Incident Analysis and Initial Response

These elements are interactive and do not necessarily need to be sequentially implemented. Responding units arriving at a scene to restrict access, for example, may do so without previously identifying spilled material and assessing potential hazards. Other situations may require suspending all response actions until:

n The hazardous substances at the scene are identified, and n An evaluation of the behavior and toxic properties of these substances has

been made

For an effective response operation to be developed, there must be mutual interaction and feedback from the outset among different emergency response elements. The following sections discuss in greater detail each element of the incident analysis and initial response.