Monday, January 28, 2013  We were called for an exploded bomb in one wing of the campus.  While we were there waiting for the results of the spectro to come back (turned out to be an muriatic acid bomb), another one detonated in the school’s common’s area. It’s an eerie feeling, especially right on the heels of the school shootings.  Fortunately, we turned the key on the school’s lock-down/disaster plans and everything worked the way it was supposed to.  I attached one of the radio updates I did after we back out, re-positioned and upgraded everything. 




Spokane Fire investigators said a male student confessed to his role in two small explosions at Ferris High School Wednesday morning, prompting a school evacuation and a full search of the campus.

The juvenile may face criminal charges, and may have to pay for the public safety response.

The fire department says rumors were circulating about this student in particular. He allegedly confessed whent he school resource officer confroned him about the incident. Authorities are calling the boy extremely remorseful. They believe he acted alone.

The teen was released to his parents, who are fully cooperating, authorities said.

The first soda pop bottle blew up near the start of the school day in a hallway. Initial reports said three faculty members were injured. The Spokane Fire Department later said just one custodian suffered a superficial skin irritation while he cleaned up the mess. He was not treated and not transported.

Just after 11 a.m. a second device exploded in the school commons as emergency crews examined the liquid in the first bottle. Officials began evacuating the building and organizing buses by 11:40 a.m.

Police say school officials believed the first incident was minor and that's why they kept school in session until the second incident.

Many students described the explosions as loud and startling. One girl told KREM 2 News the sound of the explosion stopped her heart.  Another student saw a green smoke from one of the explosions and said it smelled musty.

KREM 2 News spoke to a Ferris teacher, who wished not to be named, that said the school initiated a lockdown procedure right after the second explosion. Staff decided to get kids into classrooms and make sure everyone was accounted for. The lockdown was lifted about 20 minutes after the second explosion, and the evacuation was started immediately.  The teacher heard about the second explosion from students returning from the commons area, who complained about missing lunch. The teacher described the lockdown and evacuation as "calm and controlled," and it proceeded like those events were supposed to.  The teacher complimented the students for remaining calm.

Members from the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane Fire Department responded to Wednesday's event. Officials from both departments believe these bottles contained household chemicals and said students were not in serious danger. Authorities call this more of a nuisance than anything else.

"This is finals week," Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman Terren Roloff said. "According to the police and the fire department, this is a common strategy to get out of school. Still, however, we thought it was the best thing to do to let students out so we can search for any more of those devices."

The gym was searched early and was deemed to be free of any suspicious devices. Students that could not walk home or drive home waited in the gym for buses to arrive.

Commissioned school resource officers spent the remainder of the day exploring the campus. Nothing else was found.

Classes will resumed Thursday.

