Haz Mat Incident Gone Bad!

[tk1918]

"Truck driver dies in crash...nearly 50 firefighters sent to hospital"

********************
NAUGATUCK, W.Va
A truck driver who was hauling a hazardous chemical has died and nearly 50 emergency workers needed treatment at a hospital after a crash last night in West Virginia.

The flatbed truck was carrying material used to fill the tires of off-road coal mining and construction equipment when it crashed and burst into flames.

Firefighters responding to the accident initially thought the leaking liquid was oil. But they soon began complaining of breathing problems and other ailments.

They have since been taken to a hospital to be decontaminated.

A hospital official says most people were treated for eye and skin irritation and nausea and released.
***********************

[EastKyFF]

Placards?

[stm4710]

Originally posted by tk1918
"Truck driver dies in crash...nearly 50 firefighters sent to hospital"

********************
NAUGATUCK, W.Va
A truck driver who was hauling a hazardous chemical has died and nearly 50 emergency workers needed treatment at a hospital after a crash last night in West Virginia.

The flatbed truck was carrying material used to fill the tires of off-road coal mining and construction equipment when it crashed and burst into flames.

Firefighters responding to the accident initially thought the leaking liquid was oil. But they soon began complaining of breathing problems and other ailments.

They have since been taken to a hospital to be decontaminated.

A hospital official says most people were treated for eye and skin irritation and nausea and released.
***********************

So a large commerical truck is on fire and no one used SCBA. Appearently no one stayed up wind either..

[Dave1983]

Originally posted by EastKyFF
Placards?

Lets see...Fire equals SCBA! EVERYBODY who was down wind should have been wearing it, not to mention the ones involved with supression.

You know, I never like to hear of Brothers getting injured, but when they do something careless it just makes me angry

Just like every time I read of firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation

[E229Lt]

Just like every time I read of firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation

This is due to an uninformed press who like to lump every firefighter injury into one category, "Smoke Inhalation"

Please remember, these are the same people who report that we wear Oxygen Tanks and operate Cherry Pickers

[allineedisu]

E229-loo;

It gets really hard to pick them cherries wearing that oxygen tank on your back and breathing that stuff while up in da air!!

What does the press know anyways? Nothing!!

[Dave1983]

Originally posted by E229Lt


This is due to an uninformed press who like to lump every firefighter injury into one category, "Smoke Inhalation"

Please remember, these are the same people who report that we wear Oxygen Tanks and operate Cherry Pickers

I dont belive much of what the press reports when it comes to firefighting (or anything else for that matter). I was refering to actual fire ground injury reports Ive read over the years.

BTW, we got rid of our last cherry picker years ago. We still have a bunch of them thar oxygen tanks

[firenresq77]

I was wondering the same thing when I read this........

[Fire2123]

Yelling "Where were the SCBAs?" is kind of the natural thing to do, but why not wait for more information. I don't trust the media either. The 50 hospitalized - were they all FFs who had access to SCBAs? I seriously doubt it.

[Weruj1]

anyone for a size up /> ?

[LaFireEducator]

Fire 2123 says "I doubt they were all firefighters who had acces to SCBA",

So why the hell were they operating in the hot zone then ?????

and while we're on that ... Why was the product not identified before operations had begun ????

[arhaney]

This is more ammunition to be used at the next training meeting......

If there were an accident with 50 firefighters on scene in my part of the world it would be a MAJOR accident, Holy Cow........FIFTY.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

So...

Some of you think that 50 fire fighters going to the hospital is the fault of the press????????

[coldfront]

Hey George.The press missed the mark again!

There was just 49 firefighters and one little fat chief officer sent to the hospital.

Really! All the information I have is what was reported by firehouse.com.

The press has been known to screw with the true a little.The real issue is not about the number of firefighters.( 50 firefighters or 30 firefighters)The bottom line is this scene (seems) to have went bad quick.The good thing is apparenty no serious injuries.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!!!

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

"...nearly 50 emergency workers needed treatment at a hospital ..."

Using whatever type of math that you want, "nearly 50" = 49.

It is not the media's fault that 49 FF responded to a transportation accident on a highway with a chemical release and entered the area close enough to be contaminated with a hazardous material. That is something even attendance at a 3 hour Haz Mat Awareness class would tell you is wrong.

The only thing that the media did here was to report a story that showed the fire department did something dumb.

[OSD122]

Here's a more detailed and more likely, a more accurate report of the incident.

WOWK 13 News

Truck Crash Kills Driver, Sickens Emergency Crews

Route 119 in Mingo County, W.Va., remained closed after the accident, which sent nearly 50 to a hospital for treatment.

Story by The Associated Press

An Ohio driver likely lost the brakes on his truck before it burst into flames, sickening nearly 50 emergency workers exposed to the burning fumes.

The tractor-trailer crashed just before midnight Thursday on U.S. Route 119 between the Miller's Creek and Naugatuck exits south of Belo. The four-lane highway remained shut down in both directions Friday afternoon because of the accident. Police were asking drivers to avoid the area.

Deputy K.E. Ball with the Mingo County Sheriff's Department said the body and truck were burned beyond recognition.

Police found an Ohio driver's license but couldn't identify the body by the picture. Ball said the state medical examiner's office must confirm the victim's identity.

The truck was carrying barrels of a polyurethane-based material called RePneu II that is used to fill the tires of off-road coal mining and construction equipment to prevent flats. The chemical is manufactured by Arnco based in South Gate, Calif.

Police and firefighters responding to the accident initially thought the leaking liquid was oil, but they began complaining of breathing problems and other ailments. They were taken to Williamson Memorial Hospital for decontamination and treatment for eye and skin irritation. No one was admitted.


Even though this happened in rural West Virginia, there should be no excuse for the way this incident was handled.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Even though this happened in rural West Virginia, there should be no excuse for the way this incident was handled.

There IS no excuse fot the way this incident was handled.