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NIOSH Investigation Report: Wisconsin Firefighter Killed, Eight Injured at Dumpster Explosion
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The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the investigation report of the 2009 line of duty death of a Wisconsin firefighter and the injury of eight other firefighters.
Read The NIOSH Report
State of Wisconsin Report
Related
In December 2009, a 33 year old male fire fighter died and eight fire fighters, including a lieutenant and a junior fire fighter, were injured in a dumpster explosion at a foundry in Wisconsin. At 1933 hours, dispatch reported a dumpster fire at a foundry in a rural area. Eight minutes later, the initial responding crews and the incident commander (IC) arrived on scene to find a dumpster emitting approximately two-foot high bluish green flames from the open top and having a ten-inch reddish-orange glow in the middle of the dumpster’s south side near the bottom.
The IC used an attic ladder to examine the contents of the dumpster: aluminum shavings, foundry floor sweepings, and a 55 gallon drum. Approximately 700 gallons of water was put on the fire with no affect. Approximately 100 gallons of foam solution, starting at 1 percent and increased to 3 percent, was then put on the fire, and again there was no noticeable effect.
Just over twelve minutes on scene, the contents of the dumpster started sparking then exploded sending shrapnel and barrels into the air. The explosion killed one fire fighter and injured eight other fire fighters, all from the same volunteer department.
Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injuries or fatality. The NIOSH investigator identified the following items as key contributing factors in this incident that ultimately led to the line of duty death of one fire fighter and to the injuries of eight fire fighters:
Wet extinguishing agent applied to a combustible metal fire.
Lack of hazardous materials awareness training.
No documented site pre-plan.
Insufficient scene size-up and risk assessment.
Key recommendations from the investigation are:
Ensure that high risk sites such as foundries, mills, processing plants, etc. are pre-planned by conducting a walk through by all possible responding fire departments and that the plan is updated annually.
Ensure that specialized training is acquired for high risk sites with unique hazards, such as combustible metals.
Ensure that standard operating guidelines are developed, implemented and enforced.
Ensure a proper scene size-up and risk assessment when responding to high risk occupancies such as foundries, mills, processing plants, etc.
Ensure a documented junior fire fighter program that addresses junior fire fighters being outside the hazard zone.
Additionally, manufacturing facilities that use combustible metals should:
Implement measures such as a limited access disposal site and container labeling to control risks to emergency responders from waste fires.
Implement a bulk dry extinguishing agent storage and delivery system for the fire department.
Establish a specially trained fire brigade.
Inadequate disposal/storage of materials.
The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the investigation report of the 2009 line of duty death of a Wisconsin firefighter and the injury of eight other firefighters.
Read The NIOSH Report
State of Wisconsin Report
Related
- Wisconsin Firefighter Killed, Others Injured After Dumpster Explosion
- Wisconsin Town Copes with Loss of Firefighter
- Mourners Remember Wisconsin Firefighter
- Investigative Report Released on Dumpster Fire that Killed Wisconsi...
In December 2009, a 33 year old male fire fighter died and eight fire fighters, including a lieutenant and a junior fire fighter, were injured in a dumpster explosion at a foundry in Wisconsin. At 1933 hours, dispatch reported a dumpster fire at a foundry in a rural area. Eight minutes later, the initial responding crews and the incident commander (IC) arrived on scene to find a dumpster emitting approximately two-foot high bluish green flames from the open top and having a ten-inch reddish-orange glow in the middle of the dumpster’s south side near the bottom.
The IC used an attic ladder to examine the contents of the dumpster: aluminum shavings, foundry floor sweepings, and a 55 gallon drum. Approximately 700 gallons of water was put on the fire with no affect. Approximately 100 gallons of foam solution, starting at 1 percent and increased to 3 percent, was then put on the fire, and again there was no noticeable effect.
Just over twelve minutes on scene, the contents of the dumpster started sparking then exploded sending shrapnel and barrels into the air. The explosion killed one fire fighter and injured eight other fire fighters, all from the same volunteer department.
Occupational injuries and fatalities are often the result of one or more contributing factors or key events in a larger sequence of events that ultimately result in the injuries or fatality. The NIOSH investigator identified the following items as key contributing factors in this incident that ultimately led to the line of duty death of one fire fighter and to the injuries of eight fire fighters:
Wet extinguishing agent applied to a combustible metal fire.
