The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Terephthalic Acid Transportation Fire - what would you do?
You have been dispatched on the 2nd alarm to an interstate highway for a rollover wreck and fire involving an intermodal container truck. The first alarm had an engine company, an ALS ambulance, and a tanker/tender. Engine 1 arrived to find the intermodal truck rolled onto its top, with the cab on fire, the driver trapped and critically injured, and the container module leaking two-foot pyramids of a granular white powder from the rear doors and two tears in the container's side.
The 2nd alarm consists of two additional engine companies, a heavy rescue company, a hazmat team, and three chief officers.
Engine 1, assisted by Tanker 1 extinguished the cab fire with water, but the fire extended to the product. Engine 2 arrived and extinguished the spilled product fire with Class B foam. The runoff is collected in a nearby ditch at a blocked culvert pipe.
You are the first-arriving chief. You arrive on scene immediately behind Rescue 1 and Engine 3. Both southbound lanes of the interstate are blocked by the wreck. The northbound lanes are seperated by a 150-foot-wide median covered with trees, and traffic is flowing north. There is a crossover 100 yards south of the scene.
Engine 1 advises that they have located the shipping papers. The shipping papers indicate that the product is Terephthalic Acid Anhydride. They also advise that the driver is still trapped, is conscious and screaming in pain, and has 20% second and third-degree burns, fractured ribs, and several large head, arm, and torso lacerations. The are asking for immediate help from the rescue company.
What are your priorities?
What is your initial IAP?
What additional resources do you need?
What are the primary and secondary product hazards?
What decontamination procedures will you use?
How many units are you willing to commit prior to Hazmat 1's arrival?
What are your safety considerations?
Does the photo give you any vital clues when you take a second look?
The other two chiefs, whom you outrank, are arriving. It's time to go to work.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Trainer on
-
Ok, you going to make me dig out my ERG book, or are you going to fill us in? It may be to late allready.
-
Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
-
You are already beyond your ERG at this point. Second, being a solid, I am not too worried about vapors. If the driver can be extricated, focus on that. Prepare a water decon for him and get him to a trauma center. This is a pretty straight forward call, except for the piles of Terephthalic Acid Anhydride. Per the MSDS, just showel it into a container and hose down the residue. Stay out of it and wear respiratory protection. Not a big hazard at all. Call a clean up contractor, since a couple of over packs will probably not be of much help. http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Terephthalic_Acid-9925176
-
-
Thanks for the link; all operations would have ended till I knew what it was, hope everyone had packs on. First 2 steps looked to be blown already; maybe the “white powder” would have thrown a red flag to somebody. You isolate then identify, I’m guessing we’re taking FF’s to the hospital, or we got lucky and the blue canaries identified it for us.
-
-
Anytime that you roll up on anything that looks like a potential hazmat, SCBA are a must until proven otherwise. We had a local city on an acid hauler that overturned. The liquid acid was on the ground. No SCBA and guys were in the material. The only thing that prevented deaths, was the cold weather that day. It kept the vapors on the ground. They should have been severely hurt or killed from the vapors alone.
-
Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
-
Here's additional information...this is not the standard Teropthalic Acid - it's the anhydrous version.
That means that adding water makes it water reactive.
Does this change your IAP, level of concern, and decon procedures?
Do we know what water reaction we'll get from this substance?
-
-
I am curious to know what other information you may have regarding the chemical. UN Number, CAS number, etc. There is no such anhydride in WISER or CAMEO or anywhere else on the internet for that matter. This chemical is listed as Terephtalic Acid and not much else. We had a multi-car train derailment with several cars on fire that were near Phtalic Acid, same general family. Due to the alcohol cars that wear burning, we let it burn for three days.
-
Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
-
http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/16085
Did you view this page?
It says "TEREPHTHALIC ACID is a carboxylic acid. It donates hydrogen ions if a base is present to accept them. This "neutralization" generates substantial amounts of heat and produces water plus a salt. Insoluble in water but even "insoluble" carboxylic acids may absorb enough water from the air and dissolve sufficiently in it to corrode or dissolve iron, steel, and aluminum parts and containers."