 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012  On Saturday 5/12/2012 at approximately 10:00am my Department was dispatched to a reported gas leak. While en-route we were advised that the source of the leak was outside the structure. Upon arrival we staged our engine three houses away form the structure in our direction of travel (south) with a moderate wind out of the east. The officer and firefighter, with full PPE donned, approached the residence and advised dispatch that we were staged and we had a two story single family dwelling nothing visible and we announced that we would be in the investigative mode. The Officer spoke with the lead worker in the front yard of the structure and we were advised that they were working on the foundation and while digging, they struck a gas line. The hole in question was identified and the workers were asked to move down the street and the residents were evacuated. The Engine was moved up to two houses away and the firefighter stretched a 1 ¾ inch bumper line for protection, once this line was charged the officer donned SCBA face piece and moved in to investigate the leak further while the firefighter also with SCBA face piece donned covered the officer with the charged line. Once the location and severity of the leak was confirmed, both the officer and firefighter moved out of the area and came off air (the leak was from a gash in a 2in gas line). At this time command was established and a second engine company was requested, the adjacent residences were also evacuated, a perimeter of 500ft was established around the leak, and the local gas company was requested to respond, we also advised dispatch that we would be moving into the defensive mode. The request for a second engine also brought our Duty Chief, the second engine would be staffed by Volunteers on home response (so there was enough time to establish and secure the perimeter and come up with a solid plan for the mitigation of this incident). Upon arrival, the second engine was staged at a hydrant and the officer was briefed on the situation, the plan was for the first engine company to make entry and utilize a Gas Clamp to mitigate the leak while the second engine company served as a RIT team and manned the charged hose line. Command was passed to the Duty Chief and an ETA was requested of the Gas Company, no ETA was available. Entry team (the first Engine Company) went on air and entered the hot zone and dispatch was advise we were moving into the offensive mode, we began digging out around the line to make room for the clamp and what we thought was a root was found to be in the way. The firefighter who was digging first, advised the officer of his find and the officer told him to take a break while he took over, once kneeling over the hole the officer found the firefighters assessment to be correct and used the blade of the shovel to cut the root, after two strikes sparks began flying, the officer rolled away from the hole and evacuated with the firefighter to the warm zone with the RIT team, at which point the officer visually inspected the area to find the source of the sparks, nothing was found. The Entry team re-entered the hot zone to get a closer look, once back at the hole, the officer used a gloved hand to brush away dirt from the root and found it to be a residential electric service line. The area was again evacuated and dispatch was advised we were moving back into the defensive mode, at this time we also placed a request for the electric company to respond. The gas company arrived and dug up the gas line in a different spot, away from the electric line, the line was clamped shut and the electric company addressed the electrical hazard. All hazards having been addressed the incident was signal 7-1 and all companies returned to service. No injuries resulted from this close call, but a lesson in situational awareness and expecting the unexpected was learned by all responders on scene.
Lessons :1. Get wind direction and speed prior to commiting your apparatus to a certain direction on the street. 2. A clear and concise size-up is critical to providing a clear picture to additional responding units 3. Establishing and securing a perimiter is vital to protecting the public as well as firefighters 4. It is easier to evacuate a structure before something bad happens rather than wait until you are trying to fight a fire to do so. 5. The IAP must be clearly passed to incoming units and durring IC pass on. 6. a clear definition of your stance (I.E. Investigative, Offensive, Defensive, Transitional) must be voiced and understood by all on scene and by dispatch. 7. We have plenty of drinking water on the truck, we do not however have any replacement skin or lung tissue. Wear your gear and wear all of it, The right way. 8. Have a RIT team in place before conducting an offensive operation in a potentially IDLH atmosphere. 9. Try before you Pry or in this case know EXACTLY what you are about to cut before you cut it, some actions cannot be undone. 10. Maintain crew integrity while in IDLH environments, even if that means you are outside on a bright, clear sunny day. 11. Complacency kills, always be on guard for the next bad thing that could happen. 12. No matter how many precautions are taken, there is no replacement for situational awareness and being prepared for the worst.

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011  Phoenix Units responded to a Fall Injury incident at a McDonalds.  Upon arrival units found a responsive female at the top of stairs leading to a basement storage area.  During the patient assessment, the patient stated that she went to the basement, became light-headed and fell.  Another employee found the patient near the top of the stairs and helped her up.  During the evaluation of the patient, 2 fire fighters went downstairs to investigate what she may have fallen over. At this time, the call information was still corresponding with a fall injury.  As the fire fighters descended to the basement they both became light-headed upon entering the basement and immediately went back up stairs.  Both fire fighters stated they had a bitter taste in their mouth, were very dizzy, began to lose peripheral vision, and their lungs were very heavy.  The patient, as the fire fighters were heading down the stairs, stated she might have smelled something funny while she was down there.  The Captain immediately evacuated the entire McDonalds and balanced the call to a Hazardous Assignment and the 2 fire fighters were transported to the nearest hospital for evaluation.  Hazmat crews made an entry for a possible CO2 leak.  They entered with 2 CGI meters and 2 Gas Ranger Meters.  As Crews descended into the basement they began getting decreased Oxygen readings.  The lowest reading they measures was 17.5%.  The Rangers were reading 100% LEL until switched to %Gas.  They then read 25%.  HAZ Sector exited the building and began to mitigate potential hazards.  The gas and power were shut down.  After the gas and power were shut down, the crews were still getting readings.  They made another entry to investigate the CO2 tank in the basement.  The tank was a Cryogenic CO2 dewar called a McBulk.  They found a broken line on the tank.  Crews were able to now mitigate the hazard and ventilate with confined space fans to push the heavier than air gas out of the basement.


