Why the Emergency Response Guidebook?
The first 30 minutes are the most crucial when it comes to responding to a hazmat situation.
– Ray LaHood, former Secretary of Transportation
It is critical for first responders, and trained HazMat Employees, to have immediate access to concise, accurate emergency response information. The 2016 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) is a go-to manual to help first responders deal with HazMat Incidents during those critical first 30 minutes. It is used by first responders in:
- Quickly identifying the specific or generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and;
- Protecting themselves and the general public during this initial response phase of the incident.
It is the DOT’s goal to place an ERG in every public emergency service vehicle nationwide. To date, nearly 14.5 million free copies have been distributed to the emergency response community through state emergency management coordinators. Check with your state to see if you are eligible to obtain free copies of the 2016 ERG.
If you want to learn more about the 2016 ERG and how to use it, you have two options:
- Check out this instructional video on the DOT website: How to Use the 2016 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG).
- Attend on of my USDOT HazMat Employee training sessions, either Onsite or Webinar. In them, I briefly describe the 2016 ERG, its use in an emergency, and the requirement of the HazMat shipper to provide emergency response information to the carrier.
Changes to the 2016 ERG:
Nobody’s perfect. Check out these corrections made to the 2016 ERG after its publication.
Q: But the 2016 ERG is at least three years out-of-date (as of March 2019), why would I use that?
A: Because the ERG is updated every four (4) years. The next update will be in 2020 (likely not available until July of that year).
Check out this summary of changes from the 2012 edition to the 2016 ERG
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Those seeking to get a copy of the 2016 ERG for themselves have some options:
- It seems that the 2016 ERG is no longer available for purchase from the USDOT.
- However, USDOT provides a list of commercial suppliers of the 2016 ERG.
- A downloadable pdf of the ERG is available on the DOT website:
- ERG 2016 Windows software for download.
- There is also the National Library of Medicine’s WISER Software.
And… there is the ERG2016 Mobile App: Download the ERG2016 Mobile App
“The mobile app will make it easier for firefighters, police, and other emergency first responders to quickly locate the information they need, thanks to the electronic word search function, and will ensure easy reading even during nighttime emergencies.” – From the DOT website.
How can I use the ERG2016 Mobile App?
Q: Is an electronic copy of the Emergency Response Guidebook acceptable to comply with 49 CFR 172.602 Emergency response information? In other words, may the operator of a motor vehicle maintain the emergency response information required by 40 CFR 172.602 solely on a smartphone, tablet, or some other electronic device?
A: No. §172.602(b)(3) states how the emergency response information must be presented by the shipper to the carrier: on the shipping paper or some other document. The emergency response information must be on a document (e.g. a piece of paper) made available to the operator of the transport vehicle.
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