CHLORINE AND THE FIREFIGHTER

[Music] [Applause] fire department this is Loch Raven Kiwanis Swim Club we we have a chlorine gas emergency yes the bottom Collins Dale Road yes that's right okay thank you they're dead [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] chief we have a chlorine emergency down there in the white building okay we're take care of it thank you people down there crews are really sick cats in yes Roy Syrian okay fellas got a chlorine leak cement with air packs follow me battalion chief nine to communications I have a chlorine leak in a 6700 block las famed Boulevard Kiwanis Swim Club four to five casually [Music] No [Music] [Music] [Music] I mean the amount [Music] boys you girls you can all go back in the pool now emergencies over hello I'm captain les halfrek of the Baltimore City Fire Department we staged a gas leak in cooperation with a chlorine Institute to give some of our firefighters actual experience and handling chlorine emergencies deine you're the manager here I understand one of your employees placed the alarm yesterday yes sir could you tell us what happened well rocky went down to change the tank and he must not have closed the gas off completely the gas started coming out he dropped his wrench and he couldn't find it the time I got there I couldn't get to the gas man if you could have reached the valve do you know how to shut it off yes sir I have a few suggestions to make because of what happened here yes you're here first of all try and make your cylinder changes when guests are not using the pool and as you mentioned have a mass readily available how about a brief plan of action who does what when where we practice emergency drills once in a while that's good I might suggest if you're having problems with employees knowing about chlorine have you ever thought of using bleach solution or a dry chlorine compound yes sir and thanks for the rest of suggestions Thanks time and the fact remains that chlorine emergencies they are relatively rare and when they do occur or handle rather fast this is due to certain standards and practices here's an industry expert to tell us more of this right captain halfrek and it just didn't happen overnight it's a good many years I'm melt Nelson and I work for a company which is a member of the chlorine Institute modern industry today uses a lot of materials potentially more hazardous than chlorine power a few are as widely used as chlorine and because of this the industry has become very safety-conscious back in 1926 we began the standardization of valves and fittings for containers and later we designed emergency kits to control leaks for 40 years the industry has informally responded to foreign emergency situations and in 1973 we formalized this into the Clarett plan a plan where about 60 chlorine emergency teams are located in the United States and Canada and are on a 24-hour alert basis for responding to emergency situations we have continued to improve the safety features of containers also we prepare bulletins filmstrips wall charts and films for customers however and unfortunately there's always a human element chlorine emergencies can happen and they do and that's when you will get the telephone call because every community instinctively turns to the firefighters because of their training and experience in using emergency equipment you're right milk let's say the main objectives of this film or to give the firefighter a working knowledge of what chlorine is what a chlorine emergency might involve how a company can plan ahead and finally to show how a chlorine emergency can be handled safely let's start here in a chlorine control lab we will demonstrate some of the properties of chlorine chlorine is a chemical element and most people know that it's used to purify water you can buy it as laundry bleach however these are minor uses for chlorine most chlorine is used to produce plastics synthetic fibers and solvents and a lot is used to bleach paper now captain Helfrich has asked us to demonstrate some of the properties of chlorine that might relate to the emergency situations the two firefighters might encounter ken you're in charge of the lab what can we show these people well first thing you notice about chlorine is that it smells and to put it bluntly it smells like hell but realistically it smells like laundry bleach and in stronger concentrations it's more pungent and irritating you'll know it when you smell it let's show them a few things can the first thing you can see about chlorine is that it's a gas we've got a small cylinder of chlorine here and I'm going to open the valve up and let some of the gas escape under the lab hood you can see that at low concentrations chlorine is virtually colorless Ken we'll connect the tube to a flask and as the gas passes into it you can see the yellowish green color this is typical of chlorine and higher concentrations that could be fatal chlorine gas is easily compressed into a liquid and since 460 volumes of gas become one volume of liquid chlorine is usually stored and shipped in containers as a liquefied gas under pressure you may never see liquid chlorine but here's what it looks like as a gas chlorine is about two and a half times as heavy as air so when it escapes it tends to settle in low spots like basements elevator shafts or pits to detect chlorine you can use ammonia in the presence of water chlorine corrodes most metals chlorine is neither explosive