Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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4.18 Traffic Ancillary Services
4.18.8 Radioactive and Hazardous Materials (Issued: 6/25/07)
A. Background
1. A hazardous material is defined as: any element, compound or combination
thereof that is flammable, corrosive, explosive, toxic, radioactive, an oxidizer or is
highly reactive and that, because of handling, storing, processing and packaging,
may have detrimental effects upon operating and emergency personnel, the
public, equipment and/or the environment.
2. Radioac tive materials are in current use in hospitals, research laboratories and
numerous industrial and military applications, and are transported throughout the
state by truck, rail, air and water.
3. In addition, numerous hazardous materials are transported t hroughout the state
every day. While many of these are in common use, accidents or spills present a
serious threat to the health and safety of the general public, especially to the
officer who happens to be first on the scene.
4. Many accidents and other emergencies involve more than one agency and require
a cooperative emergency response. It is of extreme importance for all officers to
be aware of what actions they should take during hazardous material emergencies.
B. Procedure
1. Radioactive Mater ial
a. Complete information concerning the incident will be forwarded to the on -
duty Watch Commander by the quickest means available. This
information will include:
(1) Basic description (explosion, fire, etc.)
(2) Exact location
(3) If possible, all infor mation contained on the Interstate Commerce
Commission (ICC) label or labels.
b. Upon being notified of any such incident, dispatch will notify the SFFD
and UCSF EHS (when appropriate), which will in turn notify any other
appropriate emergency response age ncies.
2. Atomic Weapons
When it is believed that an accident or incident has occurred involving an atomic
weapon (or weapon component) or radioactive material that can be identified with
a military service, Dispatch will, in addition to the notification s pecified in
Section 1b. above, request assistance from appropriate military headquarters.
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
2
3. Hazardous Material
First and most important is the safety of the officers and bystanders at the Hazmat
scene. The officer should identify the shipments considered hazardous. This is
usually accomplished directly or indirectly by descriptive data in shipping
documents or on c ontainers, package labels and vehicle placards.
a. Vehicle or spill sites will always be approached from upwind with the
officer’s vehicle windows and vents tightly closed.
b. Personnel will refer to Department of Transportation resource books for
identif ication of the dangerous substance.
c. If this information is not readily obtainable due to an incapacitated driver,
destruction of a bill of lading or other shipping papers, Dispatch will
follow SFFD and UCSF EHS (when applicable) procedures for
notificat ion, notify advise Patrol personnel and then contact the Chemical
Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC) at 800 -424-9300.
CHEMTREC provides technical expertise in handling hazardous material
emergencies. Basic information needed:
(1) Name of caller and call-back number
(2) Location of problem
(3) Shipper or manufacturer
(4) Container type
(5) Rail car or truck number
(6) Carrier name
(7) Consignee
(8) Local conditions.
4. In the case of hazardous material incidents, officers will isolate the hazard area ,
evacuate non -essential personnel and make a preliminary hazard identification
(i.e., spill, leak, fire). The SFFD and UCSF EHS (when applicable) will be
notified immediately of the incident.