Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Figure 13.9 A boom designed to limit contamination
Sealing devices and substances for damaged
containers – these devices and materials are designed
for use when a tank, storage drum, valve or pipe has
been punctured or damaged by fi re. Leak sealing devices
may take the form of a pad or clamp which is put over the
damaged area like a plaster, or they may be pre-shaped,
inserted into the damaged area and then infl ated. Leak
sealing putties are also available, ready made or supplied
in a dry powder form for mixing with water. These are
applied over the damaged area to form a temporary seal.
Drain seals – drain seals can be used to seal a
drainage grid by covering or blocking the drain and
those which fi t in a pipe. Again there are several types
of drain seal; care should be taken in their installation to
avoid exposure to hazardous conditions and to ensure
the contained liquid does not overfl ow from gullies or
elsewhere on the drainage system.
Booms – booms designed for use on watercourses
may also be used to isolate drains or divert or contain
spillages on site. They may be permanently fi xed in
position or deployed at the time of an incident. There
are two distinct types of boom; those that are fi lled with
absorbent material which can be suitable for hydrocarbons,
aqueous chemicals or both; and those that are
typically plastic and form a physical barrier to limit the
spread of the contaminant.
13.4.3 Waste management
Once any spillage, contaminated material or fi re fi ghting
water has been adequately contained with a site, it will
be necessary to ensure that effective arrangements are
in place to dispose of it safely and legally. If it is possible
to reuse the spilled material it can be returned to storage
on site.
In most cases it will be necessary to arrange disposal
off site. In these cases, a registered waste carrier should
320
Oil
Water
Sludge
3-stage interceptor
Figure 13.10 Example of a proprietary underground oil
interceptor
be used, although if a foul sewer is available it may be
possible to discharge to it with the approval of the local
sewerage undertaker. It may also be possible to treat
water contaminated with hydrocarbons, e.g. petrol or
diesel, by using on-site oil separators. Oil interceptors
are routinely provided in locations where the likelihood of
surface water contamination with oils is high, e.g. service
station forecourts (see Fig. 13.10). These interceptors
work by allowing the oil to separate from the contaminated
surface water via a series of settling tanks. It must
be noted that any water that contains fi re fi ghting foam or
its constituent parts will adversely affect the effi ciency of
oil interceptors.
The movement of the waste will need to be
documented with a transfer note under the Duty of
Care Regulations 1991, or if it is a special waste, with
a special waste consignment note under the Special
Waste Regulations 1996. There is a statutory responsibility
for the producer to keep these notes for a period
of two years for waste transfer notes or three years for
consignment notes.
In the case of special waste consignments, there
is normally a requirement for three days’ notice to be
given to the Environment Agency prior to its movement.
However, in the case of an emergency the Environment
Agency may waive this duty, providing that the local
Environment Agency offi ce is contacted.
If the fi re fi ghting water contains asbestos it may
be necessary to dispose of it in suitably sealed containers
that are clearly marked to show that they contain
asbestos.
13.4.4 Fire fi ghting strategies and run-off
management
Outlet
The IRP may consider fi re fi ghting strategies and possible
methods of reducing the amount of fi rewater runoff
generated, for example by the use of high pressure