nor flammable but it can react with hostile or powdered metals and with hydrocarbons like turpentine it can react violently now what about the medical facts hello I'm dr. Ned Plunkett of Occupational Health Services in Barban Ohio I'm here with you today in the emergency room of a large Metropolitan Hospital the equipment that you see in the background is equipment found the most large emergency room not essentially different from that which you have available to you chlorine has produced fear in the mind of the public for many years I'd like to review some of the simple medical facts with you first take the odor of chlorine you can smell chlorine at a very very low level to be scientific the odor threshold amounts to one third of a part per million in air and that much chlorine cannot do any harm if the concentration is 50 times greater the odor will be quite pronounced it will be so strong as a matter of fact that you would not deliberately stay in such an area you would want to get out but it will do no harm some people panic when they even hear the word chlorine but unlike many other gases the effects of chlorine and it's symptoms are completely reversible for instance if you breathe too much chlorine you'll cough and cry and your nose will run you may even develop some burning pain in your chest but if you cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief hold your breath as much as you can and walk away from the gas area you'll be perfectly alright if you see someone collapsed in the gas area put your breathing apparatus on and remove him to fresh air keep him lying down warm and comfortable if you stop breathing start artificial respiration and if you have oxygen by all means use it if a skin wears eyes have been burned with chlorine irrigate them well with plenty of water if this clothing is contaminated take it off and covering with a blanket and then if its exposure to chlorine has been serious get him to a physician but above all remember to keep him comfortable and at rest these two simple treatments alone will help him recover surprisingly fast well there are five standard types of chlorine containers these are chlorine cylinders this is a 100 pound cylinder this is a hundred and fifty pound er this is a chlorine ton container this is a chlorine tank car this is a chlorine tank trailer and this is a chlorine barn but the odds are the chlorine emergencies that you will encounter will involve cylinders and the reason for this is that there are more cylinders in use today than all other chlorine containers combined the word chlorine is stenciled on the side of the cylinder the cylinder is also identified by this green chlorine tag the tag is torn in half when the cylinder is empty however always remember that the cylinder may still contain chlorine chlorine cylinders are stored and transported in an upright position this is a threaded hood and it's used to protect the chlorine Institute cylinder valve the valve outlet is protected by an outlet cap and this special wrench is used to open this cap the wrench is also used to open and close the cylinder valve the valve body contains a safety device called a fusible plug the fusible metal melts about 160 degrees Fahrenheit this safety device keeps the cylinder from rupturing because of high pressure caused from heat so to keep the fusible plug for melting keep the cylinder cool since all chlorine cylinders are standardized we have designed an emergency kit for controlling leaks we call this the chlorine Institute emergency kit aid and it contains three main devices for stopping leaks the clamp for fusible plugs a hood for valves and a patch for site leaks you can divide emergencies involving chlorine cylinders into three main categories around warehouses in transit or at the swimming pool at the pool the usual leaks are in the lines connectors or devices attached to the chlorine cylinder not in the cylinder itself check first to make sure that the main valve is closed any chlorine remaining in the lines is then less of a problem and never roll a chlorine cylinder with a leaking valve into the pool you can only make the leak worse in a warehouse or at a loading dock you have a problem at the fires near the cylinders either move them or apply water to them barring sentimentalist moves lines in [Music] pull those tanks down babe okay here comes the other line hold it down down [Music] the Sooners are pulling out blue over what goes down again okay start moving them out babe so how much bar we got here [Music] roll and watch their feet [Music] can you handle this I'm going to check out the other side see how much fire we got here [Music] okay babe [Music] doing they stay with a pain got to keep it up [Music] okay then a bigger one are they in accord [Music] get over as far as you can [Music] let's take a pull this in [Music] also shutdown I think we gotta top okay back your lights out [Music] now I think where you can touch up a hand yeah [Music] okay nice piece of work chlorine ton containers are shipped stored and used in the horizontal position the word chlorine is stenciled on the side of the ton container this green tag identifies its contents this hood is used in shipment to protect these valves the valves are connected to pipes inside the ton container and reached the edge of the tongue container when the valves are in a vertical position the upper valve is connected to chlorine gas and the lower valve is connected to liquid