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LOCAL NEWS, LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, OFFICIALS MOURN DEATH OF FELLOW FIREFIGHTER
Tags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
FIRE CLOSES FOSTORIA SCHOOL
Tags: us_OH, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical
DRUG LAB SQUAD RAID RUSHWORTH PROPERTY; SHED ABLAZE
Tags: Australia, public, fire, injury, clandestine_lab
BUTANE LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN EAST SAINT JOHN ON MONDAY
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, butane
BREAKING: CHLORINE LEAK NEAR JASPER, AR, SCHOOLS, HOMES EVACUATED
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, ferric_chloride
MIFFLINBURG FIREFIGHTERS LEARN HOW TO HANDLE EXPLOSIVE METH LABS
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, clandestine_lab
JACKSON LAB FACILITY WILL POSE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FOR AREA FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Tags: us_ME, laboratory, discovery, environmental
HOTEL CLERK MAY LOSE SIGHT AFTER TOILET BOWL CLEANER ATTACK - LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, injury, cleaners
1 TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS AT LONGVIE
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT SENTENCED IN 2014 BLAST AT CHEMICAL PLANT
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, illegal, waste
FIRE, HAZMAT CREWS ON SCENE OF AMMONIA LEAK AT NEW HAVEN BAKERY
Tags: us_CT, public, release, response, ammonia
CHINA RESTRICTS IMPORTS OF PLASTIC TRASH
Tags: China, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, waste
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LOCAL NEWS, LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS, OFFICIALS MOURN DEATH OF FELLOW FIREFIGHTER
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/local_news/20180109/local_fire_departmentsofficialsmourn_death_of_fellow_firefighterTags: us_WA, industrial, follow-up, death, unknown_chemical
MOSES LAKE - Dan Dishon, a highly regarded local firefighter, lost his life on Monday as a result of an industrial incident in late December in Moses Lake.
Dishon, 39, received chemical burns on Dec. 27 following an incident at Moses Lake Industries. He was initially transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, but was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remained at the hospital until his death on Monday.
Dishon was a battalion chief/training officer for Grant County Fire District No. 13, which serves the greater Ephrata area, and volunteered for the district since 2011. He was also a paid captain for Grant County Fire District No. 5, which serves the greater Moses Lake area, and volunteered for the district for 15 years.
The loss of Dishon has prompted an outpouring of support from fire departments, officials and locals alike.
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FIRE CLOSES FOSTORIA SCHOOL
http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/news/local-news/2018/01/fire-closes-fostoria-school/
Tags: us_OH, education, fire, response, unknown_chemical
FOSTORIA - Fostoria Junior/Senior High School was closed Tuesday and is to remain closed the rest of the week due to a fire in the boiler room early Tuesday morning.
At 4:45 a.m., a woman reported to Fostoria Police Department that she had looked out her window and noticed all of the lights at the school were out.
About 15 minutes later, a crew noticed a smell of an electrical fire, and officers noticed a door on the east side of the building and a room were full of smoke and requested the fire department to respond, a Fostoria Police Department report states.
Fostoria Fire Division, Tiffin Fire Rescue Division, Bascom EMS and American Electric Power crews responded to the school at 1001 Park Ave.
Brian Herbert, interim chief of Fostoria Fire Division, said he believed the fire started on a shelf with chemical supplies. Firefighters could not rule out an electrical issue, he said.
"We don't know (the) exact cause," he said.
Herbert estimated the fire was extinguished in 10 minutes, and it was contained to the boiler room.
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DRUG LAB SQUAD RAID RUSHWORTH PROPERTY; SHED ABLAZE
http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5160867/drug-lab-squad-raid-rushworth-property-shed-ablaze/
Tags: Australia, public, fire, injury, clandestine_lab
Victoria police's drug lab squad arrived to shed on fire during a raid on a Rushworth property on Wednesday afternoon.
A 33-year-old Cornella man was taken to hospital with burns.
The Clandestine Laboratory Squad raided two properties in the region, including one in Cornella, as part of an ongoing drug investigation.
Emergency services, including a Country Fire Authority hazardous material response unit, are at the Rushworth property following the incident.
