TECHNICAL RESCUE BOX ALARM

           CONFINED SPACE RESCUE DRILL

 

TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

Of

LUZERNE COUNTY, PA.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2000 

Final Report

OVERVIEW

One of the most important questions that can be asked prior to a response to any incident involving confined spaces is weather the rescue team is competently organized, trained and equipped to perform a confined space rescue. General Industry has a duty to it’s workers to maintain a healthy and safe working environment as reflected in OSHA regulations, 29 CFR -1910.146 Permit-required confined spaces. This section identifies RESCUE as being allowable from an industry internal response team or by outside agency contract. It is the responsibility of the employer (industry) to evaluate the selected rescue service to ensure competency. Evaluation of the rescue service may include:

• Does the rescue service understand and conform to all applicable standards (OSHA, NFPA etc.)?
• Does the rescue service have enough trained personnel to sustain a confined space rescue operation?
• Does the rescue service have the proper equipment to perform a confined apace rescue?
• Does the rescue service have an organized incident management system for managing their rescue personnel and operations as well as municipal and industry response personnel alike?

The Technical Rescue Team comprising the 6 mutual aid rescue services that form the Technical Rescue Box Alarm conducted a full-scale confined space rescue drill. The Technical Rescue team consists of Mutual aid rescue companies from Avoca, Kingston, Nanticoke, Mountain Top Hose Co #1, Plains Rescue and West Hazleton Fire and Rescue. The exercise was held in conjunction with the Hanover Twp. Fire Department and the Breslau Rescue 5 personnel, Air Products and Chemicals facility Safety Team and Safety Manager.

Air Products, under OSHA requirements to provide for rescue of their employees who enter confined spaces, contacted the Hanover Township Fire Department who in turn "subcontracted" the Technical Rescue Box for specialty rescue. This was a highly cooperative effort between fire/rescue service personnel and industry representatives to test the multi-agency response to an industrial setting. As the first due fire/rescue service to APCI, select Rescue 5 personnel were provided with awareness level training meeting the requirements set forth in NFPA 1670. This would be the first test of the Technical Rescue Box Alarm in direct contact with a non-technical rescue service and major industry.

SCENARIO

The drill was conducted in a simulated confined space within the confines of a "cold Box" within the plant. The COLD Box was in an early state of construction and did not qualify as a "Permit" space at this time. During the construction process the Cold Box would eventually become a confined space by definition. APCI provided employees to act as victims. They were to be working inside the Cold Box when an Argon gas leak occurred while purging an area in the cold box. The argon gas caused an Oxygen deficient atmosphere due to displacement. This caused the workers to become unconscious within the confined space. An entry attendant was stationed at the entrance to the confined space at the time of the emergency and activated the APCI internal response system, which included notifying 911.

The drill commenced at 13:11 hours on 9/11/00 with all units staged onsite for pre-dispatch preparation and standby. There was no emergent response in order to maintain rescuer safety and legality. Initial response would be well within acceptable standards.

GOAL and OBJECTIVES

• The goal of this operation was to conduct a safe and effective rescue operation in compliance with nationally recognized standards using the appropriate tools equipment and technical personnel while assuring the safety of all personnel.
• Specific objectives;

o       Evaluate the effectiveness of the technical units to deploy an appropriately trained and equipped team.

o       Evaluate the unified team incident command system and further division into "Rescue Operation Sector" while operating under the overall ICS system.

o       Evaluate incident command system modifications where involvement of a non-technical local community rescue service is the first responding department.

o       Evaluate the ability to function in an industry setting and integrate knowledgeable employees for the benefit of rescue performance.

INITIAL RESPONSE

At 13:11 hrs the Hanover Township rescue box was activated via 911 to respond to a confined space incident with 2 workers trapped at the Air Products facility, 827 San Souci Parkway in the township.

Rescue 5 (Breslau) arrived on the scene and recognized a confined space rescue situation. Chief 5 radios to requested the "TECHNICAL BOX" be dispatched through 911and initiated awareness level procedures that included:

• Size-up
• Entry attendant interview
• Entry permit secured
• Victim information form completed
• Perimeter secured
• Entry denied
• Air monitoring using APCI device
• Positive pressure ventilation to space
• Attempted non-entry retrieval (unsuccessful)

Attempts to initiate voice contact and perform non-entry retrieval via tag lines were unsuccessful.

Upon arrival of the first technical unit Chief 5 made an appropriate size-up report and a rescue command sector was established. Chief 5 maintained overall INCIDENT COMMAND throughout the incident. 

TECHNICAL RESPONSE

Avoca Rescue 71 was the first arriving technical unit from the box. Lieutenant Mark Mullen assumed the role of Rescue Sector Operations Officer and would command the rescue. Captain Mike Lampman was designated Rescue Sector Safety Officer. The confined space rescue SOP was activated and PVAA entry permit initiated.

PROCEDURE CRITIQUE

• Training Requirements:

The unit responded meeting the team "Technician Level" (NFPA 1670). The appropriate level rescuers were used in the appropriate positions as assigned by Rescue Sector command. (See attachment 1) 

• Incident Command:

o       Rescue sector command was established in cooperation with Breslau Rescue 5. Current procedure does not account for interface with a non-technical rescue unit. This will be addressed with the upcoming revision of procedures. 

o       Transfer of hot zone information was timely and accurate. This process and accuracy was most likely expedited by the pre-incident awareness level training. 

o       Rescue Sector Commander made the following appointments: 

o       Rescue Sector Safety officer

o       Entry Supervisor

o       Multiple authorized rescue entrants and RIT team

o       EMS Officer

o       Equipment Staging and Preparation

o       Support Duties

• Entry Permit:

o       The APCI industry CS. permit was obtained by first responders and transferred to Rescue Sector Command.

o       PVAA CONFINED SPACE ENTRY PERMIT was used for rescue mode ops. All areas were complete and accurate. (Attachment 00)

o       Continuous contact was maintained with the APCI Safety Officer

 

• Atmospheric Monitoring:

o       Performed in the initial and continuous stages with completion of the entry permit area and continuous atmospheric monitoring log.

