Module 3: Health and Safety - IAFF
Module 3: Health and Safety - IAFF
Module 3: Health and Safety - IAFF
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Student Text <strong>IAFF</strong> Training for Hazardous Materials: Technician©<br />
Salem, New Hampshire Nitric Acid Spill<br />
Quick action by workers for two companies <strong>and</strong> emergency response teams kept a chemical spill<br />
in Salem, N.H. from becoming a disaster.<br />
Two chemists from <strong>Safety</strong> Kleen, a North Andover company that cleans up <strong>and</strong> removes hazardous<br />
materials, were removing a bottle of nitric acid from Dames <strong>and</strong> Moore, a Salem environmental<br />
consulting firm. The bottle disintegrated in the h<strong>and</strong>s of one of the chemists, spilling<br />
about a gallon of the corrosive liquid.<br />
The chemists were wearing protective clothing, but a Dames <strong>and</strong> Moore engineer, Mark Kirouac,<br />
who was st<strong>and</strong>ing nearby, was not. The acid splashed on him, burning him severely.<br />
Nitric acid is a corrosive liquid often used to strip metal. It burns the skin <strong>and</strong> can be deadly. Its<br />
vapors can irritate the eyes, ears, throat, <strong>and</strong> lungs.<br />
The <strong>Safety</strong> Kleen employees <strong>and</strong> Mr. Kirouac’s coworkers at Dames <strong>and</strong> Moore rushed him into<br />
a nearby shower to wash the acid off. Mr. Kirouac sustained serious injuries requiring skin graft<br />
surgery, but his doctor <strong>and</strong> fire officials credited the quick action of those around him with<br />
sparing him further injury.<br />
Dames <strong>and</strong> Moore is located in a building at Five Industrial Way that houses two other businesses,<br />
Nexus Systems <strong>and</strong> RAScom. Fire officials evacuated the building, fearing toxic fumes<br />
from the spilled acid.<br />
A hazardous materials team formed of specially trained fire fighters from 14 communities set up<br />
a decontamination area <strong>and</strong> suited up with protective gear to go inside <strong>and</strong> locate the spill. They<br />
found the acid, determined it was not reacting with anything, <strong>and</strong> allowed <strong>Safety</strong> Kleen workers<br />
in to remove it. The Southeastern New Hampshire Hazardous Materials Mutual Aid District was<br />
formed last November to deal with just such an emergency.<br />
The response of the hazardous materials team, <strong>Safety</strong> Kleen, <strong>and</strong> Dames <strong>and</strong> Moore workers<br />
helped get a dangerous situation under control quickly.<br />
In rushing Mr. Kirouac into a shower, they may have saved his life. The hazardous materials<br />
team prevented anyone else from being seriously injured by the acid <strong>and</strong> prevented the contamination<br />
from spreading.<br />
Their actions show the value of training <strong>and</strong> preparation in dealing with emergencies.<br />
<strong>Module</strong> 3: <strong>Health</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> 3-135
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