Lessons Learned
Members must become more pessimistic in their approach to calls where the patient or patients complain of illness secondary to odors especially in enclosed spaces.  If the atmosphere has adversely affected the occupants of the structure then that atmosphere is capable of having adverse effects on our members if they are unprotected.  Members should not enter areas where these conditions are suspected without proper protection including SCBAs.  

Certain meters carried by the HAZMAT team provide false flammability readings when operated in oxygen deficient atmospheres.  These issues must be accounted for by the HAZMAT members and certain meters must be excluded from use in these atmospheres        

 

Monday, February 22, 2010  On 2/20/2010, firefighters from the Clarksville, Indiana Fire Department responded on a reported unconscious/unresponsive victim at a local motel. This turned out to be a suicide by Hydrogen Sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide was created by the combination of common household cleaning products. What we learned after the run was that this method of suicide has increased nationwide in the pass several months. The victim had sent letters to family members in advance of the suicide and had posted a hazmat warning sign on the motel room door. While no emergency responders were injured on this run, it's important to understand that several could have be very easily killed or seriously injured had they not seen the warning signs.

LESSONS LEARNED: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NORMAL RUN! Be mindful of strange or unusual warning indications. Be prepared to change your tactics on a moment's notice.

 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009  Honolulu fire fighters close call with a communication room explosion On August 12, 2009, at 2217 hours, Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) units responded to an “odor of gas” in downtown Honolulu. Fire officials on scene contacted the local gas company requesting their assistance in detecting the presence and location of any gas leaks within the structure. Subsequent reports from the Gas Company (GASCO) informed the HFD’s Incident Commander (IC) that the building was not connected to local gas service. Matters were further complicated when pre-incident fire plans verified the absence of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or synthetic natural gas (SNG) within the building and the lack of occupants who were knowledgeable or familiar with the building and its contents at that late hour. HFD crews began a systematic check of the building in an attempt to locate portable sources of gas. Leads produced no source for the odor. In one area where the odor was detected, HFD personnel considered a methanol-powered vehicle as a potential source. At approximately 0045 hours, the vehicle was removed from its location and HFD crews returned to their apparatuses when an explosion occurred in the building. The explosion tore off the door leading to a communication room on the second floor of the 16-story Hawaii State Office building and sent it flying more than 20 feet from its original location. Scattered debris damaged several adjacent doors and walls throughout the area outside the communication room and also left a cooling unit lodged in a window. Fortunately no one was injured, but two minutes earlier, HFD crews had been in close proximity to the area where the blast occurred. Had personnel not removed the vehicle from its stall when they did, there may have been a tragic outcome. After the explosion, a quick personnel accountability report (PAR) was conducted and all HFD personnel were accounted for. Fire units then extended their investigation to the communication room where the explosion had occurred. High concentrations of SNG were detected coming from a conduit containing fiber optic cables. Earlier test readings around this same room failed to detect any significant gas readings. As a result, the locked communications room was not accessed or investigated. GASCO was notified of the events and a crew was sent to the scene to look for a leak in their lines. It was determined later that SNG from an underground 4-inch line was leaking and the synthetic lighter-than-air product had somehow found its way into the conduit which ran into the communications room. After consulting with the electric and gas companies, power to the area’s entire grid system was shut down. Governor Linda Lingle was out of town, but her residence at the historic Washington Place was affected by the shut down, as some 50 other businesses in the area. Honolulu Police closed streets and redirected traffic while GASCO personnel completed an initial patch of the leaking pipe. At around 1230 hours, some 14 hours after the initial dispatch, streets were reopened and power was restored to the area. GASCO work crews returned the following day to make final repairs.

