Skip to content

Archives for firefighter-safety-health

See all posts in the network tagged with firefighter-safety-health

Update: Mystery odor that brought out Hazmat and 85th CST caused by Lint

Firefighters, hazmat teams, and the Utah National Guard 85th WMD Civil Support Team were called in when a family noticed a “metallic burning smell” in their home. No one was ill, but a recent visit by an exterminator had responders taking no chances. You can read the original post about the incident here.

Once pesticide and other common causes were ruled out, responders continued to work through the night to determine the cause of the odor. The Davis County Clipper reports that responders were able to determine that the odor was caused by “a bit of dryer lint blocking an air inlet on the water heater”.

Read more: Davis County Clipper – Lint not WMD cause of Syracuse family’s evacuation

Posted by Gary Sharp on July 18, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, news, patient-management, special-operations • Tagged: Civil Support Team, CST, hazmat, hazmat team, mystery odor, odor investigation

Explosion, Possibly Acetylene, Injures 6 Firefighters

The Kirwin, Kansas Fire Department responded to a report of a fire on a water tower, along with a nearby brush fire. The brush fire spread to the tires of a semi trailer parked on site. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the brush and tire fire. Firefighters were standing near the trailer, discussing how to tackle the water tower fire, when a massive explosion occurred, injuring 6 firefighters and heavily damaging a brush truck.

Workers had been welding on the water tower earlier in the day. At quitting time, they stored their equipment including flammable liquids and acetylene cylinders in the trailer. Investigators suspect that the welding operations sparked a small fire in the water tower. Flaming debri falling off the water tower likely started the brush fire, which extended to the tires of the trailer.

If your team uses the HazMatIQ System for size up and research, Acetylene is a Red 4. its hazards include flammable/explosive.

Posted by Gary Sharp on July 15, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, fires, hazmat, mass-casualty-incident, news, patient-management

1 Person Critical after Iodine Pentaflouride spill. 4 Firefighters treated for Exposure at “EMS” Call

Workers were attempting to clean out tank truck when one persons was severely burned by chemical on the arms and chest. Firefighters, responding to an EMS call, entered the building and encountered a chemical vapor cloud. They were able to remove the victim and other employees in the area. Nine people, including four firefighters were transported to the hospital. Click more to read the full story and see the video. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 29, 2010 • Filed under: ems-health-safety, ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, mass-casualty-incident, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations, videos • Tagged: hazardous materials, hazmat, hazmat team, HF, tank truck

Confined Space Incident: 2 firefighters and 2 civilians pulled out unresponsive

The four victims: a plumber, a bystander that came to the plumbers aid, and two first arriving firefighters were unresponsive when the were pulled from a well pit outside an Indiana home. The two liberty township firefighters responded in their personnel vehicles, and arrived before the apparatus. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 26, 2010 • Filed under: ems-topics, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, line-of-duty, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations • Tagged: confined space, technical rescue, technical rescue team

Acrylonitrile Leaks While Truck Driver Sleeps

A truck stop was shut down the truck stop for hours as officials cleaned up the spill. A gas station employee was treated for chemical exposure, and a firefighter was treated on the scene for heat exhaustion. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 26, 2010 • Filed under: ems-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, news, patient-management, rescues • Tagged: hazmat, hazmat team, tanker truck

3 Firefighters and 1 Worker transported from Hazmat scene. Firefighters mistake chemical cloud for smoke

Photo by Cole Cosgrove

Photo by Cole Cosgrove

Lakewood, Washington firefighters responded to a fire alarm in a two story office building arond noon today. Upon entering the building, firefighters noticed a white haze they mistakenly thought was smoke.

