What is a primary responsibility at the time of a hazardous materials incident?

The primary responsibility at the time of a hazardous materials incident includes identifying your responsibilities. This means understanding your role and the specific protocols you need to follow in such situations. By clearly defining your responsibilities, you can ensure an effective and safe response to the incident.

Knowing your responsibilities helps you to stay focused and make informed decisions, which can significantly impact the safety of yourself, your team, and the surrounding community. This awareness allows you to effectively communicate with others, coordinate with emergency responders, and take appropriate actions to mitigate risks.

In contrast, the other options lack the necessary focus on safety and proper response protocol. Engaging with the media, while important later in the incident management process, is not a priority during an immediate response. Disregarding the severity of the incident could lead to dangerous consequences, and leaving the area without assessing the situation may compromise safety and the effectiveness of the response effort.