There is a lot more at risk than you may believe with this incident.
Notify:
State Enviromental HAZMAT (ours is DEM in Rhode Island)
DOT
More Police Officers (traffic assignment)
Additional HAZMAT team (or 2) to the scene for back up and assistance. (depends on team size and capabilities)
Notify all ER's in the area of a hazmat incident and to be on the lookout for potential patients. (you never know if someone stopped by to help and left) This should put them on a "lockdown mode" and also activate their protocol for Decon.
Notify a Decon team.
While a Hazmat cleanup company will handle the bulk of the removal of the product and contaminated soil we have a lot of work to do. At 0 point after the main fire and secondary fire to the chemical is water to be introduced into the scene. Our driver is going to have to be deconned per the spec of the chemical we are dealing with. (potential exposure to the smoke)
From all I can see this product is NOT water soluable and will create heat when added to water. (not a good idea)
Seeing this product can also create a variety of other hazards (both major and minor H2S and CO2) all personnel shall wear full LEVEL A hazmat suits with flash protection and full SCBA. (you will note that for a NON fire response you can wear a respirator with an "acid" approved cartridge. Since this is a Fire incident and water has been introduced your not treating this as this type incident)
Any chance our folks in Level A can close the rear doors if they are partially open? Even with this being a truck on it's top we could contain and limit firther damage by uprighting the vehicle. The powder in the container is not going to go anywhere if it's upright.
Keeping in mind I am only a Technician and NOT a Chief officer (nor any part officer anymore) I hope this is at least a good start.
-
-
This acid does come in an anhydride version. I worked an incident involving this chemical a couple of years ago, with the same limited infomation I'm giving you guys. We didn't think that the anhydride was listed anywhere, either, but we eventually found an information source that told us what we needed to know.
-
-
Engine913 - you're definately on the right track here.
The anhydride isomer is minimally water soluble, and it can produce heat when mixed with water.
However, the loose powder is not offgassing, so Level B with flash protection should be adequate for the hazmat part of the incident.
-
-
Here's the second update...
Engine companies with shovels have dug up enough dirt from the median to provide a hasty dike between the spilled product and the truck cab. You decide that, with no detectable offgassing from the acid, that the rescue company can extricate in full turnout gear and SCBA. They are able to complete the extrication and get the patient to decon within 12 minutes.
How are we going to decon this patient, or are we even sure it's necessary? The rescue company officer tells you that it doesn't appear that the product contacted the patient - he appears to have thermal burns and blunt force trauma.
We have another problem, too. Engine 1's officer approaches the decon area, which is in the process of being set up. He advises that Engine 1, Engine 2, and Rescue 1's crews have contaminated their fire boots and turnout pants with the product, and that their SCBAs are all low on air. How do you handle this problem?
-
-
Gross decon is in order for the affected firefighters. If the patient in the MVA tests negative with PH paper in multiple spots (a fair representation of his body) than it would be safe to transport. The low air alarms (emergency air) have been activated you have roughly 3 minutes or less to get this set up and executed. Once they are grossly deconned, have the bottles changed and then the firefighters report for a full decon to get all of the "hidden areas" deconned. With the volume of water in a gross decon the outstanding area's of the SCBA will be dilluted enough to be changed safely with little to no additional risk to the firefighter.
Once the decon process has been completed, medical monitoring for the affected firefighters should be done and these companies should be returned since this is now a Hazmat incident and taken care of by the technicians on scene.
-
-
How about a dry decom for the firefighters. Why create a bigger mess than necessary. Have the bottles changed and leave them on air. Just have them remove their pants and boots and over pack. They will need to be cleaned and/or replaced anyhow. But, by adding water, aren't you creating a potential problem that we have already talked about. In solid form, this stuff is an inhalation hazard, keep it off your skin and keep it dry. I would like to see the different information regarding the anhydrous product. I assume that the shipping papers included the manufacturer or labels did. Then a chemical specific contact could have been made.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