Lessons Learned:

Although a systematic risk assessment of this scene was conducted by the IC, first-arriving companies to this scene, and both of the Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Teams, this incident shows us that even when we believe we have eliminated all variables and all potential risks identified on our incident action plan (IAP) we should continue to monitor the situation for safety. A revisit of our IAP might be considered to ensure that we have not overlooked any aspect during the preliminary investigation of the scene. During a preliminary post-incident analysis with the first on-scene companies, the IC for this response recapped his thought process and his IAP with his personnel. He reiterated the fact that at any time, if he himself or anyone at the scene determined there were any signs of impending danger, all units would have been alerted and removed from the immediate area of the scene. Speaking emphatically to the two probationary fire fighters who were present in this group, he also reiterated the fact that each individual should not hesitate to notify their superiors of any observation that has the potential to be unsafe. All members present said they will approach any subsequent response to an “odor of gas” with an entirely different set of eyes. The bottom line here is that a systematic approach to any situation is essential; and even when it is applied correctly, there are always variables that may not have been uncovered during the initial size-up. Although safety at the scene is the responsibility of the IC or his/her designee, ultimately, it is the responsibility of everyone who has responded to the scene.

 

Thursday, May 8, 2008  Last night the fire department was dispatched for an anhydrous leak. The leak from the best of my knowledge was from a hose between the farmers tractor and the applicator tank. First arriving units with the COMMANDING OFFICER decided to drive thought the plume of anhydrous ammonia. Once beyond the point of no return they lost all visibility as well as the ability to breathe normally being in an IDLH environment. According to a friend of mine on the department not on the call they became disoriented with the chief officer (also the FEO) freaking out unable to go backwards or forwards and eventually putting the apparatus in the ditch. (F-450 rescue truck) All of the members bailed out with some finding fresh air easier than others with some having SCBA's and reportedly two members sharing a mask. To my understanding 5 members of the FD were transported to the Hospital all treated and released. The following is the news report. Hazmat team responds to anhydrous spill Posted: May 6, 2008 07:13 AM CDT From KWWL.COM An anhydrous spill forced a road in Dubuque County to close. Just before 10:00 Monday night, Dubuque County Hazmat was called to 5202 Karper Harbor Road in rural Cascade. Charles Knepper was attempting to apply anhydrous to a field when it spilled. Area homes were evacuated. A few members of the Cascade Fire Department were exposed to the anhydrous. They were treated at a hospital and released. Karper Harbor Road was re-opened Tuesday morning.  

Thursday, March 22, 2007  Responded to a multiple vehicle crash as a Paramedic for a Private Ambulance Service. Upon arrival the Engine crew was actively do vehicle extrication using their combi tool. Only one Engine was dispatched and no additional resources were requested. My partner went to the car that the firefighters were working on and I went to the other two cars to check on possible injuries. Finding only minor injuries I proceded to the drivers side of the extrication vehicle and opened the door. I observed the motor was running so I reached in to turn off the ignition, the engine shut off but the key would not turn completely off. The vehicle was in Drive and the elderly driver had her foot on the brake. LESSONS LEARNED: Extrication starts with proper vehicle stabilization and vehicle safety. If this elderly driver would have taken her foot off the brake, who knows how many people would have gotten hurt. Proper vehicle extrication should also include the additional resources to handle all the functions at a motor vehicle crash.  

