What are the three control zones in a hazmat incident?

• A. Red Zone, Yellow Zone, and Green Zone
• B. Immediate Zone, Secondary Zone, Tertiary Zone
• C. Primary Zone, Secondary Zone, Tertiary Zone
• D. Hot Zone, Warm Zone, and Cold Zone

Answer: (D)

Dividing the hazmat scene into three zones helps protect responders and control the spread of contamination. The Hot Zone is where the hazardous material is present or suspected; access is strictly limited to trained personnel wearing the proper PPE, and it’s where the immediate hazard response and containment occur. The Warm Zone surrounds the Hot Zone and acts as the decontamination area and support space; it’s the buffer where PPE is donned and doffed and where initial decontamination begins before people move to safer areas. The Cold Zone is the clean area with no detectable contamination; it houses incident command, staging, medical treatment, and communications, and entry doesn’t require PPE beyond standard precautions. This setup keeps the most dangerous work contained, reduces cross-contamination, and maintains accountability of personnel and resources. Other label sets are used in different contexts and don’t describe hazmat control zones.