Module 3: Health and Safety - IAFF

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IAFF Training for Hazardous Materials: Technician© Student Text What are the symptoms of exposure? 3. What are the routes of exposure for dipropylketone? What are the target organs for dipropylketone? Is medical monitoring possible? 4. What are the routes of exposure for benzene? What are the target organs for benzene? What first aid steps are appropriate for a benzene exposure? Is medical monitoring possible? 5. What are the routes of exposure for methyl chloride? What are the target organs for methyl chloride? What first aid steps are appropriate for a methyl chloride exposure? Is medical monitoring possible? 3-102 Module 3: Health and Safety
Student Text IAFF Training for Hazardous Materials: Technician© Mt. Helena, Arkansas Case Study Activity 6 Pesticide-fueled factory blaze spreads toxic fumes in Arkansas. May 9, 1997 West Helena, Arkansas (CNN) Three fire fighters died fighting a raging fire as a plume of black, “very toxic” smoke covered this small Mississippi River town, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes and businesses. State police say 16 people were injured in the explosion that preceded the fire at the BPS Inc. chemical packaging plant. Francis Huddleston of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services said the blast released an “unknown quantity of toxic gas.” Another source at the OES described the fumes as “very toxic.” The fire fighters who were killed were outside the warehouse when the smoldering chemical triggered the blast, a fire official said. “They suspect the cinder block wall and parts of the roof fell on them,” said Tim Snyder, the assistant fire chief in neighboring Helena. Gov. Mike Huckabee praised their heroism. “These are the folks who got right in the middle and go where angels fear to tread,” he said after going to the plant. Huckabee declared a state of emergency, allowing the community to use state personnel to deal with the crisis. The cause of the fire is believed to have been a smoldering bag of pesticide which caught fire and ignited the explosion shortly after 1 p.m. “We saw white smoke and heard an explosion...and then we saw a lot of fire,” said Vickie Bolden, who works at Helena Chemical, a short distance from BPS. “The flames were so high--- 150 feet---then the smoke turned black, and it was dark from then,” she said. “The fumes would burn your nose, it smelled bad, like ammonia, where it would take your breath”. A source from the state Department of Pollution Control and Ecology said the primary chemical involved was azinphosmethyl. Other pesticides were involved as well, and all are considered dangerous. The city’s regional hospital, Helena Regional Medical Center, was evacuated because of the fumes. Some of the hospital’s 44 patients and 150 employees were taken to a local community college. Other patients were taken to a hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi, 30 minutes away. “It was like a thunderbolt that landed outside the building,” said hospital spokeswoman Jan Chambers. “It smells pitiful. It’s a strong odor. Very strong.” Module 3: Health and Safety 3-103
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Module 3: Health and Safety - IAFF

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