Which best describes the three zones commonly used in E-EOCA work areas and their purposes?

• A. Warm/protected zone supports operations and access control; cold zone is the safe area for personnel and command staff; hot zone contains the immediate hazards.
• B. Hot zone contains the immediate hazards; warm/protected zone supports operations and access control; cold zone is a safe area for personnel and command staff.
• C. Hot zone is a safe outside area; warm zone is where the device is placed; cold zone is the area where spectators stand.
• D. Hot zone is for storage of equipment; warm zone holds vehicles; cold zone contains the hazard.

Answer: (B)

In explosive ordnance work, you organize the scene into three zones to manage risk and keep people safe. The hot zone is the area around the device where the immediate hazards exist; it’s the danger zone that must be restricted to trained E-EOCA personnel wearing appropriate protective gear. The warm zone sits between the hot zone and the cold zone and serves as the buffer where access control, incident command, equipment staging, and decontamination activities occur. The cold zone is the safe area away from the hazard, used for personnel support, command staff, medical, and bystanders who are kept at a safe distance.

This description matches the correct option because the hot zone contains the immediate hazards, the warm zone supports operations and access control, and the cold zone is a safe area for personnel and command staff. The other options mix up where the hazards are or how the zones are used (for example, suggesting the device is placed in the warm zone or that the cold zone contains the hazard), which would not align with standard E-EOCA safety practice.