The Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2004) was developed jointly by the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico (SCT) for use by firefighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving a hazardous material. It is primarily a guide to aid first responders in (1) quickly identifying the specific or generic classification of the material(s) involved in the incident, and (2) protecting themselves and the general public during this initial response phase of the incident. The ERG is updated every three to four years to accommodate new products and technology. The next version is scheduled for 2008.

DOT’s goal is to place one ERG2004 in each emergency service vehicle, nationwide, through distribution to state and local public safety authorities. To date, nearly nine million copies have been distributed without charge to the emergency responder community. Copies are made available free of charge to public emergency responders through the state coordinator (U.S. only) nearest you. In Canada, contact CANUTEC at 613-992-4624 or via Internet at canutec@tc.gc.ca for information. In Mexico, call SCT at 52-5-684-1275. Copies are also available commercially in the US through the GPO Bookstore and other commercial vendors such as, JJ Keller, Amazon, Labelmaster and others.  I believe it is important for ALL local police and fire vehicles to have this book, and in addtion, any trucker who hauls hazardous materials should have a copy with them.