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BUTANE LEAK FORCES EVACUATION IN EAST SAINT JOHN ON MONDAY
https://globalnews.ca/news/3951694/butane-leak-forces-evacuation-in-east-saint-john-on-monday/
Tags: Canada, public, release, response, butane
A section of Bayside Drive in east Saint John was shut down and businesses were been evacuated after a butane line ruptured on Monday morning.
The evacuation area was expanded shortly before 6 p.m., to include all homes on River Avenue.
Due to a projected shift in wind direction the evacuation area was expanded at approximately 7:45 to include all residents on First Street East, Second Street East and 66-72 Spruce Avenue.
So far, 30 homes have been evacuated.
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BREAKING: CHLORINE LEAK NEAR JASPER, AR, SCHOOLS, HOMES EVACUATED
http://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/chlorine-leak-cleanup-underway-in-jasper-arkansas/906916901
Tags: us_AR, transportation, release, response, ferric_chloride
UPDATE (5:56 p.m.): The tanker truck causing the leak tipped while ascending a hill on Highway 7.
The truck spilled 3,600 gallons of ferric chloride at about 10 gallons per minute.
Hazmat teams are on the scene to clean up the spill.
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MIFFLINBURG FIREFIGHTERS LEARN HOW TO HANDLE EXPLOSIVE METH LABS
http://www.dailyitem.com/news/local_news/mifflinburg-firefighters-learn-how-to-handle-explosive-meth-labs/article_1cb70680-1304-5877-99aa-cbd4f16791a2.html
Tags: us_PA, public, discovery, environmental, clandestine_lab
A forensic scientist who works full time for the state police spent about three hours Monday night explaining to more than 75 first responders in Mifflinburg about the indicators and the hazards associated with meth labs.
"The idea here, " said Rebecca Patrick, "is if a fire department would walk in on something suspicious, it would set up some red flags and they can make sure the police department gets there and understands what they could potentially be exposed to."
On Oct. 19, a fire in a second-floor apartment on Thompson Street followed an explosion caused by what police described as a methamphetamine lab mishap. It was this incident and others, that convinced Mifflinburg Hose Company Fire Chief Steve Walters to bring in police experts and now, forensic scientist Patrick, to teach a class called "Clandestine Lab Awareness."
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JACKSON LAB FACILITY WILL POSE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FOR AREA FIRE DEPARTMENTS
http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/maine-news/jackson-lab-facility-will-pose-unique-challenges-area-fire-departments/
Tags: us_ME, laboratory, discovery, environmental
ELLSWORTH - Fire safety is always serious business, but the new Jackson Lab facility, set to open sometime between April and June, will pose unique challenges for area fire departments.
Security, keeping the mouse rooms sterile and having enough hose line and personnel to navigate the inner recesses of the building are among the challenges posed by such a highly specialized facility, said Ellsworth Fire Chief Richard Tupper.
Numerous safeguards have been put in place at the new facility - which is still under construction - to mitigate fire risk, said the lab's Senior Director of Facilities John Fitzpatrick, including the use of as little combustible material as possible in construction. This means steel studs and concrete boards and cameras and sprinklers in every room, along with smoke and fire barriers that the lab added on its own.
Like other equipment in the facility, the sprinklers are highly specialized, incorporating an inert gas rather than water to prevent leaks that would compromise the sterile environment.
"Just in my career there's 30 years worth of lessons incorporated into this facility," Fitzpatrick said. "In Jackson Lab history, there's 90 years worth of lessons being incorporated. It really is state-of-the-art."
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HOTEL CLERK MAY LOSE SIGHT AFTER TOILET BOWL CLEANER ATTACK - LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/hotel-clerk-may-lose-sight-after-toilet-bowl-cleaner-attack/
Tags: us_NV, public, follow-up, injury, cleaners
A Las Vegas extended-stay hotel desk clerk may have been blinded after a tenant allegedly threw toilet bowl cleaner in his face last month.
Christopher King, 60, faces charges of mayhem and battery in connection with the attack at the Town and Country Manor, 4311 Boulder Highway. He was arrested Dec. 30, the same day Kenneth O'Brien landed in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center with chemical burns.
