SAFENET


SAFENET

Wildland Fire Safety & Health Reporting Network

SAFENET Event Information
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SAFENET ID:
20180908-0001        [Corrective Actions]
Event Start Date:
09/03/2018 1500
Event Stop Date:
09/03/2018 1700 
Incident Name:
Klondike West Fire
Fire Number:
OR-RSF-000354 
State:
Oregon
Jurisdiction:
USFS
Local Unit:
Gold Beach Ranger District
Incident Type:
Wildland
Incident Activity:
Line
Stage of Incident:
Extended Attack
Position Title:
Safety Officer 
Task:
 
Management Level:
1
Resources Involved:
Water Tender 
Contributing Factors
Contributing Factors:
Equipment
Human Factors:
 
Other Factors:
Equipment Design 
Narrative
Describe in detail what happened including the concern or potential issue, the environment (weather, terrain, fire behavior, etc), and the resulting health issue.
Two trash pumps were being used to fill water tenders and Fire Engines on the Klondike West Fire. They were filling out of the Rogue River at Foster's Bar just east of Agness, OR. The trash pumps use straight gas and were being filled by 5 gallon Jerry Cans (Manufacture Wavian NATO Part# JC0020RVS). The gas cans were attached to the trash pump by a chain with lock so the cans would not walk off. The pumps and gas cans were sitting out in the hot sun. The cans were close to the pumps which were quite hot.

A taskforce leader for the water tenders approached me at approx. 16:00. He let me know that two of his tender operators had gas cans geyser covering them from head to toe with gas; enough that they needed to return to camp to shower. The tender drivers were very upset. The geysering took place when the tender driver opened the 5 gallon can to install the separate nozzle. The can does not release built up pressure. When the pin in the lid is pulled and the cap released the pressure blows open the cap and sprays a significant amount of gas forward of the can. The separate nozzle has a built in pressure release valve and eliminates the problem when it is installed. The issue occurs when the cover is opened for installation of the nozzle. The fire has approximately 30 of these cans on the fire line.
The concern is having the gas spray on the fire fighter with the potential to ignite and cause severe burn injuries.
Immediate Action Taken
Reporting Individual : please describe actions you took to correct or mitigate the unsafe/unhealthful event.
The Task Force Leader was directed to go to Ground Support and replace the cans with standard 5 gallon safety can with a flexible metal nozzle. The next day 6/4/18 myself and SOF2 (t) visited the site and verified that the cans had been switched out. On 6/5/18 I visited Ground Support to see the cans that had geysered. I noticed that the cans were brand new and that it wasn’t just an isolated case. I notified the IC to appraise him of the situation and he said that it is a known issue. He said we would have to keep the cans in service since we would not have enough cans to support the incident without them and that the cache would just send us more of the same. To mitigate the issue I briefed all resources on the geysering and to open the cover while standing behind the cap hinge. I also recommended they store the cans in the shade before opening to avoid pressure buildup. In the past 4 days we have not had any new incidents of cans geysering. This issue was also brought up on the Region 6 daily Safety Conference call. There are pictures of the cans including a warning sign on the can that says “DANGER Fuel UNDER PRESSURE and may GEYSER”.


Agency Response

20180908-0001-CA001

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