Department hosts propane emergencies class On Saturday, May 13, the Hamlin Volunteer Fire Department hosted a class on propane emergencies, sponsored by the Firemen's Association of New York State (FASNY). Members of the Hamlin Fire Department, Caledonia Fire Department and the Pittsford Fire Department participated. Kerry Fitzgerald of Irish Propane used Hamlin's state-of-the-art computer and lightware presentation system to introduce attendees to the basic properties of propane with a PowerPoint slide show. The slide show was enhanced with several demonstrations of propane's properties such as its -44 degree boiling point and the operation of various fittings and shut off valves. Jesse Babcock, fire protection specialist from the New York Office of Fire Prevention and Control, focused on how firefighters can mitigate typical emergencies involving propane. Some situations involved transportation accidents involving everything from personal vehicles and small 20 pound tanks for home grills, recreational vehicles, bobtail transport trucks and large railroad tank cars. Another type of emergency involved leaks and fires involving stationary propane tanks. The class also had a "hands on" training on how to handle a typical 1,000-gallon residential propane tank that is being impinged by fire and is venting flaming gas. The danger this poses to firemen is the rare, but deadly, boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE). This results in a spectacular explosion when the pressure of the propane causes the tank to fail. To simulate this, Irish Propane provided a prop tank with propane jets that shot flames 20-40 feet into the air. Attending fire companies rotated through using hose lines to cool the tank and push the flames away from the shut off valves which firemen then closed to stop the flow of propane from the fire. May 28, 2006 |
