ERG Deep Cuts
What Is Chemtrec Phone Number
1-800-424-9300
A placard shows Class 3 with UN 1993. Why does the ERG list multiple guide numbers for this UN?
It covers multiple flammable liquids with different hazards
you arrive to a leaking drum labeled “Corrosive” with no UN. What ERG section do you start with?
Placards Table
What determines whether you use small or large spill distances?
Quantity released
A railcar shows UN 1017. What ERG path do you follow and why?
Page Colors
Yellow → Orange → Green (TIH)
What does it mean when a material is highlighted in green?
It is aToxic Inhalation Hazard requiring protective action distances.
A tanker placarded 2.3 is leaking at night. What two ERG sections MUST be used together?
Orange + Green
Two different UN numbers lead you to the same guide. What does this imply?
Similar response actions
Why are nighttime protective action distances larger?
Reduced atmospheric dispersion
You are dispatched to a facility for a leaking cylinder labeled Chlorine. It is nighttime and there is a visible vapor cloud.
What ERG guide number do you use and what are the Green page distances for a SMALL spill at night?
➡️ Guide #: 124
➡️ Initial Isolation: 200ft
➡️ Protective Action (downwind): 0.9mi
What does the P next to a guide number stand for
May suffer a violant Polymerization
What ERG hazard class presents the greatest downwind life safety threat?
Toxic Inhalation Hazards
What is the FIRST life safety priority listed in most Orange guides?
Isolation
A TIH spill occurs uphill from the roadway. How does this affect isolation decisions?
Isolation still prioritized downwind regardless of slope
Anhydrous Ammonia
A nurse tank is leaking at a farm, and the label reads Anhydrous Ammonia. It is nighttime, High Wind
What ERG guide number do you use, and what are the Green page distances for a LARGE spill at night?
Answer key:
➡️ Guide #: 125
➡️ Initial Isolation: 200
➡️ Protective Action (downwind): 0.2mi
What ERG limitation should be stated during the initial size-up on the radio
ERG is for initial response only
Poison or Poisonous are synonyms for
Toxic
PG 6
Where can you find Fireball Radius of a Bleve
pg 359
White Pages
What is the mandatory Evacuation distances for a pipe bomb
70ft
page 367
You arrive at a highway crash involving a tanker leaking an unknown liquid. The driver is unconscious, and you cannot identify a placard, UN number, or shipping papers. What ERG guide should you reference for initial actions?
Guide 111
What ERG section identifies chemical warfare agents
Table of Chemical Warfare Agents
pg 365 White Pages
Why does the ERG caution against assuming UN numbers from placard shapes alone?
Placards indicate hazard class, not specific product
What constitutes a large spill
208lt or 55gl
What ERG distance applies FIRST: isolation or protective action?
Initial isolation
green pages
The ERG recommends shelter-in-place instead of evacuation. What factors justify this?
Fast-moving plume, limited egress, life safety risk during evacuation
pg 285
Or if answered off 283