Monday, December 25, 2006  FD Dispatched to a possible electrocution, two subjects, unconscious, in the basement, and Children calling it in. Upon Chief 372 arrival he met the children in the front yard who said their dad was in the basement and mom went down to help and she started shaking and went down. Chief 372 went to the basement door to find the basement had about 6 inches of water throughout. He could see both victims one face down and the other across the first victims legs partially in the water. The neighbor had a little electric tic and he said he put it in the water with no reading on it. The children said they went shopping and when they came home the father heard water spraying downstairs. When he went downstairs he opened a door and started shaking all over. The mother told the kids to call 911 and when she went to help she also passed out. While chief 372 was at the basement door above the water chief 372 could hear one of the victims trying to breath and gurgling in the water. As one of chief 372 other guys arrived we immediately pulled the electric meter from the front of the house (power company over 1 hour eta) this goes against our SOG's. crews then made entry into the basement where they had about 6 inches of sulfur water(normal for the area as most of the wells in the area are sulfur water). When crews checked the electric panel we had a blown breaker for the basement area this was done while the following treatments were going on. Crews turned the mother over and cleared her airway and started supplemental O2 via ambu bag. She still had a pulse and was trying to breath on her own. The father was pulseless and apneic. Crews started CPR on him and moved both victims from the basement to the upstairs kitchen area. Crews worked on both victims and they were transported by ambulance to the hospital. Crews did get a pulse back on the father but no resperations. He did start breathing on his own enroute to the hospital. Both mother and father survived the ordeal and are leading normal lives again. The Rest of the story… Chief 372 & crew get back to the station and the hospital calls - They need crews to go back out and investigate more because they can find no entry or exit wounds to indicate the electrocution. Lets just say at this point Crews went back out to see what they could find out. They felt it was a poisoning of some type not an electrocution. Chief 372 got the call from the hospital and went back to the scene with a couple guys to see what they could find. Since they said it appeared to be some kind of poisoning the took the gas meter with them. When they walked in the door we were hit with 75ppm of Hydrogen sulfide. (TLV is 10ppm IDLH is 300). They were back at the scene about 45 minutes after They cleared the scene the first time. They notified the hospital from the scene as to what they found. They then notified our health department as it did not seem right to them and had them respond. When they arrived they called the EPA out of Chicago. They sent a crew via plane to Metro airport and come to the scene. They were there in about 6 hours. The scene is about 30-45 minutes form the airport. In the mean time Chief 372 got a call from the station that one of the fireman at the station was complaining of Shortness of Breath and a couple of more complaining of dizziness. Chief 372 responded back to the station with the rescue and called for an ambulance. Since they are volunteer Chief 37 arrived at the same time that Chief 372 did. He advised C37 of the situation and what was going on. Chief 372 told him that the station was out of service and that all personnel on scene were going to be evaluated at the hospital. The ambulance arrived and transported three firemen and the Chief took the remainder in the Rescue unit. They were out of service for two hours while the health department waited on scene for the EPA. When the EPA arrived the FD was called back to be the stand by crew for the EPA entry team. We spent the next two days with them on scene. Here is what they found. The house has about two feet of plumbing in the house that feeds the barns for the horses. This is in a room about 4X9 that they use as a "tornado shelter". In the room is where the pump and the pressure tank is for the system. The family was gone for about 6 hours shopping so the FD do not know how long the leak was going. Upon investigation the EPA found that the pressure tank had a pinhole leak around one of the seams that had rusted. Under pressure it was creating an aerosal of hydrogen sulfide. FD do not know how long the leak was going but the fd figure it either overheated the system and tripped the breaker or the fd got about 24 inches of water trapped in the room and it popped the breaker when it got into the electrical. The FD thinks the second to explain the amount of water in the basement area along with the sump pump backing up do to no power. It was on the same breaker as the pump. During the investigation the EPA put a tent up around the pump and ran it. In a matter of 10 minutes they were registering 2400ppm around the pump. The thought was that when the father went down and opened the door to the room he was overcome immediately and went down. The wife saw him go down and when she went to help him she was also overcome. The health department was going to do a study in the area to see how much HS was given off when people took a shower after this call. The FD have never heard of any results of that but the FD does know that they are going to town and getting city water put in all over the place.  

Thursday, December 21, 2006  12/19/06 - I was the officer of the first ambulance on the scene and the first one in the building in the Orland Park hazmat incident that you have already written about. I've been reading your letters for a couple of years now and I never thought that a simple asthma EMS call could get so intense so quikly and develop into such a dangerous situation. It came down to making a split second decision and we decided to stay and perform 2 recues inside the house. Unfortunatly 1 of the residents passed away from what I believe were severe respiratory track burns from a combination of home remedies, bleach, and industrial strength drain cleaners which turned into other chlorine based gases and other acids. The good news is the other 2 residents will both make it. It depends on what B/C you talk to wether we made the right decision to stay in the house. There will always be critics of judgement calls like these but I hope that we made the right one.Just wanted to let you know all 6 of us were treated and released from 3 different area hospitals that day and are expected to be back to work next shift. Thanks again for your article, just hope I never have to read about anyone, especially myself and the people I work with ever again. LESSONS LEARNED: We are working with the department safety committee to look at the situation and see what else could have been done to make a future call like this end up with no injuries and learn from this experience. I believe The FPD is expecting a visit from the IL DOL who will probably cunduct there own investigation and deliver a set of recommendations.  

