| Tuesday July 22, 2008 at 0854 hours, Chief 6A (Spriggs), Chief 6B (Montgomery), Engine 61 (Grierson, R), Squad 6 (Capt Collins), Tanker 6 (Hardesty), and Ambulance 69 (Fitzgerald) were alerted to the Naval Research Lab on Bayside Road (104 box) for the "tank smoking." Units arrived to find a 20,000 gallon above-ground tank smoking with a vapor cloud forming. Workers advised that the tank could possibly contain several different chemicals. Temperature readings confirmed that the liquids were actively burning/boiling. Two ladder pipes were placed in service to cool the tanks down within safe limits. A gross decon and rehab area was set up in the beginning stages. In addition, the Calvert County Hazardous Material Response Team was alerted upon dispatch. Due to this being a government base, chemists from the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC were called in as well as the Calvert County Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT). Chief 6A was the Incident Commander and units remained on the scene until 1230 hours.
With 4 Huntingtown pieces on this incident, Chief 6 (Riffe), Chief 6C (Hayes), Engine 62 (Lt Thrasher), and Brush 6 (Elliott) were back in the first-due responding to local alarms due to a storm that passed through Huntingtown. Many thanks to the dedicated Huntingtown Volunteers for being able to staff 6 pieces of apparatus on this Tuesday morning/afternoon. This was only the start of the long day..........
Pictures courtesy of member, Dennis Hook: www.dchookedonphotography.com |
