Hazard symbols and meanings

Environmental hazardsymbol

When handling hazardous materials, understanding and identifying safety signs is of critical importance. You should be acutely aware of what these signs mean and how to use them to preserve your safety, especially if you work in a facility where hazardous materials or other dangers are present.

Packing for a fire assignment can be a daunting task, particularly because many fire assignments come with short notice. Developing a system to have your gear ready to go at a moment’s notice is a critical aspect of being prepared for wildland fire, and for making an assignment as comfortable as possible. In most structural fire departments, being ready for a long duration assignment to a wildland or wildland urban interface (WUI) fire is not something that is taught; firefighters are left to figure it out and often get caught missing some important items when they show up at a fire camp. Having a system for being ready can make life easier for long assignments as well as short ones.Pack It UpBeing assigned to a wildland fire on an engine has its advantages. With a vehicle comes the ability to pack for comfort, and the key is to do so in such a way as to be prepared for assignments of varied length.Anyone with some backpacking experience can attest to the fact that a systematic and organized packing process can make life a lot easier in the field. Over the years, I’ve developed a handy system for getting the things I need (and want) to fit into pretty small packages. I pack in stages, keeping the things I know I will need the most easily accessible and the less important items stowed away.I use a three-tiered system for keeping my gear ready. I divide fire assignments into short, medium and long categories. The short assignment, or initial attack, requires only PPE and my line gear. I keep my line pack ready to go all year, and it stays in the station with the rest of my gear in the rack. The medium assignment, or extended attack, requires personal effects and equipment for between two and five days. I keep this ready to roll at moment’s notice year round as well. Finally, there is the 14-day assignment, or campaign fire, that requires everything you might need for anything that extends past the five- to six-day assignment and on up to 21 days.Line GearAll wildland firefighters must carry some sort of line gear. A well-stocked and carefully packed line pack can easily get you through the first day or two of firefighting. My line pack not only has what I need to keep comfortable for a long day or two, but also has everything I might need on the fire line–spare batteries, radio clam shell, GPS, a bag full of snacks, one spare pair of socks, a first aid kit, pens and paper, etc. I think of my line pack as a sort of fire briefcase, complete with what I need to get the job done.The Red BagWhen it comes time for spending the night on the fireline, sleeping in the engine often leads to sore necks and poor rest. This is where the red bag comes in. Known by wildland fire crews for decades, the red bag gives a firefighter room to pack everything they need to sleep in comfort.Where I live and work, many assignments last three to four days, and the red bag is perfect for that amount of time; it has everything I need neatly packed into stuff sacks. Undergarments, a spare Nomex shirt, T-shirts and pair of sweats for sleeping all fit pretty handily into one stuff sack. I also carry a small stove with some instant coffee and a freeze-dried dinner or two (I can’t tell you how many times I was glad to have those!). Also stuffed in my red bag is a tent, made as compact as possible with a compression bag. In the front pocket, I stuff toiletries, a cell phone charger and a headlamp. Finally, the bag contains my sleeping bag (handily stored in the compartment designed for it) and an inflatable sleeping pad. I could survive for several days with this bag and my line gear alone, and would be even more comfortable if there is more food stashed somewhere on the engine. All of this equipment fits in one bag and weighs about 40 lbs.Campaign DuffelFor the longer assignments I bring along an extra duffel bag, packed in the same way, with all the needed comforts–extra socks, underwear, shirts, pants, and the all-important flip-flops for the camp shower. Don’t forget an empty (preferably waterproof) stuff sack for those undergarments you wore for the 105-degree, 16-hour line-digging tour; nothing is worse than having your clean clothes smell just as bad as your dirty ones.It’s also nice to have some spare PPE. I always carry an extra pair of gloves and a spare pair of clean Nomex pants and a shirt. While many wildland firefighters out there like to wear their sweat and ash on their clothes like a badge of honor, I prefer to smell a little better rather than looking like I rolled down a burned hillside.The final piece of my packing is a briefcase. If you are operating as the engine boss, strike team leader, or in another leadership role, you’ll no doubt need a complement of paperwork. I keep a well-stocked briefcase of incident command system forms–including crew time reports, unit logs, various incident organizers and incident management guides–with me at all times. Translating personnel and equipment time from notes scribbled on napkins always leads to trouble, so keeping these forms handy will make your job easier when it comes time to get your crew paid.Develop a SystemThere are many ways to keep your gear organized. Developing a system that is consistent and efficient will help make sure that you are always ready to go on that fire assignment and are never left missing something that you really need. Talking to fellow firefighters who have worked on wildland fires for a while is a good way to glean tips and tricks on how to pack for long-duration assignments.Sidebar – Pack It UpLine Pack Inventory

Irritantsymbol

The flame symbol alerts users that a chemical is flammable. It can also indicate a chemical may be pyrophoric, self-heating, self-reactive, or emit flammable gas. It may also indicate a chemical includes organic peroxides.

These pictographs demonstrate that all chemicals should be treated with care. Depending on the chemical, it may be appropriate to wear gloves, eye protection, a respirator, or a full hazmat suit. Seacole is required to provide a Safety Data Sheet for each hazardous chemical to its users to communicate these hazards. Regular safety training can ensure all employees understand how to use chemical products safely.

To learn more about the responsible distribution and warehousing of hazardous chemicals, contact the experts at Seacole today.

Corrosivesymbol

An exclamation mark on a product label indicates a chemical is acutely toxic or can cause narcotic effects. It also indicates a chemical may cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.

Serious health hazardsymbol

Health hazardsymbol

The health hazard pictogram indicates a product contains chemicals that may cause health effects in humans, including cancer, gene mutation, reproductive health effects, respiratory sensitivity, and organ toxicity.

The corrosion pictograph warns users that a chemical may cause burns and skin corrosion and could be harmful to eyes. It also indicates a chemical is corrosive to metals.

To help our customers understand the hazards that may be contained in any particular product, Seacole uses the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) pictograms on product labels. These are universal symbols that help users understand the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed.