Decontamination Systems news

The catastrophic explosion resulted from the accumulation of significant amounts of natural gas The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is set to consider two urgent recommendations that national fuel gas codes be changed to improve safety when gas pipes are being purged (cleared of air) during maintenance or installation of new piping. The recommendations - to be voted on by board members at a CSB public meeting in Raleigh tonight - grow out of the CSB's ongoing federal inves...

NFA, is conducting a pilot course at the NETC in Emmitsburg, Maryland The NFA will be delivering this 6-day pilot course on hazardous materials and special operations from May 9-14, 2010. The United States Fire Administration's (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) is conducting a pilot course at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland for the newly developed 6-day course, Hazardous Materials / Special Operations Program Management (P254)...

CSB has voted to initiate an investigation of recent accidents at the DuPont chemical complex in Belle The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has voted to initiate an investigation of recent accidents at the DuPont chemical complex in Belle, West Virginia, following a release of highly toxic phosgene on Saturday that fatally injured a veteran operator. DuPont officials told the CSB that a braided steel hose connected to a one-ton capacity phosgene tank suddenly ruptured,...

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has announced that it will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, February 4, 2010, in Raleigh, North Carolina.The meeting will present preliminary findings from its investigation of the June 9, 2009, natural gas explosion and ammonia release at the ConAgra Food Slim Jim facility in Garner, North Carolina, that killed four workers an...

  FAST-mask - A new positive pressure breathing apparatus for Hazmat applications   Excelerate Technology, the leading supplier of satellite and wireless-based data, voice and video solutions to the emergency services, has announced the immediate availability of FAST-mask, a new positive pressure breathing apparatus.  FAST-mask has an automatically inflating head harness that enables it to be safely donned and fully operational within just three seconds provi...

Michael Kristeller has been appointed as the new head of Metz Aerials GmbH & Co. KG Michael Kristeller has been appointed as the new head of Metz Aerials GmbH & Co. KG and will now manage the company in conjunction with Gottfried Reiter. Michael succeeds Dr. Wolfgang Stroh, who now heads the Group Auditing at our headquarters in Leonding. In the course of this change, the executive management tasks have also been reassigned, with Michael Kristeller taking charge o...

CSB publishes voting records of the Board and copies of Board orders that govern agency operations Washington, DC, January 8, 2010 - As part of an ongoing effort to increase transparency and promote public understanding of the agency's work, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today began publishing voting records of the Board and copies of Board orders that govern agency operations. The CSB released board voting records dating from November 10, 2009, to the present and po...

LFB campaign to ensure the safe use, signage and storage of acetylene cylinders The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been working hard to reduce the disruption caused to London by incidents involving acetylene gas cylinders.The campaign is to ensure the safe use, signage and storage of acetylene cylinders and to create a greater awareness of the additional dangers they bring when they are involved in fires and other incidents. Alongside the awareness campaign, the Brigade...

The one day course contains details on the European Regulations for safe handling of halon Ozone Depleting Substances (Minimum Qualifications) Regulations Certification course is a one-day course for companies handling halon. Who should attend? The course is intended for any company that is involved in servicing or maintaining the critical uses of halon gases i.e. aircraft extinguishing systems, aircraft portable extinguishers, police and military use. Why? It is a legal...

CSB today issued urgent safety recommendations calling on CITGO to improve its emergency water The U.S. Chemical Safety Board  (CSB) has issued urgent safety recommendations calling on CITGO to immediately improve its emergency water mitigation system.The recommendation comes in the event of another release of potentially deadly hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapor, as occurred following an explosion and fire July 19, 2009, at CITGO's Corpus Christi refinery. The...

The webinar series will feature new community preparedness topics several times each month The first LIVE webinar is scheduled for Monday, December 7 at 2 pm EST and will provide information on the newly created Citizen Corps Volunteer Liability Guide. FEMA's Community Preparedness Division has announced the Community Preparedness Webinar Series. This webinar series will provide up-to-date information on community preparedness topics and resources available to...

NFPA 1600 and 14 other NFPA first responder codes and standards have received DHS's QATT designation  This is the first block of standards to receive this “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology” designation by the DHS. NFPA 1600, Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs and 14 other NFPA codes and standards have been designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as "Qualified Anti-Terrorism Tec...

 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano ( Manuel Broussard, FEMA) The meetings were held to discuss critical infrastructure security. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today hosted the first in a series of roundtable meetings with private sector leaders. She also unveiled a new web site designed to inform the public about the Department's critical infrastructure protection, readiness and resiliency e...

The CSB investigative team plans to thoroughly examine the facility's fire safety practice CSB investigators continue to examine the events and circumstances surrounding the catastrophic tank explosion and fire. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has announced that it will be conducting a full investigation of the October 23, 2009 explosion and fire at Caribbean Petroleum Refining.  At 12:23 a.m. on October 23, a large vapor cloud ignited at the Caribbean Pet...

CSB Chairman John Bresland asked US jurisdictions to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code CSB Chairman John Bresland released a new video safety message, asking jurisdictions across the country to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code.  The message is aimed at reducing the number of accidents involving catastrophic pressure vessel failures in process industries.The safety message can be viewed on CSB.gov and on the CSB's safety message channel,...

EPA workers locating hazardous material moved by Ike in Texas The funds will go toward developing an all-hazard multi-jurisdictional mitigation plan The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $437,325 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to Cook County, Ill., for the development of an all-hazard multi-jurisdictional mitigation plan. This plan will identify and propose ways to reduce the risks of na...

There was flash fire at the same refinery in January,  when a flammable vapour cloud ignited A six-member team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of today's explosion and fire at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah. According to local officials, the explosion in the diesel hydrotreater unit caused damage to homes in the surrounding area and was felt several miles away from the facility. The CSB is investigating a January 2009...

HAZUS 2010 will be held in Indianapolis Next year's conference will be held in Indianapolis The 4th annual HAZUS conference will be held August 23-25, 2010 in Indianapolia, Indiana.  The HAZUS conference provides a unique opportunity for users of all levels in a wide variety of professions, including all public safety operatives, to share expertise and experience in the development and use of HAZUS-MH. Those who should attend include: First responders Local...

Registration for FDIC 2010 is now open Imagine the impact ON YOU Join us for FDIC 2010 - the fire service's premier event and largest annual gathering of fire professionals in North America. We have put together another thorough and challenging training program. H.O.T. evolutions and pre-conference workshop schedules have been revamped for more convenient scheduling and to give you the opportunity to get the most out of your training experience. Below are just a few of the...

An image from the new safety video issued by CSB, which depicts the fatal chemical accident at T2 Laboratories Video depicts reactive chemical accident at T2 Laboratories that killed four, injured 32 The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a new nine-minute computer animated safety video depicting the tragic reactive chemical accident that devastated T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville, Florida. Entitled "Runaway: Explosion at T2 Laboratories," the video detai...

The site of the fatal 2007 explosion at T2 Laboratories, Inc. Final report will be presented; first responders invited to attend The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced today that it will convene a public meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2009, in Jacksonville, Florida, at which CSB investigators will present their final report on the causes of the fatal December 2007 explosion at T2 Laboratories Inc., a local chemical manufacturer.The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm a...

The Reeves ICP Trailer will be on show at Fire Rescue International Unique trailer and shelter combination will be on show at FRI A complete command solution for fire rescue professionals to mobilize an interoperable incident command post quickly and efficiently will be on display at Fire Rescue International (FRI) 2009 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, TX on August 25 to 29, 2009. The new Reeves Incident Command Post (ICP) Trailer is a unique trailer and shelter...

D2L Products will exhibit its environmentally friendly Green Stuff® Absorbent at FRI 2009 New absorbent offers great reduction in carbon footprint D2L Products of Colleyville, TX will be demonstrating their revolutionary Green Stuff Absorbent at Fire Rescue International 2009. "Environmentally friendly has not generally been a term that applied to absorbents of liquid spills in the past, but Green Stuff® answers the call in every way," said Dennis Tewell, CEO of D2L...

HazMat responders at work: CSB will investigate the fatal release of ammonia at Tanner Industries HazMat incident has tragic consequences The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying an investigation team to the site of an anhydrous ammonia release that occurred earlier today at Tanner Industries, located south of Swansea, South Carolina, the agency announced. According to media reports, a woman driving her car near the facility was overcome by the ammonia vapor and w...

The new emergency response shelter from Hughes - to be unveiled at Fire & Rescue 2009 New shelter will be launched at leading UK event Hughes Safety Showers is launching a new rigid frame emergency response shelter on its stand R15 in Hall 2 at Fire & Rescue 2009. Designed for rapid deployment, the new shelter consists of a one-piece folding frame with integral liner. It is a multi-purpose unit for use at incidents where protection or temporary accommodation is req...

CHEMTREC has launched a training video detailing their free emergency response resource New training video for first responders made available When faced with an incident involving hazardous materials or dangerous goods, emergency responders need quick access to a reliable resource that can provide critical and immediate assistance directly to the scene. Thanks to a recently released training video, emergency responders can learn about a free, valuable emergency response to...

Local firefighters conducted a hazardous materials drill using 'hazmat' suits provided by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics at the company's facility in Merrimack. Imagine this scenario: a forklift carrying several 55-gallon drums of a toxic chemical is involved in an accident. As the hazardous substance begins leaking to the ground, emergency crews are called to the scene. How will they respond?This very same scenario was reenacted on Thursday, June 26, as the Merrimack Fire Rescue organizatio...