Who determines the availability of equipment to use during a hazardous materials incident?

• A. Each agency
• B. The vendor
• C. The incident commander
• D. The on-site nurse

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that equipment availability during a hazardous materials incident is controlled by the agency that owns or maintains the gear. Each agency keeps its own inventory, readiness status, maintenance, and deployment procedures. When an incident occurs, the incident commander can request resources, but those resources can only be used if the owning agency has them available or can mobilize them through mutual-aid arrangements. The vendor isn’t responsible for deciding what can be used on-site, and an on-site nurse isn’t in charge of equipment availability. So, the determination of what equipment is available rests with the agency that holds it, which is why the best answer is that each agency determines availability.