HAZ-MAT TOY STORE
First-due units at a sprinkler alarm in a large toy store discovered heavy fire and smoke in the storage area. Firefighters advanced hoselines into the fire area, where a number of sprinkler heads were operating.
Firefighters who exited to change air bottles were overwhelmed by a strong chlorine gas odor when they removed their facepieces. Command immediately evacuated the building and advised dispatch that the fire also was a hazardous-materials incident. Haz-mat ICS procedures were implemented, and the haz-mat team, the command bus, and additional staff officers and personnel were dispatched. Firefighters were decontaminated, and their turnout gear was bagged for decon. The store inventory showed several types of pool chemicals, including chlorinated sanitizers and algicides, that had been removed from retail shelves at the end of the pool season.
The fire chief and a visiting chemical industry safety specialist responded to the scene. Decontaminated firefighters waited for transportation to a fire station, where they would shower before going to a medical facility. The haz-mat team entered the store in Level A protection to confirm extinguishment and identify the materials.
A call to the chemical manufacturer revealed the following:
- Flushing firefighters with water and removing contaminated clothing was correct. Showering also was recommended, as smoke from fires involving chlorinated sanitizers can be as much as 15 percent free chlorine gas.
- Turnout decon simply could consist of wiping or scraping off solid or paste material and washing in a commercial washer, adding a cup of sodium bicarbonate to remove the chlorine odor.
- Remaining pool chemicals had to be segregated by chemical type (such as chlorinated from algicides), as they would react if mixed. Wet material or damaged packages could be diluted to household bleach concentration by slowly adding to a large plastic container overflowing with water while stirring.
ANALYSIS
- Firefighters were unaware of the pool sanitizers. Store management was unfamiliar with local codes requiring the reporting of such materials.
- Fire department actions on discovery of the chlorine were immediate and stopped further risk to responders.
- Continued sprinkler operation reduced the potential
- for rekindle and scrubbed some of the gas from the atmosphere.
- • The manufacturer’s safety department reduced the planned multistep turnout gear decon to one-step washing. Instructions on handling the fireand water-damaged material minimized chlorine release to the atmosphere.
Note: OSHA 1910.120 specifically limits persons operating under the emergency response provisions (Paragraph Q) to mitigation of the fire and explosion phases. In this case it would be appropriate for the fire department to work off the wetted material. However, cleanup of material that does not pose a fire, explosion, or chemical threat should be left to a contractor. Cleanup personnel require more extensive monitoring, training, and record keeping. ■
