PHTLS Scene Assessment and Safety 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A hazmat placard shows the number 1203. Without a reference guide, what does this indicate?
- The substance requires water for decontamination
- The material is a flammable liquid (gasoline) (Correct answer)
- The container holds more than 1,000 liters
- The substance is a non-hazardous petroleum product
Correct answer: The material is a flammable liquid (gasoline)
UN placard number 1203 designates gasoline, a flammable liquid requiring specific isolation and approach distances.
Question 2: The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) recommends an initial isolation distance for a flammable liquid spill of 330 feet. This distance applies to:
- Only the downwind direction from the spill
- All directions around the spill as a minimum safe radius (Correct answer)
- Personnel in full encapsulating suits only
- Only nighttime incidents when vapors accumulate
Correct answer: All directions around the spill as a minimum safe radius
ERG isolation distances apply in all directions around the spill, establishing a minimum safe perimeter for all responders.
Question 3: At a trauma scene involving downed electrical wires, the recommended safe distance from the wire is:
- 10 feet, as household current drops quickly with distance
- At least one full span (pole to pole) in all directions (Correct answer)
- The distance at which the wire is no longer visible
- Only as far as needed to avoid direct contact with the wire
Correct answer: At least one full span (pole to pole) in all directions
A downed energized wire can energize the ground over a wide radius; one full span (pole to pole) in all directions is the minimum safe distance.
Question 4: Which statement best describes 'upwind and uphill' positioning at a hazmat scene?
- It ensures providers can see the entire scene from an elevated vantage point
- It minimizes exposure to toxic vapors that travel downhill and downwind (Correct answer)
- It allows providers to approach patients more quickly
- It improves radio communication with incident command
Correct answer: It minimizes exposure to toxic vapors that travel downhill and downwind
Positioning upwind and uphill keeps responders out of the path of toxic vapors and contaminated runoff.
Question 5: A provider is called to an industrial site where workers report dizziness and nausea with no apparent trauma. What scene safety consideration is paramount?
- Determining which supervisor to notify
- Identifying possible toxic inhalation before entering (Correct answer)
- Assessing the patients' vital signs remotely
- Checking workers' compensation paperwork
Correct answer: Identifying possible toxic inhalation before entering
Multiple patients with similar symptoms at an industrial site strongly suggests toxic exposure; entry requires hazmat assessment and appropriate PPE.
Question 6: During a structural collapse rescue, which team has authority over EMS entry into the collapse zone?
- The senior EMS provider on scene
- The structural/technical rescue incident commander (Correct answer)
- The first-arriving fire engine officer
- Medical direction via radio
Correct answer: The structural/technical rescue incident commander
At structural collapse scenes, the technical rescue incident commander controls entry into the collapse zone based on structural safety assessments.
Question 7: A patient involved in a chemical plant explosion has an unknown powder on their clothing. The provider's first action should be:
- Remove clothing and brush off powder using bare hands
- Begin decontamination by flushing with large amounts of water immediately
- Don appropriate PPE before approaching and contact hazmat (Correct answer)
- Apply a decontamination solution from the ambulance drug kit
Correct answer: Don appropriate PPE before approaching and contact hazmat
Donning appropriate PPE and contacting hazmat before patient contact prevents secondary contamination of providers.
PHTLS Scene Assessment and Safety 4
A hazmat placard shows the number 1203.
Without a reference guide, what does this indicate?