 

• Pre-entry Procedures:

o       In conjunction with the rescue entry permit, lockout-tagout procedures initiated and maintained. 

o       See permit for hazard assessment and actions. (Attachment 2) 

o       Ventilation maintained.  

o       Communications between Entry Supervisor and Authorized entrants established and maintained via con-space system. (See comments) 

• Entry Team Considerations: 

o       All entry team considerations were followed.

o       Multiple teams to meet the degree of difficulty were used. (See attachment 3)

 

• Patient Treatment/Care Considerations: 

o       Patients were packaged and moved with difficulty due to the space characteristics

o       Patients had apparently crawled in and around ducting and other obstacles within the space

o       Heavy lifting was required at times with less than optimal form due to the confines

 

• Termination procedures: 

o       PAR established

o       CS area made safe and secure

o       Equipment returned to service

o       Formal Critique session

  

Technical Response Personnel Participation

 

1. Tom Sadowski            Nanticoke                    CSR Technician
2. Ray Black                    Plains                          CSR Technician
3. Pat Ward                     West Hazleton             CSR Technician
4. Mark Mullen               Avoca                          CSR Technician
5. Dan Shaw                    Plains                          CSR Technician
6. Mike Lampman            Avoca                          CSR Technician
7. Jeff Barry                    Nanticoke                    CSR Technician
8. Dan Thomas                Nanticoke                    CSR Technician
9. Kevin Odell                Avoca                          CSR Technician
10. Brian Bloom                Kingston                      CSR Technician
11. Scott Zimmerman        Plains                          CSR Technician
12. Joe Kelly                     Plains                          CSR Technician
13. Judy Moss                   Plains                          CSR Technician
14. Gary Slusser                Plains                          CSR Technician
15. Brian Krahel               Plains                          CSR Technician
16. Tom Austin                  Plains                          CSR Technician
17. Justin Farley                West Hazleton             CSR Technician
18. Joe Grimes                  Kingston                      CSR Technician
19. Alison Odell               Avoca                          CSR Awareness
20. Mike VanLeuvander    Avoca                          CSR Awareness
21. AL Gillman                 Mountaintop                CSR Operations
22. Tim Reiley                  Mountaintop                CSR Operations
23. Tim Mcguinnis            Mountaintop                CSR Operations
24. Dave Taylor                Mountaintop                CSR Operations
25. Mike Wisniewski        Nanticoke                    CSR Operations
26. Mark Nebrosky           Nanticoke                    CSR Awareness
27. Justin Farley                West Hazleton             CSR Operations
28. Andres Rivera             West Hazleton             CSR Operations
29. Sheri Kimock              West Hazleton             CSR Operations
30. Fred P                         West Hazleton             CSR Operations
31. Brian M                       West Hazleton             CSR Operations
32. Joe TamerantzIII          HTFD R-5                   CSR Awareness
33. Mike Kocher               HTFD E-4                   CSR Awareness
34. Matt Orloski                HTFD R-5                   CSR Awareness
35. Joe Tamerantz JR        HTFD  R-5                  CSR Awareness
36. Frank McKenzie          HTFD R-5                   CSR Awareness
37. Dan Wegrymantz         HTFD R-5                   CSR Awareness
38. Paul H                         HTFD R-5                   CSR Awareness
39. Bob Williams              HTFD E-1                   CSR Awareness

Bill Watkins JR           HTFD E-1                   CSR Awareness

 

 

ENTRY SUPERVISOR LOG

 

• Entry Team 1

1. Slusser            Rescue
2. Krahel             14:04 to 14:29hrs

• Entry Team 2

1. Moss                           Rescue
2. Zimmerman                 14:21 to 14:39

• Entry Team 3

1. Ward
2. Farley                          Staged/ backup

• Entry Team 4

1. Bloom
2. Sadowski                    Staged/backup

 

• Entry Attendants:        

1. McGinness
2. Gillman
3. Nebrosky
4. Thomas
5. Rivera

 

• Removal:
• Victim 1          14:18
• Victim 2          14:31
• Entry Sector PAR:                   14:40

 

Entry Supervisor; Kevin Odell, CSR Tech. Avoca Fire

  

DISPATCH PROCEDURE FOR TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM

Team is available for  1. Confined Space Emergencies

1.     Trench Rescue

2.     Structural Collapse

3.     Any other emergency a Municipality may deem necessary

• The team must be requested by Command of the emergency
• All units which are part of the team must be dispatched
• Site operations frequency will be decided upon teams arrival
• Command frequency will be whatever frequency current command has established
• It is understood that this team is a resource and will operate through existing command of the scene

Units to be dispatched

Avoca	Rescue
Fairview	Rescue 216
Kingston	Rescue Cascade
Nanticoke	Rescue 219
Plains	Rescue 211 Collapse 211
West Hazleton	Rescue

 

INFORMATION TO BE GIVEN TO RESPONDING TEAM

• Location of incident
• Directions to incident
• type of incident
• staging area for units responding
• command of incident