What happens in the cold zone of a hazmat scene?

In the context of a hazmat scene, the cold zone is designated as the area where support functions take place, which includes initial assessments and possible treatments for patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials. This zone is typically set up to operate safely away from the risks associated with the hot zone, where the hazardous situation exists, and the warm zone, which serves as a buffer between the hot zone and the cold zone.

In the cold zone, responders can perform various treatment procedures with less immediate risk of contamination or exposure to hazardous materials. This careful organization ensures that patient care can be efficiently managed while minimizing risk to both the medical responders and any patients present.

Approximately, most treatments being performed within this area aligns with established protocols designed to keep the processes streamlined and safe, thereby enabling responders to give the necessary care without being hindered by hazardous threats. This makes it distinct from other zones, where specific activities like decontamination and triage are vital but take place in different contexts.