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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
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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That's one...but there's still at least one more.
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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
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In the reference to water reactivity, if this trailer wasn't waterproof there could be quite an issue. From the CAMEO workup I did there was an issue of the heat buildup having the potential to melt steel, aluminum or a variety of other metals. An acid in a metal container!!! Brilliant!!
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Sorry, I forgot to mention that the product was in plastic-lined cardboard boxes. The boxes didn't stand up well to the rollover, and the steel was attacked by the product. No severe container damage resulted, just a little rust.
I'm still looking for that one little telltale from the photo.
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with the photo so small I'm missing it. lol
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Look at the rear axles.
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3 rear axles, some red foreign object on top of the wheel wells, tires sitting against the wheelwells due to overweight issues.
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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913, that’s got my eyes to, not the overweight and there costum fenders but the red thingie, fire extinguisher? But with 3 axles, its got to be heavy.
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My eyes are pretty good but not that good for that size photo
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The red object is a fire extinguisher, but it's not part of the problem.
The three rear axles are the clue that this produce is exceptionally heavy.
I realize that everyone thinks "hazmat" as the primary problem on this type of incident, but we need to remember that the mundane stuff like an extra-heavy product can create non-hazmat hazards.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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Due to the intermodal container that this is, this is also most likely a foreign origin product. Possibly also a mixed load since the markings seem to be non-existent.
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Thanks for the scenerio Ben. I enjoy working on projects such as these because it causes the mind to think outside the box.
As I stated, I'm not an officer and I didn't have many of the resources I would have at a full blown hazmat call. Most of what I did was through CAMEO/COOGLE/WIKIPEDIA and also a little of that useless knowledge I retain easily. (it's a disease I swear)
I hope that this is just one of more to come. Between the many postings of fire/extrication/hazmat, it's making me a better firefighter/hazmat Tech
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I didn't have a photo of the actual incident - I was too busy to get photos.
The one we had was not placarded, but it was a U.S. origin product.
We thought about the foreign origin, too, since we're neighbors for the Port of Savannah and within a couple of road hours of the Ports of Charleston and Jacksonville. We see hundreds of intermodal containers on a daily basis.
Sorry I don't have the detailed reference, but that was one of the real-world problems about working this incident.
The shipper paid for all of the PPE and gear that was contaminated, the foam concentrate replacement, and the EMS disposables that were used for patient care...and the cleanup.
Just another 9 hours on the interstate...LOL.
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