So what does Hazmat and extrication have in common?

You could be dispatched to a motor vehicle accident that involves a vehicle vs a truck carrying hazardous material. Could you give your crew a green light to make a rescue? Most firefighters are certified to hazard awareness or operations and even with annual training we do not retain enough. The old use or lose it is very true for Hazmat.

My department decided to spare everyone from one of our technician level firefighters teaching a class and brought in the folks over at Federal Resources to teach HazMatIQ.

What is HazMatIQ you ask? HazMatIQ is a revolutionary hazardous materials response training company that teaches responders how size-up any chemical in 10-seconds, verify the hazards in 2-minutes, select the proper meters and PPE and operate safely in the hot zone. This training could mean the difference between a rescue and recovery on an extrication scene.

The class that I had was the HazMatIQ First Responder Offensive. The HazMatIQ First Responder Offensive system incorporates the proven “Above the line /Below the Line” size-up tool while instructing First Responders equipped with a handful of instruments, whether they can safely enter the Hot Zone to attempt a rescues. This is accomplished by teaching responders how to use and understand meters (Radiation meter, 4-gas meter and Temperature Gun) and reagent papers (pH and F papers). This equipment assures their safety when they choose to enter the hot zone to attempt a rescue.