Firefighter July 2010 - Fbu.me.uk

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Health andsafety matters atchemical firesFIRST DEPLOYMENT OFAIR QUALITY CELLSINCE BUNCEFIELDAround 100 firefighters successfullytackled a fire at Grosvenor Chemicalsin Linthwaite, near Huddersfield on 24May. At the height of the fire, 25 fireengines attended from West Yorkshireand neighbouring brigades.The fire was in a storage sectionand involved pesticides and gluebasedproducts. As a precaution,West Yorkshire fire and rescue service(WYFRS) advised members of thepublic living nearby to stay indoors andto contact the NHS if they developedrespiratory problems.WYFRS said that, due to the hard workof firefighters, the fire was containedbefore it reached bulk chemical storagetanks and the majority of the run-offFirefighters at GrosvenorChemicals in Linthwaitenear HuddersfieldANNA GOWTHORPE/PA PHOTOSFirefighters are rightly worriedabout exposure to hazardoussubstances at fires – especiallythose at chemical plantswater was contained on the site.The main health concern came fromthe smoke plume. For the first time,the air quality cell (AQC) – a national,multi-agency group of technical experts– was deployed. The AQC was set up tocoordinate air quality data in the wakeof the explosion at the Buncefield oilstorage depot in 2005.FBU conference this year again passeda resolution on exposure to toxins.Firefighters are rightly worried aboutexposure to hazardous substances at fires– especially those at chemical plants.West Yorkshire FBU officials areseeking more information on theGrosvenor Chemicals fire. They areparticularly concerned about the timetaken from the AQC being requestedby the incident commander to thedeployment of the AQC, which couldnot attend the scene swiftly enough tocapture sufficient useful data.The union wants to seecomprehensive monitoring carried out atincidents like this, to protect the healthof firefighters and members of the public.
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Firefighter July 2010 - Fbu.me.uk

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