Thursday, October 26, 2006  Our engine company, with four, was dispatched to a gas leak, inside a residential structure. On arrival, the Captain was informed by the homeowner, of a gas leak in the kitchen, with the meter being in the basement. As I came off the engine, I heard the homeowner say, down the basement and make a right. My Captain headed into the house and I went with him. The other firefighter and the driver were getting the gas monitor in service. When we entered the house, we knew we had more than a small gas leak. The gas line to the stove was disconnected, pumping natural gas into the home. My Captain headed for the basement, I started opening up the house. I then went down the stairs, made a right turn, into a laundry room. At the same time, my Captain entered, from the opposite side and said he was having problems locating the meter. We continued looking and found the meter in a closet, the meter was visible through a small hole, cut in the drywall. We tried, with no success to shut the gas off, with the tools we had. We headed back upstairs, for more equipment, where we met our other firefighter, with the gas meter, that was in full alarm. I gave the captain a pair of channel locks and he headed back to the basement. The other firefighter informed me, that we were operating in a 10-15% LEL atmosphere. We continued opening up. I was going to kink the line and kneel on it, when the Captain got the gas shut off, after knocking a small hole in the drywall. We were able to completely open the house up, and the levels began dropping. Lessons learned: Don't rush in, take the time to ensure a complete size-up. Call for more help right away, it's better to call than not call at all. Wear you mask, it may sound routine, but it's not. Treat every run like it could be your last, one spark and this one could have been for 3 of us. An empty residence is not worth 3 firefighters lives. Stay calm, no matter what the situation, We all stayed calm and did what needed to be done. We worked as a team and thankfully we all went home.  

On 8/28/06 @ 1919hrs. Engine 4 responded to a report of a van leaking oil. On arrival, Engine 4 crew found a 1977 Dodge van leaking numerous fluids, including power steering and transmission fluid. Absorbent was placed around the van to prevent the fluids from entering the storm drain. Upon further investigation, three 55 gallon drums were discovered inside the van (see below photo). Police were called to stand-by while the van was opened and the drums were checked. The drums were empty, containing only slight residue and the odor of Hydrocarbons. The van was towed and impounded. The incident served as a reminder of the hazards that may be encountered at a seemingly benign incident.  

Saturday, July 22, 2006  IT'S NO GAME!!!
 
My Department (with Mutual aid from several other departments) was working a barn fire. The barn was about 40 feet from a House and it had an elevated gasoline tank just a few feet from it. The temp was about 100 degrees with around 65 percent humidity so our crews were wearing out quickly. We had some water supply problems at the beginning of the call that caused our frustration level to rise a bit.

The event happened during overhaul so with the heat, and the frustration from the earlier water supply problems no one was at their best. money, Unfortunately, we were unable to save the barn and it was about 80% on the ground. We were in the process of overhaul and my partner and I were on the way back from rehab when it was suggested an officer from one of the mutual aid departments that we should probably not wear my bunker coats any more because of the heat of the day and “anyway the fire is just about out”. My partner and I chose to put ALL of our gear on before we went back in even though it was a hot day, just in case. About 5 minutes later my who had the pike pole pulled back a sheet of tin that had some small flames visible around it. We saw a wooden box with 6” flames coming from one corner of it. The man on the hose put water on the flames. Much to out surprise the box contained 25 pounds of engine parts that were made from magnesium!! We got to see, and until we scrambled back far enough we were part of a very beautiful, but not very fun, fourth of July type fireworks show.

No one was hurt. A few burn marks on our gear but no injuries. This was in part do to the fact that we were wearing our gear. And that the man on the hose line quickly pulled his hose stream off of the box, changed it to a fog pattern and used it to protect us until we could scramble back out of danger.

