Crews were dispatched to an outside mulch fire at Martinez Torrez Dump site on 10/14/2019 located in Thermal California. A Task Force arrived on scene, to find a Brush Truck and other units inside Martinez Torrez Dump Site on the North edge of the fire, approx. 50 feet away from the burning material. The Brush Truck established IC on this incident, and per documentation in the computer notes, verified that hazardous materials were actively burning, with various colors of smoke and flames visible. Request from AQMD was established but denied due to being on another fire. No local hazmat team was attached or dispatched once it was confirmed that hazardous materials were actively burning on a 5+ acre dump fire.
Once arrived the Water Tender Entered the Martinez Torrez Dump site looking for the ICP. Once it was realized that the ICP was set up approximately 50 feet away from the burning material with engines staged on the perimeter of the fire, water tender immediately notified the Engine that they were leaving the scene of the fire to stage away from the smoke and away from perimeter of the fire. Water tender staged and established a plan for water shuttle operations at Las Palmitas Elementary School in Thermal CA. IC then contacted Water Tender on Tac channel requesting for them to enter the dump site to the south end of the fire to fill engines with water. Water Tender refused direct orders on Tac citing Health and Safety concerns of toxic smoke due to hazardous materials burning in the dump site. Water Tender also gave an alternative plan of having water shuttle operations set up at Las Palmitas Elementary School the location where they were located. IC then made face to face contact with the Engine regarding Water Tender’s situation. IC requested the Engine to have the Water Tender come into the dump site as he planned, Engine personnel reiterated that Water Tender's operator will not be coming back into the dump site. IC then released the Task Force from the fire to go to feeding and then return to quarters at station.
There are several safety issues to note with this incident:
1. Previous Directive has been given and is supposed to be implemented for fire department personnel to take action on dump fires that are burning hazardous materials and treat them as an active hazmat.
2. After Health and Safety concerns were established and a refusal of an order was initiated, operations continued by the IC and he willfully and knowingly exposed firefighters to dangerous hazardous conditions without due regard for their safety.
3. After establishing that hazardous materials were actively burning, local hazmat team was not immediately dispatched or attached to the incident, and no air monitoring was going on as firefighters were on the dump site being exposed to confirmed hazardous materials.
4. Water Tender was not equipped with its own SCBA. Once separated from the Engine, the Water Tender had no way on having full respiratory protection. Also, there is no compartment or setup to adequately store a SCBA safely, which is imperative because a water tender generally only responds to fires of various types.
5. On November 28, 2017 Local 2881 Union Officials notified Cal Fire Riverside Unit of continued concerns of operations and directives and the need for firefighter safety to be addressed, with OSHA citing the department for several violations. It’s become evident that the department and managers are operating in a way that is willfully and purposefully harmful to firefighters safety.
I have pictures, video documentation, OSHA reports from previous violations, the Fire Chief directive on these types of fires, and other supporting documents if needed. |
