# SWP - Hazmat Entry and Decontamination > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-SWP-25. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. > **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure** > > Adopting this procedure without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices). > **Speak up: Speak up** > > Anyone can stop this task if it looks wrong. Say the hazard, then the action: “Hold the entry, the backup team is not dressed and the meter at the door is reading 12 per cent LEL.” The hazmat officer or incident commander acknowledges, acts, and reviews it later for learning, never for blame. The one debrief question for this task: did everyone who went into the warm or hot zone come out through the corridor and get written down? ## 1. Task and when this applies Entering a hazard zone at a hazardous materials or CBRN incident, and bringing every member and every piece of equipment back out through decontamination. This procedure applies to any entry beyond the cold zone at a release of a hazardous material, an unknown substance, a deliberate chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agent, or an illicit drug or laboratory, whether the entry is defensive at the operations level or offensive at the technician level [(NFPA 470, 2022)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-nfpa-470). It is also the entry and decontamination procedure for battery and energy system incidents under [SWP - EV and Lithium Battery Fire](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-ev-and-lithium-battery-fire) and [SWP - Solar PV and Energy Storage Systems](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-solar-pv-and-energy-storage-systems). ## 2. Hazards - Toxic, corrosive, flammable, oxidizing, reactive, radioactive or infectious materials by inhalation, skin contact, ingestion or injection. - Oxygen-deficient or flammable atmospheres; explosion. - Heat stress inside chemical protective clothing; limited vision, dexterity and air time. - Contamination carried out of the hot zone on people and tools; cross-contamination of the apparatus, the station and members’ homes. - Secondary devices and deliberate harm at CBRN and criminal scenes; booby traps at clandestine laboratories (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-17). - Exposures that are never recorded and cannot be proven years later. ## 3. Controls in hierarchy order | Level | Control | |:---|:---| | Elimination | Isolate and deny entry; defensive action from outside the hot zone wherever the objective can be met from there; no entry beyond the department’s declared service level | | Substitution | Remote identification (binoculars, placards, documents, CANUTEC, the shipper), product control from a distance (diking, diversion), robotics or drones where available | | Engineering | Air monitoring before and during entry; hazard control zones; the decontamination corridor; containment of runoff; lighting | | Administrative | This procedure; APIE; entry and backup teams of equal size; medical monitoring before and after; time limits on entry; exposure reporting; competency by level | | PPE | Chemical protective ensemble to the class the risk assessment selects [(NFPA 1990, 2022)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-nfpa-1990); for deliberate CBRN events, selection per the Canadian first-responder standard (CSA Z1610-11); SCBA in any unknown atmosphere [(NFPA 1550, 2024, cl. 9.11.7)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-nfpa-1550) | ## 4. Required PPE and equipment Chemical protective ensemble of the selected class with SCBA; structural PPE with SCBA for defensive operations outside the hot zone only; four-gas instrument (with HCN, PID and radiation instruments as the hazard requires), bumped that day; two radios per entry team; a thermal imager; the decon corridor equipment (pools, hose and nozzles, brushes, detergent, bags and labels, bench, towels, replacement clothing, water containment); medical monitoring kit; the Emergency Response Guidebook [(Transport Canada, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-transport-canada-2024); [Form - Hazmat Entry Log and Air Monitoring Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazmat-entry-log-and-air-monitoring-record). ## 5. Minimum staffing and competencies - **Entry team:** at least two members at the competency level the task requires (operations with the PPE mission-specific competency for defensive tasks in chemical protective clothing; technician for offensive control) [(NFPA 470, 2022)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-nfpa-470). - **Backup team:** the same number, in the same class of PPE, dressed and at the entry point before the entry team goes in; it does nothing else. - **Decon team:** at least two members in PPE one class below the entry team or as the risk assessment sets, trained in technical decontamination. - **Entry control officer:** one member at the warm-zone boundary with the entry log. - **Hazmat officer or group supervisor**, and a **hazmat safety officer** or the ISO with hazmat operations training, reporting to the incident commander [(NFPA 470, 2022)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-nfpa-470). - **Medical:** a member trained to the department’s medical first response level for pre- and post-entry monitoring; EHS on scene for technician entries. ## 6. Step-by-step procedure ### Analyze 1. Approach from upwind and uphill; stage apparatus outside the initial isolation distance in the Emergency Response Guidebook until the product is identified [(Transport Canada, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-transport-canada-2024). 