Shortly after entering, the firefighters began to feel ill and exited the building. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 23, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, in-the-line-of-duty, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations • Tagged: chemical plume, chemical reaction, hazmat, hazmat team, sick building

Hazmat called when fire breaks out in a box trailer

Photo by Carol Hopkins / Oakland Press

Photo by Carol Hopkins / Oakland Press

A hazmat team was called in to assist Pontiac firefighters when a trailer containing 18,000 pounds of batteries caught fire. Firefighters used foam to knock down the fire and controlled the runoff. Initial responding firefighters were sent to the hospital to be evaluated as precaution. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 15, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, special-operations • Tagged: hazmat, hazmat fire, hazmat team

Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation

Nitrogen is suspected in a recent incident in Ohio that took the life of a city maintenance worker and proved to be a close call for (3) Middleton firefighters. The Chemical Safety Board previously released an excellent video on the hazards of nitrogen asphyxiation.

Many responders do not realize that nitrogen gas poses a danger to responders OUTSIDE a tank or confined space.

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 9, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations, videos • Tagged: air monitoring, confined space rescue, hazmat, technical rescue

Confined Space Incident: City Worker Killed, 3 Firefighters overcome.

Photo by Gary Stelzer

Photo by Gary Stelzer

Authorities are still sorting out an unusual confined space incident in Middleton, Ohio that took the life of a city worker, and hospitalized 3 firefighters. The 31 year old city maintenance worker was conducting a non-entry inspection of a manhole when he lost consciousness and fell down inside the manhole.

It is believed the worker may have been overcome by an unknown gas, possibly nitrogen. The manhole was located in front of an Air Products facility.

Middleton firefighters, responding to a report of a fall, attempted to rescue the worker by lowering a firefighter into the manhole with a rope. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on May 8, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, in-the-line-of-duty, patient-management, rescues, special-operations • Tagged: confined space, hazardous materials, technical rescue, technical rescue team

Smelly Litter Box Mistaken for Meth Lab

After evicting a long time tenant, the land lord entered the house for the first time in 20 years. Inside the Westland, Michigan house, the land lord encountered a strong “ammonia like” smell and called 911.

Fearing it could be a meth lab, responders called in the Western Wayne County Hazmat Team. The hazmat team made entry in PPE to conduct air monitoring and recon. The team did not find a meth lab, but they did find an that the house had been used as a giant litter box. The ammonia aroma was produced from the cat urine.

Posted by Gary Sharp on April 19, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, news, special-operations • Tagged: hazmat, hazmat team, meth lab

6 firefighters hurt and 2 fire department vehicles destroyed while fighting oil tank fire

oil tank fire 1

Photo by Candace Rachel of the Plainville Times

Photo by Candace Rachel of the Plainville Times

Photo by Candace Rachel of the Plainville Times

Seven area fire departments were called in when lighting apparently struck a tank of crude in Rooks County, Kansas. In describing the fire suppression efforts, Stockton Fire Chief Alec Hrabe said: “We had the fire out two or three times, but it rekindled.” “The tank gave way and split open, and we had fluid and fire everywhere, and another tank exploded. I have never been on anything like that before. It was a big ball of fire.”

Five of the firefighters were treated and released from the local hospital. One firefighter was taken to the burn unit for burns to his neck and hands. A brush truck and pick up truck for different departments were consumed by the fire.

Posted by Gary Sharp on April 5, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, news, special-operations • Tagged: flammable liquid, hazmat, tank farm fire

Ceremony Held for WV killed during flood rescue

Donnie Adkins, a Glasgow, WV firefighter, died when the rescue boat he was riding in flipped over. Adkins and other firefighters were rescuing people trapped by rising flood waters. After an intensive week long search, his body was recovered on March 19th.

Fellow responders gathered in Beckley, WV to honor the sacrifice made by firefighter Adkins. At the conclusion of the ceremony, firefighters draped an American flag on his casket and loaded into a waiting ambulance. A health NET EMS helicopter flew over head.

