This article originially appeared online here. By Randy Speight and Erika Palfrey, CHEMTREC, August 2013
According to The Right-to-Know Network, a Center for Effective Government website, 28,591 incidents were reported in 2012, which means it’s not a matter of if a first responder will face an incident, but rather a matter of when he or she will. When this happens, first responders need quick access to a reliable resource that can provide critical and immediate information. A call to CHEMTREC’s emergency telephone number – (800) 424-9300 – is often the first call for help during hazardous materials incidents because CHEMTREC can act as the central point of contact for all parties involved – emergency responders, manufacturers, shippers, consignees, carriers and government agencies. CHEMTREC’s highly experienced team quickly and efficiently provides necessary information obtained through its cloud-based emergency response system. Here’s how a typical call unfolds. Say a captain and hazmat advi or from a fire department calls CHEMTREC’s emergency call center and reports that a truck has overturned that had been carrying purified terephthalic acid – a colorless solid used primarily as a precursor to the polyester polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used to make clothing and plastic bottles. In this scenario, an undetermined amount of the product had been spilled onto the highway. After reviewing the shipping documents and labeling on the truck, the caller realizes the shipper was unknown and requests assistance by calling CHEMTREC to obtain product information that would assist in securing the scene and determining how to clean it up. The incoming call is answered by a CHEMTREC emergency service specialist (ESS) who is ProBoard-certified National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 472 as a hazardous materials technician and generally possesses emergency response experience from the military, a bomb squad or as a former firefighter or paramedic. The specialist immediately opens a “case file” in CHEMTREC’s cloud-based emergency response system – a system that incorporates leading technologies to converge three vital elements:
Through this configuration, CHEMTREC boasts a reliable, secure, cost-effective technology solution with the highest level of data security, redundancy and business continuity; a 99.9% uptime guarantee; and 24-7-365 maintenance, monitoring and support. (Read more on the full article PDF: 2013-08 Firehouse Magazine (print))