Thursday Nov. 16th, the officers and members prepared retired engine 784 to leave South Ward. She was purchased by a private individual in Virginia. Retired engine 784 served us and the borough of Tam...
The South Ward Fire Co is proud to announce the arrival of our new 2017 Pierce Saber. New 784(in 2018 changed to unit #6514) has a 1500 GPM pump, 750 gallon tank and a 30 gallon foam tank. We would li...
The South Ward Fire Co. is proud to announce that we have been awarded a FEMA grant for over $400,000 for the purchase of new apparatus. We would also like to congratulate the East End, Citizens, and ...
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".
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.
Rating
Number
Health
Hazard
Fire
Hazard
Instability
Hazard
4
Can cause death or serious injury
Ignites below 73°F
May explode at normal temperatures and pressures
3
Can cause serious or permanent injury
Ignites below 100°F
May explode at high temperature or shock
2
Can cause temporary incapacitation or residual injury
Ignites below 200°F
Violent chemical change at high temperatures and pressures