chlorine now if you happen to see liquid chlorine dripping from a valve try to turn the clung container so that that valve is at the top in this position then it will leak only chlorine gas the leakage of liquid chlorine is particularly hazardous because one cubic inch of liquid chlorine will give approximately 460 cubic inches of chlorine gas chlorine tun container valves are standardized they're almost like cylinder valves except they do not have fusible plugs on the valve instead there are six separate fusible plugs on the ton container three on this head and three on the other head and these fusible plugs melt at 160 degrees Fahrenheit they are to protect the ton container from rupture because of high pressure caused by excessive heat so keep the ton container cool sometimes you may see chlorine ton containers shipped on trucks like this or on multi-unit cars there is a standardized emergency kit for controlling chlorine ton container leaks it's called the emergency kit B it contains a hood for valves a clamp for fusible plugs and a patch for side leaks there are two kinds of emergencies you may encounter which involve the ton containers the first kind is at waterworks or waste disposal plants usually the leak is in the gaskets where the lines connected to the containers by shutting off the main control valve to the ton container any chlorine remaining in the line will be less of a problem the second kind of incident involves fun containers and warehouses if exposed to a fire keep them cooled with a water spray from a fog nozzle or applicator or even rolling out of the way one word of caution though even an empty ton container weighs approximately 1600 pounds rolling uncontrolled it could be a hazard to personnel or equipment in the area this is a chlorine tank are you can identify it by the word chlorine only stencil on the side of the car you can also identify it by the word chlorine on the placard and this is the identification number for the car [Music] the dome housing contains five valves the valves parallel to the length of the car onload liquid chlorine these two valves are connected to the gas space this is a safety relief valve it relieves excess pressure in the car because of heat input however it closes after the gas pressure is reduced since the valves in the housing are standardized we have designed an emergency kit for controlling leaks recall it the emergency kit C it contains a hood for leaking angle valves a cab for leaking safety relief valves and a hood for leaking safety relief valves if a chlorine car is derailed always check it for leaks if the leak is found no water evacuate the areas conditions may require taking a consideration wind direction Paul Kemp tracker tip immediately for a chlorine emergency team and be prepared to give the car serial number even with four inches of cork insulation the chlorine car exposed to a fire should be kept cool with water spray or move it out of the fire area [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're gonna ban that zipping [Applause] - whatever give my fire away from that car there jack [Music] that's what [Music] because I give it up back here for our top the song there's a blue morass who's gonna move this car George I'll keep a top at Dome keep it on its own yeah [Music] even on its own here Arthur watch yourself there argit layaway watch yourself okay laughter in our heart [Music] okay wet it all down [Music] put it out [Music] [Music] and finally there are two other types of chlorine shipping containers the chlorine tank trailer and the chlorine barge however there are so few of these in use today that most firefighters will never see one you can identify the chlorine tank trailer by the dome at the top and the valves inside these are identical to those used on chlorine tank cars and you can identify the tank trailer by the word chlorine stenciled on the side and every tank trailer carries an emergency kit see barge regulations are very strict and only trained men may load and unload chlorine barges pouring barges operated very few parts of the country on the Mississippi and some of its tributaries along the Gulf Coast and on the Pacific Northwest Coast if your department is located along one of these waterways right the chlorine Institute for more information members of a chlorine emergency team will give you immediate advice on the telephone and if their presence seems necessary they will come to your aid as fast as possible incidentally if you wish to contact a chlorine emergency team for advanced planning call the chlorine Institute the key to this at advanced planning make sure that your department is prepared through pre fire planning know where chlorine is used and stored make sure that the chlorine user has an emergency plan of his own here in bawlmer we have a lot of industry and railroads we require all three kits the aid kit for cylinders the B kit for ton containers and the C kit for tank cars and trucks your department might not require all three kits but you should know where to obtain them and remember the firefighters best protection is these self-contained maius winds full protective clothing and remember to put on the mask prior to entering the contaminated area [Applause] [Music] it's through advanced planning and the intelligent use of the safety practices and procedures that you have seen today that the firefighter can get the edge on handling chlorine emergencies thank you [Music]