Elko, NV - Sixty-two firefighters from around the U.S. wrapped up a 32- hour course on Flammable Liquids Firefighting/Terrorism Response grant funded by the Department of Energy today at the University of Nevada-Reno's Fire Science Academy in Elko, Nevada.
The course, geared for Municipal and Rural Firefighters, taught fire personnel industrial firefighting techniques to combat fires associated with flammable liquids in areas considered to be "soft targets" for terrorism attacks such as refineries, truck and rail terminals, rail tank cars, pressurized gas facilities, pipeline transfer stations and large liquid storage tanks.
The firefighters participated in live fire attack scenarios on the Academy's props with actual flammable fuel mixtures, consisting of diesel and benzene, and working pipe valves.
The course covered all aspects of fire stategy and tactics for dealing with a wide variety of hazards commonly associated with these types of incidents. The course also covered a variety of material dealing with the psychology of terrorists, critical incident stress debriefing and environmental impacts of such incidents.
The course concluded with a live burn of the Academy's 70 foot diameter open roof storage tank that was extinguished using a strategic foam monitor attack.
For information on the course, see the Fire Science Academy's website at: www.fireacademy.unr.edu/grant.html
