EMS response at a hazardous material incident: some basic guidelines.

Emergency medical response to a scene where hazardous materials are potentially involved is becoming more commonplace. Following routine response procedures could result in the incapacitation of the rescue crew. Unique to this paper are some suggestions from the fire fighting literature on how to deal with these incidents. As with any type of potential disaster, it has been found that response is much more effective if potential problems are examined beforehand and protocols developed. Emergency physicians in their role as on-site emergency medical services (EMS) medical controllers should play a leading part in the development and implementation of these protocols.