2. Identify from a distance: placards, labels, container shape, shipping documents, SDS, occupancy, CANUTEC, the shipper’s emergency response assistance plan. Write the product and the guide number on the tactical worksheet. 3. Set hot, warm and cold zones with tape or markers and announce them. Deny entry. Begin air monitoring at the warm-zone boundary and log the readings. 4. **Decision point: is this within the department’s service level?** If not, isolate, protect the public, call the regional or provincial team, and take defensive action only. 5. Set up emergency decontamination (a charged line on low-pressure fog at the warm-zone edge) before anything else, even for a defensive plan. ### Plan 6. The hazmat officer completes the risk assessment: product properties, routes of exposure, atmosphere readings, task, duration, weather, and selects the PPE class and the instruments. Record the basis on the entry log. 7. Brief the entry, backup and decon teams: objective, route in and out, hazards, action levels and what to do at each, air and time limits, emergency signals, the location of the corridor. 8. Pre-entry medical monitoring: vitals recorded on the entry log; a member outside the department’s thresholds does not enter. 9. Technical decon corridor set up per [Hazardous Materials, CBRN and Energy Hazards Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/hazardous-materials-cbrn-and-energy-hazards-program) toolkit item 4, and checked by the hazmat safety officer before the entry. ### Implement 10. Entry control records each member’s identity, PPE, cylinder pressure, time in, task and expected time out. The backup team confirms “ready” on the radio before the entry team crosses the line. 11. The entry team works as a pair, monitors continuously, reports readings and progress every five minutes, and turns around at the planned air or time limit or at any action level. 12. **Decision point: any action level reached, any suit breach, any symptom, any loss of radio contact?** Leave now; report to command; go to the corridor. 13. Exit through the corridor only. Nobody short-cuts to the cold zone, including to fetch a tool. > **Warning: Stop-work triggers** > > Stop the entry, and tell command, when: the backup team is not ready; a reading reaches an action level at the entry point; the PPE class does not match the product; the corridor is not set up; a member’s pre-entry vitals are outside the thresholds; the task is beyond the entry team’s competency level; radio contact is lost; weather or wind shift moves the plume toward the corridor; a secondary device or a threat is reported at a CBRN scene. ### Decontaminate 14. Station by station: tool drop; gross wash; suit wash and rinse; suit removal with help, peeling outward; SCBA removal last, after the suit is clear of the face; inner gloves and clothing removal; personal wash with soap and water; towels and replacement clothing; medical check and vitals on the log; to rehab. 15. The decon team decontaminates itself last; bags are sealed and labelled; runoff is contained and the disposal contact noted. 16. Contaminated civilians go through emergency decon first, with privacy and warmth, and then to EHS; mass decontamination follows the pre-plan where numbers require it. ### Evaluate and terminate 17. Final readings logged; PAR; equipment bagged for cleaning or disposal; the hot debrief. 18. Every member who was in the warm or hot zone files the exposure report before end of shift ([SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting)); post-call station decontamination follows [Decontamination and Contamination Control Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/decontamination-and-contamination-control-program): shower within the hour, laundering, SCBA and tool decon, clean cab. 19. Illicit laboratory scenes: do not enter except for a rescue; operate no switches; test the air first; police lead; withdraw and isolate (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-17). Opioid scenes follow the tiers in the program’s section 5.8 [(CCOHS, 2018)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-hazmat-entry-and-decontamination#ref-ccohs-2018). ## 7. Emergency and contingency - **Member down in the hot zone:** mayday on the tactical channel; the backup team enters by the planned route with the same PPE; emergency decon at the corridor edge; EHS at the cold-zone side. - **Suit breach or skin contact:** leave; emergency decon with copious water; remove the affected layer; medical evaluation; exposure report with the substance and the time. - **Flammable reading rising at the corridor:** move the