Arlington (TX) firefighters underwent training Tuesday to deal with fires at natural gas wells.
The Star-Telegram reported (http://bit.ly/O2BBmU) that members sprayed thousands of gallons of water on a raging gas well fire until one firefighter, dressed in protective gear, was able to get close enough to turn two valves and cut off the gas supply.
Later that night during the training evolution, a homemade explosive device detonated while the same firefighting crew was investigating a reported gas leak. Shortly after, they battled flames at a nearby gas well rig.
As firefighters learned at the Fort Bend Fire Training Field in Richmond this week, a storm, worker error or even a terrorist act could just as easily create a similar gas well disaster within hundreds of feet of Arlington homes, businesses, roads, or churches.
Arlington is the first city in the Barnett Shale to launch a natural gas well emergency preparedness and response program designed to help the fire department better prevent and respond to gas releases and other disasters. Though a lawsuit challenging the program is pending, drillers could begin paying a new $2,397 fee per well in Arlington as early as next month to help the city pay for additional firefighters, training, and equipment.
Read more about it at http://bit.ly/O2BBmU.
For training articles on more response to natural gas emergencies in more traditional settings, consider Firefighter Response to Natural Gas Leaks and Emergencies, Routine Emergencies: Firefighter Response to Natural Gas Leaks, and Hazmat Survival Tips: Surviving a Response to a Leak of Natural Gas .
