HAZMAT - FTIR/Spectroscopy Methods

[SageVigiles 1,194]

I was down in Anniston last week for a CBRNE course and we used a couple of Raman technology meters (FirstDefender, TruDefender) a LOT. Not sure what those of you in the NY/NJ area have for metering equipment on your HAZMAT teams.

I know from being able to play around with these devices that they are AMAZING at figuring out an unknown substance, with a few exceptions (darkly colored materials, etc) but the downside is they are generally unfriendly to flammable materials. I was also told to stand a few feet away from them when they are operating in case something flammable gets hit that you weren't expecting.

Two Questions, both of which may be considered dumb questions, but I would like to see what other people think.

1. Whats the preferred method of determining whether or not the substance you're dealing with is flammable? What immediately comes to mind is the MiniRae or another type of PID, but are there others that you use?

2. The First Defender, when pointing it direct at a substance as opposed to using the sample vials, do you prefer to prop it up with something so that you can stand back?

[FDNY 10-75 640]

We use the MultiRAE Plus, but there are other detectors out there. MSA, ION, BW, Infinicon (Photovac), RKI (and many others) also make flammable/combustible gas detectors. There are a handful of meters for identifying flammable and combustible liquids (gases) and there are draeger tubes for almost any gas you can encounter.

The Ahura (FirstDefender) is a great tool!

Did you enjoy your training in Anniston?

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Thanks man! I figured a combination between the 4-gas and PID would be best but I wanted to see if anyone else knew any good methods. What would you use to determine whether a solid substance was flammable before you ran it through the laser?

As for Anniston, I had a great time! For those of you who don't know, the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama is the only place in the country where responders can train with real nerve agents (Sarin and VX.) Best part is its totally free! FEMA sends you a ticket, houses and feeds you for the week, and they even reimburse your baggage fees, parking at the airport and mileage to/from the airport!

This was my second time there, I took HAZMAT Technician for CBRNE Incidents back in August of 2011. This time, I took the Hazard Assessment and Response Management (HARM) for CBNRE Incidents Course, you have to take it within 36 months of a successful entry into the COBRA Training Facility. Its basically a 3 day full scale exercise, the only time you spend in the classroom is doing some Just in Time refresher training, but even that is student led.

The other cool thing about going this time was that I was in the first class that got to work with live Anthrax and Ricin at CDP. They've been working on a biological program for the past few months and this was the first pilot for students using that program. That was a pretty cool bonus.