Hazmat Response: A Field Operations Guide — 3rd Edition

Written by Capt. Jeffrey Zientek (Ret.), a 33-year veteran of the Phoenix Fire Department, the Field Operations Guide is the working reference for hazmat teams on scene — not a textbook, but the checklists and lookup tables you actually use during an incident. Organized to be found in seconds, in gloves, at 2 a.m.

Inside the 3rd Edition · 140+ field-ready pages

• Team Organization & Duties: Position-by-position checklists for the full hazmat command structure (entry, backup, decon, recon, research, medical, safety officer, and rescue teams), the APIE-T model for working the incident, the Magnificent 7 research matrix, and the pre-entry briefing.
• Common Incidents: Run-ready guidance for modern calls: lithium-ion battery emergencies, EV fires, battery energy storage systems (BESS), alternative fuel vehicles, solar/PV systems, the hazmat team's role in confined space, natural gas, mercury, radiation and transportation, sick buildings, tanker rollovers and offloading, and suspicious/unknown substances with a dec
• Procedures:ssessment, ventilation, ground-and-bond (with optional techniques), and spill area estimation.
• Chemical Ex, PELs, RELs, ERPGs, and TEELs consolidated in one tabbed section.
• Placards, Gg> All nine hazard classes plus GHS pictograms and UN hazard ID numbers.
• Rail & Motor Carrier Identification: MC/DOT cargo tank and rail car specs from MC 306 through DOT 113, intermodals, spec plates, and reporting marks — with color photos.
• CBRNE: Nerve, blister, blood, and choking agents; biologicals and toxins; radiological/nuclear and RDDs; illicit drug labs, fentanyl and analogs, IEDs, and homemade explosives.
• After Action Report & Reference: A structured post-incident review, plus a glossary, 16 chemical quick-reference sheets, helpful tables, and field aids such as estimating win
• Built for the with a top-coil binding so it lies flat and turns easily in gloves, with tabbed sections and shaded page edges you can find by feel.