FIREFIGHTERS LEARN TECHNIQUES FOR FIGHTING CHEMICAL BLAZES

MARBLE HILL -- Firefighters don't just suit up and dump water on fires anymore. With the proliferation of household and workplace chemicals, firefighters have to be aware of techniques to handle different emergencies.

Some 33 firefighters from Stoddard, Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties trained with foam and flammable liquids Friday and Saturday in Marble Hill.

Marble Hill Fire Chief Jim Bollinger told those attending that 40 years ago it was rare for firefighters to encounter a chemical spill. "Now, it's impossible to respond to a house fire without having to deal with a hazardous material," he said.

"Forty years ago, more than 80 percent of the materials in a home were made of natural material," Bollinger said. New construction materials, cleaning agents and the influx of plastics into the homes present additional problems for firefighters.

Instructor John Sachen said OSHA requires emergency responders to be trained in handling hazardous materials.

Sachen started the seminar Friday by explaining the properties of flammable liquids. He said many people use cleaning agents and chemicals without knowing the dangers.

Sachen used a common industrial fluid used in engine cleaning as an example. He said he has responded to fires where workers have established the perfect setting for a fire.

He said in an effort to make the chemical clean more efficiently, workers have used an electrical heater to raise the temperature. Because the heated liquid gives off a vapor, the workers have brought in fans for better ventilation. All that is left is a source of ignition, like a burning cigarette.

If a fire does start, workers may make the next mistake of subduing the flame with a dry-chemical extinguisher. While this smothers the flame, it does not cool the liquid below its ignition point. As the extinguisher foam disintegrates the chemical may re-ignite.

Trying to extinguish a liquid chemical flame with water may also cause more problems. Water has a tendency to spread the liquid, and the fire, instead of putting it out.

On Saturday, Sachen had the firefighters douse fires using foam behind the Marble Hill industrial park. He ignited more than five gallons of Heptane, which burns like gasoline only cleaner, in cut barrels.

Working in groups the firefighters used different foam nozzles and familiarized themselves with the techniques involved. Sachen said there are many different types of nozzles that can be used to dispense the foam. Some are easier and more efficient and others are cheaper. But, used properly, they will all do the job.

He showed examples of tanker fires that had been doused by foam in less than an hour. Cape Girardeau Fire Department has had foam capabilities for years. Recently the department added a truck that is completely equipped with foam.