At 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 30, Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to the complex after several 911 callers reported hearing O'Brien yelling for help inside the complex's front office.
When officers arrived, the 61-year-old victim, who police said was bleeding from the mouth, identified King as the man who had attacked him. He told officers "his face was on fire, his mouth was on fire, his eyes were on fire," a police document detailed.
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1 TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS AT LONGVIE
http://www.kltv.com/story/37220429/1-transported-to-hospital-after-exposure-to-chemicals-at-longview-plant
Tags: us_TX, industrial, release, injury, unknown_chemical
LONGVIEW, TX (KLTV) -
One person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries when they were burned after exposure to chemicals at a Longview plant, officials say.
About 5 p.m., Longview fire crews responded to the Eastman plant in Longview. Fire Marshal Kevin May says someone was exposed to an unidentified chemical on their face and may have sustained some burns.
May says the person was transported to a hospital and appeared to be in good condition.
Further details were not immediately available.
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FORMER VICE PRESIDENT SENTENCED IN 2014 BLAST AT CHEMICAL PLANT
http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/santa-paula/2018/01/08/former-vice-president-sentenced-2014-blast-santa-clara-waste-water-co-facility/1015080001/
Tags: us_CA, industrial, follow-up, injury, illegal, waste
A former vice president of Santa Clara Waste Water Co. was sentenced Monday to serve 120 days in Ventura County jail in connection with a 2014 explosion at the plant's facility.
Dean Poe, 52, of Ventura, also was ordered to serve three years of formal probation and to pay restitution to the victims affected by the blast, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Dominic Kardum.
"His sentence reflects his limited involvement in the crimes that took place back in 2014," Kardum said. "That's why we recommended six months in custody. The court saw it slightly differently and imposed less time than we were seeking."
Poe, who was Santa Clara Waste Water's vice president of oil and gas sales, pleaded guilty in March to a felony conspiracy charge of disposing of hazardous waste. The charge stems from a Nov. 18, 2014, explosion at the company's facility at 815 Mission Rock Road near Santa Paula. The blast injured three Santa Paula firefighters and other employees.
A grand jury indicted Poe and eight other defendants, including Santa Clara Waste Water and its parent company, Green Compass.
"With respect to the co-defendants, he had a lesser role in the people's view compared to other co-defendants whose cases remain pending," Kardum said.
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FIRE, HAZMAT CREWS ON SCENE OF AMMONIA LEAK AT NEW HAVEN BAKERY
http://wtnh.com/2018/01/07/hazmat-crews-respond-to-ammonia-leak-at-new-haven-bakery/
Tags: us_CT, public, release, response, ammonia
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) - Hazmat crews are on the scene of an ammonia leak at a local bakery in New Haven.
According to the New Haven Fire Department, crews responded to a bakery on Grand Avenue late Sunday afternoon.
The cause of the leak is not known at this time.
No injuries have been reported.
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CHINA RESTRICTS IMPORTS OF PLASTIC TRASH
https://cen.acs.org/articles/96/i2/China-restricts-imports-plastic-trash.html
Tags: China, public, discovery, environmental, plastics, waste
A Chinese government policy aimed at curbing imports of postconsumer plastic waste went into effect Jan. 1, leaving recyclers in the U.S. and elsewhere without a market for much of their plastic waste and causing material to pile up.
U.S. localities, particularly on the West Coast, have for many years shipped plastics collected in recycling programs to China. Low wages make China an ideal place for the labor-intensive sorting of plastic waste.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. International Trade Commission, China imported 776,000 metric tons of reclaimed plastic and 13 million metric tons of recycled paper from the U.S. in 2016. The total value was $2.3 billion.
China officially notified the World Trade Organization last summer that it would restrict the import of 24 types of waste. It explained that dirty and hazardous substances mixed with plastic and other waste pose a risk to health and the environment.
"This is going to be a huge shock," says Douglas Woodring, the Hong Kong-based managing director of Ocean Recovery Alliance, a group that advocates for improved management of waste plastic. "Not many governments are currently equipped to deal with the huge backup this will create in their waste handling systems."
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