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 20, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, line-of-duty, news, rescues, special-operations

Sulfur Dioxide Leak, 4 Firefighters Exposed. Review Tactical Considerations

The Hamilton Township, Ohio fire department was called when someone reported “smoke” from an industrial building. Firefighters arrived and made entry, and quickly discovered the smoke was actually a cloud of sulfur dioxide (SO2).

The SO2 was leaking from a cylinder at A&G Cylinder, a business that cleans out compressed gas cylinders. A&G says they only accept empty cylinders. They were unaware the cylinder contained product.

Click more to see the video and review response considerations for SO2. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 17, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, hazmat, special-operations • Tagged: close call, hazmat team, leak, liquefied compressed gas

Chemical Suicide Trend Continues, This time no warning sign was posted

Chemcial Suicide NC

Photo by Stacy Davis / Capitol Broadcasting Company

The North Carolina Regional Regional Response (hazmat) Team, staffed by the Raleigh Fire Department, was called in to assist with a chemical suicide. A 35 year old elementary school teacher was found dead in her car, with chemicals in a bucket on the passenger seat.

Unlike many previous chemical suicides, no warning signs were posted on the car. Several law enforcement officers were exposed before hazmat was called.

Media reports did not include the chemicals involved. Below is a short video of the news broadcast.

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 16, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, patient-management, special-operations, videos • Tagged: chemical suicide, detergent suicide, hazmat, hazmat team

Asleep at the wheel ?

I gave my crack staff at FireSpecialOps.com the day off yesterday, so we missed a couple of great stories.

I gave my crack staff at FireSpecialOps.com the day off yesterday, so we missed a couple of great stories.

The video of a car striking some boulders got my attention when I caught a glimpse of it on the news. Unfortunately the firefighter running the TV remote yesterday switched channels before I heard the details. My first thought was, where are the cones, barricades tape, or blinking lights? It took the driver so long to react, I considered maybe the driver was dosing off.

After reading the story, I learned the driver wasn’t sleeping, just driving with his head up his @$$. Imagine if a fire apparatus had been parked there, he probably would have hit that too. You could have all the reflective chevrons or arrow sticks you want on the back of your truck, if drivers aren’t looking ahead, it doesn’t do any good.

Speaking of sleeping at the wheel. I must have been nappin’ to miss the story of the fisherman who wouldn’t go along with the program during a water rescue. Statter dug that story up also, you can see it here. (I don’t think Dave Statter sleeps..)

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 16, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, news, patient-management, rescues, special-operations, videos • Tagged: scene safety, swift water rescue, water rescue

Tear up the Safety Rule Book To Save Lives ?

I would normally leave reporting on the fire service across the pond to the FireGeezer, but this article sucked me in. An unsuccessful confined space rescue in Scotland has sparked a debate about what our priority should be as firefighters: the safety of the rescuer, or saving the victim?

Click here to see this must read account of what happened when a women fell down a mine shaft, and the Chief prevented firefighters from attempting a rescue. When the incident was reviewed, the Chief stuck to his guns that the incident was the success, even the thought the victim did not survive. Read about the review here.

In my opinion, the pendulum has swung to far to the side safety. In paraphrasing my good friend Buzz Melton, a retired Battalion Chief from Baltimore City “This job has an acceptable level of risk, if you don’t believe that, maybe you should work at McDonald’s…you can still be part of a team and help people”. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, in-the-line-of-duty, rescues, special-operations

Methanol Tanker Overturns in Louisiana…Learn What Not to Wear

Methanol Tanker Overturns

Photo by Abby Taylor, Houmatoday.com

A tanker carrying 6500 gallons of methanol overturned in Port Fourchon, LA. The shipper estimated the “drip” lost 15-20 gallons of product, while the Louisiana State Police Hazmat Unit estimated the leak at 1500 gallons. Click here to read the story. Click the more button to read more about methanol response and what not to wear. (more…)

Posted by Gary Sharp on March 2, 2010 • Filed under: firefighter-safety-health, hazmat, special-operations