District No. 3 Fire Department - Emergency Response Guide

Emergency Response Guide

The Emergency Response Guide (ERG) is a guide for first responders during the initial phase of a dangerous goods or hazardous materials incident. Remember, never attempt to handle a material or chemical that you are not qualified to handle. "When in doubt, get out". Search the ERG by material name or material ID number. Example: "Chlorine" or "1017".

NRC: 1-800-424-8802

CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300

POISON CONTROL: 1-800-222-1222

CANUTEC: 1-888-226-8832

NFPA fire diamond

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) fire diamond is a symbol used to alert first responders to the hazards involved with a given material. The fire diamond is based on standards listed in the NFPA document: "Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response" and is designed to be easily understood.

The fire diamond consists of 4 color-coded quadrants:

Red

on the top indicating fire hazard.

Blue

on the left indicating health hazard.

Yellow

on the right indicating chemical instability hazard.

White

on the bottom indicating special hazards.

Fire, health, and instability hazards are rated on a scale from 0 (no hazard) to 4 (severe hazard). Special hazards are listed by symbols specific to the material.