Development of a portable GC-MS method for the rapid on-site identification of hazardous organics at fire scenes

Metropolitan fires present a range of complex hazards to human and environmental health and safety. These hazards extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the fire ground. Fire effluent in the form of smoke and contaminated firefighting run-off water can impact the surrounding environment. It is well known that fire effluent can be toxic, consequently it is important to establish the chemical composition of the smoke plume or any firefighting run-off water. Identifying hazardous compounds released by a fire is critical for effective and targeted risk management during emergency situations. However, the detection and identification of hazardous organic compounds present in fire effluent is traditionally conducted using laboratory-based methods where results can take up to 24-48 hours to become available. Therefore, this intelligence cannot be readily factored into emergency incident response and risk management decisions whilst the incident is unfolding. Field-portable instrumentation can be readily deployed as part of an incident response to achieve in-situ identification of hazardous compounds. Using this approach, targeted risk mitigation and management decisions can be made in real time to implement better protection measures and aid incident resolution. To this end, a person portable Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer was evaluated for the detection and identification of hazardous organic compounds in air and water matrices derived from fire scenes. Field methods for the collection and analysis of air and water samples were developed through three stages: (i) controlled laboratory testing; (ii) controlled field-testing; and (iii) deployment in a real-world scenario. These methods were validated against traditional laboratory-based methods. The final field-based methods were capable of presumptively identifying hazardous organic compounds in air and water samples collected from active fire scenes. Samples could be analysed after a 15-minute start-up procedure and six air samples or four water samples were able to be analysed every 60 minutes from that point. Implementing these methods into emergency response procedures can provide first responders with the presumptive identification of hazardous organic compounds present at individual fire scenes. This intelligence can be used to improve the protection of human and environmental health and enhance safety at fire scenes whilst the incident is unfolding