The lessons I learned here are that even during overhaul no matter how hot, tired and frustrated you are keep wearing all of you gear and make sure you have a charged hose line close by to cover you just in case the unexpended happens. Also do not get so focused on the obvious dangers like the exposure and the fuel tank that you do not look for the hidden dangers because it is usually the hidden dangers that will bite you. Just think if we had taken the advise of the mutual aid officer and not put our gear back on. The day would have an entirely different ending.
   

Sunday, April 23, 2006  Our small FDgot a call from a factory saying that they had a chemical leak and would like the fire dept to check it out (only 2 or 3 guys on the dept. trained to the tech. level). The fire chief tells 2 green ff's to hop in the tanker and go check it out. They turn down the road toward the factory and it hits them CHLORINE GAS! They rapidlly get out of the tanker put their bunker gear on & SCBA. Radio the chief, tell him what they have. The director of a well trained regional haz mat team located 5 minutes away hears the radio traffic and offers to sent a haz mat unit to the scene. The fire chief tells him "negative". the chief calls the firefighters on a cell phone (he's not at the scene and he never responds) and tells them to take care of it. The young brothers, fearing reprimand, go and shut off a LEAKING CHLORINE CYLINDER, in regular bunker gear. The cylinder was located outside the factory. The 2 brothers were trained only to the awareness level. How I found out about this, I was going over SCBA drills in the bay (a large apparatus bay)and kept smelling something. One of the students asked to speak with me. He asked me if I thought his gear was o.k. Standing about 3 feet away from the chlorine vapors would sting your nostrils. This was 5 days after this incident happened! That's when I began piecing together what happened. The fire chief is the only full time paid fire offical in this town, everyone else is paid on call. He is now working furiosly to try to cover up the incident. The firefighters complained of some symptoms that may be relative, but at last word, the chief had the brothers talked out of any medical evaluation (one of the firefighters told me he didn't want to say anything due to fear of getting kicked off the department). What happens from here, I don't know.  

Tuesday, January 31, 2006  Two engine companies responded to a leaking 3" gas line cut by workers. On arrival engine companies began evacuation of homes in close proximity of the leak. Gas company workers began digging a hole 100 feet up wind of the leak. They planned to hot tape the pipe to install a valve to abate the leak. Without coordination, the gas company began welding with tape on to the steel pipe only one crew member was close enough to see the operation all other members were still evacuating the area. During this hazardous operation only one firefighter was standing by with full PPE. Gas Co. employees explained that if while welding they blew through the pipe a large explosion would occur. Command and the fire dept were not informed of the hazards, had not coordinated with the gas company which put members of the gas company and the fire dept at risk. Fortunately the hot tape operation went well but if the pipe had failed this could have cost the lives of approximately 8 people both from the fire dept and the gas company. The gas company supervisors and the incident commander are changing SOPs for both organizations. Additional training is planned  

Friday, September 23, 2005  6/1/05 HazMat call--- Responded with bunker gear and SCBA for "pool chemicals that got wet and was giving off gas". We dumped and diluted the solution resulting from a 6 gallon bucket of Chlorine granules being left open in the rain. After everything was washed down with 600 gallons of water the bucket was found to have a 2-3" layer crystallized in the bottom. 'Someone' screwed the lid back on the wet bucket. When I noticed I objected that it could explode, and recommended we open the bucket and fill it with kitty litter to absorb the water and just sit the lid on the top without screwing it down. The Chief called a chemical hotline and asked if Chlorine would explode. They said no, it wouldn't burn or explode. The Chief was going to leave the closed bucket with the property owner for disposal. My chemistry probably isn't precise, but roughly, Chlorine mixed with water steals the hydrogen and makes HCl and leaves O2 as a fee gas. The reaction produces heat which expands the gas. The property owner approached me and said what I was saying made sense. He was going to follow my suggestions. I couldn't just drive off and leave him or his kids to discover whether or not it was dangerous. I walked over to remove the lid myself. It exploded as soon as I touched it turning the plastic of the bucket into shrapnel. The worst injury was from a shard penetrating at the top of my lip and going through my cheekbone to puncture my right sinus. I was lucky that I'd taken my helmet off. It may have taken my head off.