Lack of hazardous materials awareness training.
No documented site pre-plan.
Insufficient scene size-up and risk assessment.
Key recommendations from the investigation are:
Ensure that high risk sites such as foundries, mills, processing plants, etc. are pre-planned by conducting a walk through by all possible responding fire departments and that the plan is updated annually.
Ensure that specialized training is acquired for high risk sites with unique hazards, such as combustible metals.
Ensure that standard operating guidelines are developed, implemented and enforced.
Ensure a proper scene size-up and risk assessment when responding to high risk occupancies such as foundries, mills, processing plants, etc.
Ensure a documented junior fire fighter program that addresses junior fire fighters being outside the hazard zone.
Additionally, manufacturing facilities that use combustible metals should:
Implement measures such as a limited access disposal site and container labeling to control risks to emergency responders from waste fires.
Implement a bulk dry extinguishing agent storage and delivery system for the fire department.
Establish a specially trained fire brigade.
Inadequate disposal/storage of materials.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Ensure a documented junior fire fighter program that addresses junior fire fighters being outside the hazard zone.
Besides many of the other lessons learned here, this part stands out PARAMOUNT for all those juniors, explorers, cadets, etc who think they have the right or necessity to be inside of a hazard area. This should also be a lesson to all the adults of such children who believe an actual fireground is the "ideal" learning environment for kids, and thus can't see the simple dangers involved in the utilization of children.
LET THIS BE THE LESSON LEARNED SO THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANOTHER CHILD TO GET HURT ON A FIREGROUND.......OR WORSE!
This should be stressed again.
Ensure a documented junior fire fighter program that addresses junior fire fighters being outside the hazard zone.
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Permalink Reply by Heidi Brill on
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I agree with you, junior fire fighters should not be on the fire ground and should be outside the hazard zone 110%. But the junior fire fighter did not come to the fire call with us. He showed up after we were called out, in a car with his girlfriend. Why was he let through to get to the fire? He was taken in for ringing in the ears and everyone at the fire call had the ring. There is No hazard zone for that other then at the fire house. Junior Fire Fighters should NOT be on fire grounds! We did learn lessons that day but we will never have Peanut back and Lexus will have to live her life without a dad. Now everyone needs to learn from us so this never happends again. It is the worse lesson learned.
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But the junior fire fighter did not come to the fire call with us. He showed up after we were called out, in a car with his girlfriend. Why was he let through to get to the fire?
Heidi,
Irregardless, the issue here is that a child was injured. The reason I mentioned this aspect of this article is because of the number of juniors, explorers, cadets, and so forth on here who believe they should be entitled to participate on the fireground. That is coupled with an equal number of so called adults who feel having a kid on a hoseline, throwing ladders, defensie ops, or any other myriad of fireground duties is OK for kids to do, who think nothing of the dangers involved.
I see this incident as a blessing in disguise and the report even confirming the futility in allowing children to operate on the fireground. This is finally mentioned in a NIOSH report about kids getting injured on the fireground and should serve as an example and lesson that better policies need to be adopted by some departments, and rules to be followed by others.
There really are many lessons learned here, from the mindest of a "just a dumpster fire" call, to HAZMAT recognition and preplans. This incident stresses the awareness and the consequences of complacency and hopefully this never does repeat.
The bottom line is it doesn't matter how the kid got to the scene or why he was injured, but for other departments to reevaluate their own similar programs. I also started as an explorer and have done ride alongs and been inside a hazard zone as an observer. Had this been me on my dept as an Explorer, yes, the same thing could happen as with any bystander, but this incident finally does address the issue of children on the fireground.
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Agree! Learning should be in a controlled environment. Sorry if you thought I am disagreeing with you. The reason I am telling people about the injury is not to say it was a small injury or something like that. What I am trying to say is Fire and Firegrounds are unpredictable their is NO safe zone when it comes to firegrounds, ALL areas are a hazard. The kids belong at the firehouse. That is the reason I replied. In the hope others will rethink children on the firegrounds.
For Dept. that let children go on calls no matter how small the call, PLEASE rethink it. In the end nothing good will come out of it.
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