Mayday Monday: Gas Emergencies

 

Mayday Monday returns with another review of gas emergencies for September. The recent release of two reports on line-of-duty death in Virginia highlights the need to ensure firefighters are getting the message about practicing good risk management principles when responding to gas emergencies. This month, several firefighter deaths have occurred at these incidents.

On February 16, 2024, the Sterling Volunteer Fire Department, of Loudoun County, Virginia, was dispatched for propane odor in a neighborhood of midsize, single-family dwellings. A neighbor called 911 and reported an odor of propane in the area, from an unknown source. As units arrived and begin to investigate, they located a 500-gallon underground propane tank used to heat an inground pool. About five hours earlier, a propane company had filled the tank with 125 gallons. The technician noticed it was leaking, stopped filling it, and left. Crews began to investigate the dwelling with the pool and found readings in the 40%-60% range of the lower explosive limit on their meters. They immediately began evacuating the house and began ventilation. A catastrophic explosion occurred. Trevor Brown, a firefighter, was killed. Two firefighters were trapped and issued Mayday messages. Several members were injured. Command arrived and assigned units to address the start rescue operations for the trapped members. Approximately 50 minutes after the explosion, Command reported the following "Everyone off the initial assignment has been accounted for, transported, or is on scene." All operations were stopped for a debrief.