what exactly is industrial firefighting

[craigj1292]

im not really sure what industrial fire fighting is. is it done only around factories or is it more haz-mat related. also do you have to do more advanced training for it? and are there seperate fire departments that deal with industrial fire fighting only?

[hfdfiremedic32]

I am a firefighter with United States Steel near Birmingham, Alabama. We provide all aspects of emergency responce as well as armed security patrols. Our minimum qualifications to be hired include EMT-Basic and State certified firefighter 1 or higher. We are then trained as haz-mat technicians, high angle and confined space technicians, and receive annual firearms training and other security training. I am not sure about other industrial departments but we provide total plant protection for fire, ems and security.

When not on an emergency call we have one person assigned to security patrol and two assigned to perform inspections and maintenance of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, hydrants and alarm panels. The other U.S. Steel plants differ slightly in their daily staffing but our jobs are all basically the same.

[Fireplug99]

Most fire departments may have the chance to deal with a fire or other type of emergency in an industrial setting. Therefore they should be trained appropriately for such instances. However, most fire departments are used to the traditional residential or retail scenarios. We are a bit different here. We are a small, 2 station district that provides fire & life protection for an industrial airport. We have an 8000ft active runway surrounded by approximately 100 businesses, including two aircraft FBO's, Lockheed Martin, 3-M, Cytec, a railroad and a host of other types of businesses and manufacturers. We have every type of industrial emergency scenario possible. So, while we are quite adequately trained on the everyday type emergencies in the surrounding community, our emphasis is on the industrial setting. We provide High Level, Confined Space and Haz-Mat response. We also provide training on demand for those companies that have on-site response teams and request training.

[Jadedone]

management is on the prowl. they could be preparing for upcoming burn weeks but they'd rather investigate.

[bum291]

is it done only around factories or is it more haz-mat related.

Depends, we have some military firefighting forces under the "industrial" tag, even if there is very little there to do with industries. In general mostly done around factories and other corporational sites such as oil fields, storage areas, docks etc.

do you have to do more advanced training for it?

We have some very large industrial sites here, simply how to find one's way in the maze is a special skill that has to be learned. Knowing the site and how it operates is the most important skill, I'd say. Depends.

are there seperate fire departments that deal with industrial fire fighting only?

Yes there are, but many deal with non-industrial/outside incidents as well.

Imagine this; The large oil refineries have facilities that stretches for miles in all directions. They will have a fire fighting force of their own consisting of foam tenders, water cannons and EX-safe equipment to get at it right away rather than waiting many minutes for others to arrive from outside stations.

[chiefbv1800]

FYI

http://socyberty.com/government/indu...fighting-jobs/

Hope this helps!

[chiefbv1800]

Private industry is big on haz mat, why not pursue a career in safety or hazardous waste?

http://socyberty.com/work/a-new-care...waste-cleanup/