october 2024
 |
Inside the October Issue |
Prep Ahead for Combustible
Dust Fire Response
Every year, a number of emergency responders
are injured, and sometimes
killed, during emergency operations in
facilities where combustible dusts exist.
In some cases, responders have inadequate
information or training on the explosible
characteristics of combustible
dust and/or the conditions present in the
facility, which may have increased the
challenge of handling incidents safely
and effectively.
Many emergency response agencies
routinely perform pre-incident surveys at
facilities with special hazards. This allows
responders, regardless of the size of
the jurisdiction, to learn about the hazards,
proper methods to handle emergencies,
and the features in place to assist
them (for example, water supplies, suppression
systems, confined spaces, egress
points). Emergency responders should
treat combustible dust as a special hazard.
A facility may produce, collect, or store dusts and/or dust-producing materials as its main operation or as an incidental matter. In either case, emergency responders need to know about combustible dust hazards in advance. This helps them plan appropriate actions and avoid creating additional hazards to themselves or occupants. All locations where combustible dust is used (including process or conveying equipment), produced (for example, cutting or grinding equipment), or stored (including all vessels, containers, or collectors) should be identified in the survey. Facilities can have a variety of materials, operations, and procedures. During the pre-incident survey, it is important to collect facility-specific information on all of these aspects. This will make it possible to tailor emergency operations to a particular facility.
The pre-incident survey team should
walk through the entire facility and consider
each process, possibly by functional
area, to identify the operations or
components that generate, or could generate,
enough dust to create a flash fire
or explosion hazard. The team should
consider all normal and potential abnormal
(upset) conditions to ensure that the
pre-incident survey is as comprehensive
as possible. Consider organizing the information by facility areas or process
areas for clarity.
Combustible dust can accumulate on
any upward-facing surface. Fine dusts
can even cling to vertical surfaces. A
large amount of combustible dust often
accumulates overhead, on structural
components or other surfaces where it is
hard to notice or clean. Historically,
these dust accumulations are associated
with cascading secondary explosions that
lead to major or total facility loss. The
team must consider all spaces—both exposed
and hidden and at any elevation—
in the pre-incident survey.
Other sources of information are the jurisdiction’s building construction and fire code officials. In many cases the fire official is within the fire department, but this is not always the case. State and local fire codes often require permits for hazardous materials. In some cases, operational permits may be specifically required for combustible dust-producing operations. Such permits can serve as triggers for the pre-incident survey and can also contain specific facility information. Full story »
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