Good training resource (free)

[Guest guest]

Note these CSB reports along with the NIOSH LODD Firefighter fatality reports

make great table top tools for around the station training.

Washington, DC, October 9, 2008 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today

released a new 23-minute safety video, 'Half an Hour to Tragedy,' based on

the deadly propane gas explosion at the Little General convenience store in

Ghent, West Virginia, in January 2007.

The CSB's final written report on the tragedy, which killed two emergency

responders and two propane technicians, was approved at a public meeting in

Beckley, West Virginia, on September 25.

The title of the video refers to the nearly thirty minutes that elapsed

between the beginning of the propane release and the moment of the

explosion. During that period, no evacuation occurred, and volunteer

firefighters and others entered the flammable propane cloud.

The new video can be viewed on the CSB's video site, safetyvideos.gov, as

well as the agency's YouTube channel, youtube.com/uscsb. Free DVD copies

will become available within the next several weeks and can be pre-ordered

by clicking on 'Request DVD' on the Board's website, CSB.gov.

The video includes a seven-minute, 3-D computer animation showing how a

defective valve on a 500-gallon propane storage tank shot propane directly

into the store building through attic vents, during what was to supposed to

have been a routine change of propane service provider.

'This video shows how a number of factors - a tank placed too close to the

building, a lack of necessary training for propane technicians, and a lack

of awareness among technicians and responders to order an immediate

evacuation - combined to take the lives of four people,' said Bresland,

CSB chairman and CEO. 'Across the United States, firefighters are responding

to propane emergencies almost every day. Training and preparedness are the

keys to preventing tragic accidents like the one in West Virginia last

year,' Mr. Bresland said.

West Virginia State Fire Marshal Sterling , Jr., is featured in the

video, along with CSB investigators Hall, pie., and Wanko,

P.E., C.S.P.

'Our hope is that fire departments and propane companies throughout the

nation will view this video and study the Board's findings and

recommendations,' said Mr. Wanko. 'The information in this video can save

lives in case of a propane emergency.'

The Board recommended mandatory training for propane technicians using

improved training materials, regular hazardous materials training and drills

for responders, and new propane release guidance for 911 emergency

operators.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating

industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by

the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all

aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment

failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and

safety management systems.

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety

recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and

regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Please visit our website,

www.csb.gov.

For more information, please contact CSB Public Affairs Director Dr.

Horowitz at or cell.

Sig

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