Necessary equipment for an environmental emergency response

Desperate times call for desperate measures: now that is an expression that applies very well to environmental emergency responses.

Hazardous spills or leaks require a full range of equipment to contain toxic materials and avoid natural disasters.

Here is some equipment necessary for an environmental emergence response.

Equipment for rapid intervention during a hazardous substance leak on land

Most environmental services are mainly equipped to deal with situations caused by road, agricultural or industrial accidents. 

Here are a few examples of equipment used for effective intervention in these circumstances.

Vacuum trucks to remove hazardous materials before they disperse

The first thing needed to get to the scene of the incident quickly and limit the extent of the damage as much as possible is special vehicles.

Regular vacuum trucks, high-capacity vacuum trucks or trucks that combine both suction and the cleaning power of water pressure are some of the vehicles that can be used on different types of land and help slow down hazardous waste dispersion. 

Equipped with high suction power and a sealed tank, vacuum trucks alone can do most of the work during a hazardous material spill. This equipment pumps out solid or liquid waste and safely stores it until it can be dumped in a designated area.

Excavators, containers and roll-off trucks to dispose of contaminated soil

When hazardous substances such as oil or chemical fertilizers seep into the ground, it becomes difficult to pump them out using a vacuum truck. Nevertheless, it is necessary to intervene and remove these pollutants from the soil before they contaminate the water table and threaten the health of the population and the environment.

In these cases, excavators, containers and roll-off trucks can be used. Excavators can quickly remove all contaminated soil from the ground before placing it in one or more leak-proof containers equipped with tarps and hoops. The soil will then be loaded onto a roll-off truck that will transport it to its destination: an authorized treatment or landfill site.

Equipment for environmental emergency response in or along a body of water

Incidents involving hazardous or polluting materials may also occur near bodies of water. In this case, the response speed is even more important because contaminants can disperse faster in water than on land.

To contain hazardous products spilled in water, marine booms have repeatedly been effective. It could also be useful to have a boat or at least a craft to facilitate the deployment of booms on the water.

Once the pollutant dispersion has been slowed down, it can be pumped then transported to an authorized site.

Other useful equipment for environmental emergencies

A lot of other equipment can be useful for environmental emergency responses.

For example, pockets of granular absorbent, absorbent pads and peat moss help slow down the dispersion of toxic liquid.

Retention bins and metal or plastic drums are also useful to contain hazardous products.

EBI Enviro Urgence: equipped to intervene effectively in any circumstance

In short, responding to environmental emergencies quickly and effectively requires access to the right equipment. Otherwise, pollutants and hazardous materials could spread throughout the environment, making their disposal even more complex and expensive.

If you are faced with a toxic product spill or leak, you should therefore deal with a company that has all the equipment mentioned in this article.

At EBI Enviro Urgence, we have a wide variety of equipment to respond to any type of job or emergency safely in an extremely short amount of time. Contact us for any type of environmental emergency response.