk Storage Container

A large-volume fixed vessel or tank found in industrial buildings requiring high quantities of a chemical, frequently surrounded by a secondary containment system to catch accidental releases.

Tote

An intermediate bulk storage container ranging in capacity from 119 gallons to 703 gallons, lacking a secondary containment system, and used to hold various chemicals such as flammables, corrosives, or oxidizers.

Intermodal Tank

A bulk chemical transportation vessel enclosed within an external shipping and structural frame, allowing seamless transport across multiple transportation modes such as rail, highway, and marine shipping.

Carboy

A nonbulk glass, plastic, or steel container holding 5 to 15 gallons of corrosive or hazardous liquids, commonly enclosed within a protective exterior box made of wood, foam, fiberglass, or steel.

Placard

A large diamond-shaped hazard indicator affixed to all four sides of transport vehicles carrying hazardous materials, displaying identification numbers and hazard class symbols.

Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG)

A specialized reference publication developed by the Department of Transportation providing initial emergency response guidance and hazard information for approximately 4,000 chemicals.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

A standardized chemical safety document detailing a material's chemical makeup, potential health and physical hazards, handling procedures, and exposure first-aid recommendations.

Shipping Papers

Mandatory transport documents identifying the names and addresses of the shipper and receiver, the specific material being transported, and the exact quantity and weight of the cargo.

CHEMTREC

The Chemical Transportation Emergency Center, operated by the American Chemistry Council, which serves as a 24-hour technical information resource for first responders handling chemical incidents.

Hot Zone

The control zone immediately surrounding a chemical release, representing the most contaminated and hazardous area of the incident from which all personnel must be decontaminated upon exit.

Warm Zone

The transitional control zone between the hot and cold zones containing the decontamination corridor and designated control checkpoints for entering or leaving the hazard area.

Cold Zone

The safe, uncontaminated outer perimeter zone where responders can operate without specialized protective gear, housing the incident command post, personnel staging, and post-decontamination EMS treatment areas.

Hazmat Control Zones

Standardized geographic boundaries (hot zone, warm zone, and cold zone) radiating outward from the hazard point to manage scene security, prevent cross-contamination, and control operational flow.

Decontamination

The systematic process of removing, neutralizing, and properly disposing of hazardous chemical substances or contaminants from individuals, protective gear, and equipment.

Level A PPE

The highest tier of chemical protection, featuring a fully encapsulated, vapor-tight, chemical-resistant suit with full body coverage, a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and sealed protective equipment.

Level B PPE

A level of personal protective equipment requiring nonencapsulated chemical-splash-resistant clothing, eye protection, and positive-pressure supplied-air respiratory protection such as an SCBA.

Level C PPE

A level of personal protective equipment consisting of nonpermeable chemical-resistant clothing, eye protection, and an air-purifying respirator (APR) that filters inhaled ambient air.

Level D PPE

A basic protective work uniform, such as coveralls, boots, and gloves, offering minimal protection and intended only for environments free of known respiratory or skin hazards.

Toxicity Level 0

A hazardous materials classification indicating little or no health hazard, requiring no special protective gear.

Toxicity Level 1

A hazardous materials classification indicating a slightly hazardous substance, requiring self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or a Level C suit.

Toxicity Level 2

A hazardous materials classification indicating a slightly hazardous substance, requiring self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or a Level C suit for protection.

Toxicity Level 3

A hazardous materials classification indicating an extremely hazardous substance, requiring full protective clothing with no exposed skin (Level A or Level B suit).

Toxicity Level 4

A hazardous materials classification indicating a deadly substance where minimal exposure causes death, mandating specialized encapsulating hazmat gear (Level A suit).