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NATURAL GAS CALLS
What do you do when you get on scene of a natural gas call. My dept gets there.........sniffs the air........says,''Yeah, Its gas, call the gas co. Heres your bill". What do they expect the fire department to do???? They dont understand the hassle of responding to something that theres nothing we cant do anything about. What do you all do??
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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What do you mean there is nothing you can do? In this day and age of lawyers and liability, you had better figure this one out. You need to at least monitor the area for LEL. You can even get yourself a point detector and pinpoint the problem, if it is a small leak. Worst case, shut the gas off at the meter and call the gas company. But, you had better wait on scene until they get there. Too many people have turned their defective gas back on and then they have a fire or explosion.
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Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on
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I work for a gas company and a fire department, so the best thing to do is notify the gas company as soon as you are dispatched. Also like J Brooks said get a CGI or monitor, it's always best to cover yourself.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Here's our SOG:
1. Size-up (gathering of information) should start as soon as the alarm is received and continue while responding to determine the extent and details of the leak. The first-arriving officer should gather as much information as possible from the occupant (or person reporting the leak) including the type of product, amount or size of the container, how long has it been leaking, and any known ignition sources in the vicinity.
2. Once size-up has been completed, apparatus should be staged so that only the minimum amount of equipment and personnel become exposed to the potential of an explosion. Apparatus should not be parked immediately in front of the structure. A safety zone that includes as a minimum the estimated collapse zone of the structure should be established.
3. Department actions will be limited to:
a. Evacuation and securing the structure involved
b. Ventilation of the structure
c. Assisting public utilities when requested.
4. Full protective equipment, including SCBA, should be worn by all firefighters entering the structure or area of gas leak. These areas should be considered contaminated with gas vapors until proven otherwise.
5. All firefighters entering contaminated areas should be equipped with portable radios and flashlights that are explosion-proof or have intrinsic safety ratings. These firefighters should also remove any cell phones or pagers from their person, and only use tools and other items that are static-proof.
6. If the strategy is to enter the affected area or structure, a briefing of personnel should occur with the pertinent details covered such as the type of gas, source of leak, ventilation in place, use of SCBA, and gas detector. The tactics should involve the minimum number (at least 2) of personnel needed to accomplish them, and all remaining personnel shall be staged outside the safety zone. Operations that can be completed outside of the structure (shutting off gas supply, ventilation) should be done outside.
7. The gas detector should only be utilized by a firefighter trained in its operation. It should be turned on in fresh air while in the safety zone, and continuously monitored as the area or structure is approached.
8. If a greater than 50% LEL (lower explosive limit) reading is obtained, the crew will immediately exit the structure or area, and begin exterior ventilation activities.
9. If 100% or more LEL reading is obtained within a structure, there is an imminent danger of an explosion and the following steps should be taken immediately:
a. Leave the doors open if possible while exiting the structure.
b. Maintain a safety perimeter of at least 250 feet in all directions from the structure. Adjacent structures within this perimeter need to be evacuated. Roads within the safety perimeter will be closed off.
c. Shut off gas and electric supplies to the structure to remove the most likely ignition sources.
d. After the utilities have been shut off, use a cautious approach to the structure and begin outside ventilation activities.
e. After 15 minutes of ventilation, use the gas detector to reassess the interior gas levels. Continue ventilation activities until the % LEL readings fall to zero.
10. If less than 50% LEL is observed, the crew should begin ventilation of the structure and search for the leak or source of fumes.
11. If the problem involves a utility, the proper agency (RG&E, NYSEG, etc.) should be contacted immediately.
12. Appliances that have been determined to be at fault will be red-tagged, with a uniform summons issued to the owner. The Incident Commander should make every effort to make sure the owner understands that the appliance cannot be used until it is repaired and inspected by the Town Fire Marshal.
13. The Fire Department will not attempt any repairs or alterations to any appliance or other device.
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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If you arrive on scene and suspect a gas leak at the very least you should contact the gas Co and maintain a secure scene. If that means turning off the gas the so be it. I am with Mr Brooks an Harmon. You have a responsibility to insure the safety of the folks that put their trust in you to look after their well being. To simply arrive and drive away without insuring that the proper authority was on scene and taking care of the problem is preposterous. Better have a good lawyer and a big bank account.
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The idea is that people call us for a reason: they have a problem and need help. We make a safety assessment, try to locate the source of the leak and stand by until the gas company arrives.
The attitude of "it's not our problem" isn't very good customer service - or public relations, for that matter.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Our response for an odor of gas call is an engine, a truck, and a battalion chief.
The engine responsibility is to get the structure evacuated and confirm it. If possible, the engine shuts down the gas. The truck conducts air monitoring for oxygen concentration, LEL concentration, and a PID monitor for voilatile hydrocarbon PPM. The truck will ventilate if the monitor levels indicate that it's required.
The B.C. establishes a fixed command post.
We have the utility company respond. They take care of any problem that is beyond our capability, for example, shutting down a natural gas pipeline. That is rarely required. Most of our gas problems can be taken care of by simply shutting down a propane cylinder valve or natural gas meter valve.
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Permalink Reply by John on
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We will pull up near-by and snif the air and if its strong enough, and we can get clean air to the 4 gas monitor we will check with it and notify our dispatch if its just a pressure relief valve that popped or if they need to contact the gas company.
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Do you guys do the "snif" with the 4-gas monitor or with the Mark I, Mod 0 human nose?
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Permalink Reply by John L. VanAuken on
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We responded to a call a while back for a gas leak. Upon arrival, we find that they were cutting a tree down, and it fell on the meter. It was broke on the house side and not the supply side, but gas was coming out of the ground on the supply side as well. So we secured the area, pulled an inch and a half and had it ready, just in case. We also checked direction of wind for this was in a residential area and checked to see how strong the gas was on the down wind side. Gas company showed up, shut off main line and that was that. As we all know, all it takes is one person not knowing and just smoking a cig next door could have made this minor incident into a major one. So to say theres nothing you can do think twice, treat every scene as a big deal. This may just save your life as well as the others around you. They call you respond, just remember when you say not our problem their taxes pay your pay check. If your a Volly well they may be your neighbor or the person you b.s. with in the coffee shop.
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Why aren't you turning on and zeroing your meter prior to getting on scene at a potentially contaminated scene?
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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
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Things you can do;
Identify the issue and where it's coming from.
Call the Gas company and give them an accurate size up like you would want while enroute to a building fire and have an Engine on scene.
Start metering the air around the leak.
Identify any and all risks to surrounding homes, evacuate as needed.
Keep the area isolated and provide assistance to the gas company when they arrive.
It is imperrative to CONTINUE metering the situation throughout the call. Flirting with LEL and UEL isn't a joke and could get people killed. Flashpoint can occur if gas is trapped in a confined area and given an opportunity for ignition.
Do yourself a favor and start researching gas leaks and explosions. They had an explosion in either RI or Mass this past week which killed 1 person and got 4 other homes condemed. (the point of ignition home was completely destroyed)
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Agreed. The meters are like your CO meters and need to run for 5 minutes prior to entry into a potential LEL/UEL atmosphere.
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