corridor; stop entries; isolate ignition sources. - **Heat illness in the suit:** leave; rapid doffing at the corridor; active cooling per [SWP - Rehabilitation at Incidents and Training](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-rehabilitation-at-incidents-and-training); EHS. - **Secondary device or threat:** withdraw to the cold zone; police lead; no re-entry until cleared. ## 8. Documentation and reporting [Form - Hazmat Entry Log and Air Monitoring Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazmat-entry-log-and-air-monitoring-record) completed for every entry; corridor setup checklist; exposure reports before end of shift; the exposure register updated by the HSO; instrument bump and calibration logs; the incident triaged under [Incident Investigation and Learning Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/incident-investigation-and-learning-program) (Tier 1 for every entry; Tier 2 for any exposure with symptoms, suit breach or entry without a backup team). ## 9. Training and review Operations-level members: annual refresher with a documented practical evolution (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-9); mission-specific and technician members: annual competency sign-off; decon team: annual corridor drill with timing; instrument users: annual instrument sign-off (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-51). The Hazardous Materials team reviews this procedure annually and after any entry with a stop-work trigger, with a learning-team session first. Sign-off: the program manager; consulted: the JOHSC. ## 10. Related - Program: [Hazardous Materials, CBRN and Energy Hazards Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/hazardous-materials-cbrn-and-energy-hazards-program) sections 5.2 to 5.6. - Policy: [Policy - Hazardous Materials and WHMIS](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-hazardous-materials-and-whmis). - Procedures: [SWP - Exposure Reporting](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-exposure-reporting); [SWP - On-Scene Preliminary Exposure Reduction](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-on-scene-preliminary-exposure-reduction); [SWP - Post-Call Station Decontamination](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-post-call-station-decontamination); [SWP - SCBA Donning, Use and Air Management](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-scba-donning-use-and-air-management); [SWP - Confined Space Entry and Rescue](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-confined-space-entry-and-rescue). - Forms: [Form - Hazmat Entry Log and Air Monitoring Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazmat-entry-log-and-air-monitoring-record). > **Note: Customize** > > Record the service level, the action levels after review with the medical adviser, the pre-entry vital sign thresholds set by the physician, the corridor layout the department uses, the runoff disposal contact and the regional team’s call-out. ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment | Whether a regulation requires SCBA and a hood for firefighters who may be exposed to harmful contaminants | [J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j13-firefighter-ppe-and-protective-equipment) | | Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air | The respirator program standard, and how often and by what method SCBA users must be fit tested | [J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j14-respiratory-protection-fit-testing-and-breathing-air) | | Confined Space | Whether the confined space rules apply when an entry is into a tank, vault or container | [J17 Confined Space](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j17-confined-space) | | WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos | Spill reporting duties and any regional or provincial hazardous materials team arrangements | [J21 WHMIS, Hazardous Materials and Asbestos](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j21-whmis-hazardous-materials-and-asbestos) | ## References Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety \[CCOHS\]. (2018). *Opioids (including fentanyl): Precautions for first responders* (OSH Answers). CSA Group. (2011). *CAN/CGSB/CSA-Z1610-11 (R2021), Protection of first responders from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) events*. National Fire Protection Association. (2022). *NFPA 1990, Standard for protective ensembles for hazardous materials and CBRN operations* (consolidates NFPA 1991, 1992 and 1994). National Fire Protection Association. (2022). *NFPA 470, Hazardous materials/weapons of mass destruction (WMD) standard for responders* (consolidates NFPA 472, 473 and 1072). National Fire Protection Association. (2024). *NFPA 1550, Standard for emergency responder health and safety* (consolidates NFPA 1500, 1521 and 1561). Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development \[MLITSD\]. (n.d.). *Firefighter guidance notes* (Section 21 Advisory Committee; individual notes revised to 2026). Transport Canada. (2024). *2024 Emergency response guidebook* (with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation of Mexico).