Whether you are a training officer, Battalion Chief or the Fire Chief, this class is for you! This presentation asks and answers the question, “Is our department REALLY prepared to recognize and respond to a hazmat incident, especially those that arrive on scene first”? Too many times we think our department is prepared only to learn the hard and costly way that they are NOT!

The basics of research is one of the most important but confusing subjects on a hazardous materials incident. Using the Hazardous Identification System (HITS)™ a technician will be able to identify chemical properties of a substance or compound by simple field testing. Conducting basic testing such field papers, flammability, and solubility the technician then may move into advance testing with detection equipment to classify a chemical into a chemistry group. Although the technician may not be able to know the exact name, following the HITS system they should be able to recognize the general group in under 15 minutes. The chart provided is a collective group of information that before was scattered among accepted reference sources. The HITS system brings this information together for easier access.