EmS Guide: Emergency Response Procedures for Dangerous Goods
The EmS Guide gives fire (F-A to F-J) and spillage (S-A to S-Z) emergency schedules for each IMDG Dangerous Goods List entry, referenced in column 15.
The EmS Guide, the Emergency Response Procedures for Ships Carrying Dangerous Goods, is the IMO guidance that assigns each entry in the IMDG Dangerous Goods List a fire schedule (F-A to F-J) and a spillage schedule (S-A to S-Z). The pair is printed in column 15 of the List, for example F-G, S-N for UN 1402 calcium carbide.
Column 15 is one of the recommendatory parts of the IMDG Code under 1.1.1.5, and IMDG 5.4.3.4 allows the emergency response information required on board to be provided by reference to the EmS Guide and the Medical First Aid Guide . Schedule F-G, for water-reactive substances, is the one that excludes water as an extinguishing agent and governs most of Class 4 Division 4.3.
The full article will cover the structure of the fire and spillage schedules, the revision cycle that tracks each IMDG amendment, and how a ship’s emergency plans use them.