NEAFC 32nd Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

NEW’~ENGLAND 2~kSSOCIATION OF’ FIVE CHIEFS
it is to have a broken pipe burning. As long as it is. burning, it may involve
,other structures, buildings, etc., but it will not create a large flash fire or
explosion..that will cause much damage.
So that if’ you :~ee these cyclinders at bulk plants, and th~ piping is burning,
t-he thing, to do is to. let it burn, and try to cut off the source of the fuel. If
can ~ do that, and keep the storage tanks, cool, you will probably lick the fire
easily. : ¯
As a matter of fact, I don’t know of any occasion, other than the very
remote instance, where you would have a reason for extinguishing a propane
fire. And, if you do have occasion for it, I think that you are probably acquainted
with the proper method of putting out.
I will mention that, personally, I think that dry chemicals, do an excellent
job. Fog is also effective. The chemicals seem to. be more spectacular with
regard to control.
First-aid equipment, of course, is ~:" the greatest piece of equipment, as far
as propane fires are concerned, because if they can be taken care of when small
and shut off, you are in business. If the thing progresses, to. the point where
the bulk plant is fairly well gone, the best you can d9 is. cool the tanks, shut
them off, isolate the fuel,and let the thing go up in smoke, which it will.
A propane fire, incidentally, will burn in a small area, in a short time, and
straight up. There is no spattering or scattering of the fuel gas, such as there
would be with gasoline.
There is one other problem that you, as fire fighters, may have to face,
and that involves the .dispersion of unburned fuel. For instance, if there has
been a leak in an area, a basement or a building; or any yard is. filled with ~anburned
fuel, then, of course, it will be your duty to. take care of that situation.
Now, by normal ventilation, a small basement, or a building, can be cleared
of fuel.
The No. 1 thing to think of in this case is ,to kill all sources of ignition.
Propane cannot be ignited by jarring or thumping, or electricity, unless there
is a spark. It has to have a spark, or an open flame. The ignition temperature
is 890 to 1,000 degrees, before itcan be touched off.
In the case .of an area filled with unburned fuel, all smoking, matches,
flames, pilots, should be extinguished and the building allowed to ventilate itself,
by opening all the windows.
If you have available an explosion proof boiler or fan, that can be used
to advantage to speed up the ventilation of any area, but the motor, of course,
must be explosion proof, too. It is unlikely that an ordinary fire company
would have that type of equipment, so it can be done in a gravity basis. The
only real way to tell whether or not~ an area is. free ~of ,fuel is to use some type
of explosion meter that indicates., whether or not combustible gas, is present
in sufficient quantity to. ignite.
Generally ~peaking, with propane, when the odor is:gone, the gas. is. gone.
However, the bdor may linger a bit beyond the fuel, but you are on the
safe side; if the odor is out, usually the gas is out. The odor is. non-fatiguing;
in other words, you don’t become used to it. You can smell, as long as it is
=there. ~. ’=- " - ~-~"..
Now, Gentlemen, that is all that I .~aye fO{ .you this morning, unless you
have some qugs=_:tions for,:ome. ,. ~ .