Vehicle equipment, fire safety, and emergency response
What this domain tests
This domain tests the equipment a dangerous goods vehicle must carry and the first actions at a fire or spill. The exam expects you to match the response to the class of goods, not to use one generic method for every incident.
Core rules
- Carry fire extinguishers suitable for the load, a spill kit, personal protective equipment, warning triangle or cones, first aid kit and emergency information.
- Know the fire risk. Flammable liquid fires normally need foam or dry powder, not a water jet. Water-reactive substances such as Class 4.3 goods can react violently with water.
- At an incident: stop the engine, isolate the battery if safe, warn other traffic, keep people upwind and call the emergency services. Do not fight a fire that has reached the cargo or a pressure vessel.
- Use the TREM card and emergency information panel to identify the substance and follow the consignor's instructions.
Worked example
A vehicle carrying petrol has a small engine fire. Reasoning: petrol is Class 3, so a water jet can spread burning fuel. The driver should use a dry powder or foam extinguisher on the small fire, stop the engine, keep people back and call the fire service. If the fire reaches the cargo, the correct action is evacuation and isolation, not opening the load compartment.
Traps
Using water on a water-reactive spill or fire; carrying an extinguisher but not knowing its range; fighting a cargo fire; approaching a spill from downwind; leaving the emergency information panel unreadable.