EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDE

The Emergency Response Guidebook is used by first responders, such as firefighters, police officers, and ambulance personnel when responding to a transportation emergency involving hazardous materials. It was first issued by the US Department of Transportation in 1973 and was most recently reissued in 2008 as a joint publication of the Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Transport and Communications (Mexico). It is issued every 4 years, so the next edition will be published about 2012. It is divided into four color-coded sections and is intended only to be used for the first thirty minutes of an emergency.