Forklift ablaze backlot of Leader Home Center
A forklift caught fire INSIDE a lumber yard at Leader Home Center on College Street but employees managed to get it safely outside the building, and AFD quickly snuffed it out.
Catastrophe avoided. Barely.
Let the whining begin about staffing....I realize they need the staff.. don't have the staff.. severely under staffed.. but enough of the public crying for it. Fires happen in everytown- and some towns have less staffing than Amherst, AND they have lumberyards too- These incidents can happen anywhere.. and in a smaller town with just 3 or 4 firemen on duty at a time, a fire in a lumberyard will require more help.. but you dont see them on facebook saying how lucky they were it wasnt worse etc etc. As far as the student firefighters and on call firefighters "not being academy trained" and "not professional"- Look around hampshire and franklin county- majority of these depts are in the same boat. You want only academy trainied firefighters available? Make it mandatory they do a Firefighter 1 & 2 course. Or.. as a union.. try and disband them.. As long as these two supplemental forces are around, AFD will never see the proper number of firefighters(fulltime). I not saying to get rid of them, but the town sees 40 firefighters, plus how ever many student force and call force.. they see big numbers.. the Town doesnt understand the limitations of others. You say you cant depend on the call force or students.. however they are trained to do your job when your not available. Can't have it both ways.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear- I am a supporter of AFD and I agree they absolutely need more fulltime staff....but the town clearly isn't a supporter of this. I just dont like seeing the seperation of the 2(3) levels of firefighters in this town.
Signed,
Fedup with the town wearing blinders.
Impressive, yes -- looks more like gasoline than propane, I didn't know there still were gasoline-powered forklifts, and maybe this is part of why.
ReplyDeleteBut two volunteer firefighters and a handline could have put that out -- one running the truch and one with the hose -- sure you can run more pressure with three guys, and it's wise to approach cautiously like they did, but years back it would have been one guy.
Besides, if this was serious, they'd have hosed down the pallets & shingles FIRST to keep the fire contained...
Three questions:
1: Was there a 10 B/C extinguisher on the forklift as required?
2: Was it used?
3: If this was a propane lift, why didn't the operator simply shut off the tank at the first hint of trouble?
Just askin'.....
the forlift was absolutely propane.
ReplyDeleteWas the tank overfilled by someone who wasn't weighing tanks and didn't know that forklift tanks don't have float valves like all BBQ tanks now do? Tank gets warm, pressure relief valve opens, that'd cause a fire...
ReplyDeleteThat's also explain why AFD fought this fire the way they did, as you really don't want to fully extinguish a fire like this until the tank stops venting, as the fire is disposing of a potentially explosive heavier-than-air gas for you.
You want only academy trainied firefighters available? Make it mandatory they do a Firefighter 1 & 2 course. Or.. as a union.. try and disband them..
ReplyDeleteemergency first aid at work