Eleven firefighters were burned, six seriously, one critically, and one
extremely critically, in an explosion that occurred while they were
attempting to extinguish a sodium fire in a metals processing establishment
in Newton, Massachusetts on October 25, 1993. The incident illustrates
how quickly and unpredictably an apparently minor hazardous materials
situation can change, with tragic consequences. It also shows how standard
protective clothing and equipment, designed for structural fire fighting, is
dangerously inadequate for a molten metals incident.
The situation was caused by a deviation from standard procedures
for handling waste sodium at the facility. The incident provides an
important series of lessons for all firefighters on the risks involved with
sodium and other flammable metals and on the need to obtain reliable
information from responsible individuals at hazardous materials incidents.
Fires in sodium and other water reactive metals are uncommon, and
the circumstances of this incident are particularly unusual. Previous
experience and pre-fire planning at the facility contributed to a false sense
of security among the firefighters, who believed that the incident could be
handled easily and without significant risk. Employees at the facility did
not provide information that would have caused the officers in charge of
the incident to more fully evaluate the risks of this particular situation
before initiating action.
The analysis, which was conducted with the luxury of time and
access to all available information and expertise, indicates that the action
that was taken involved a high level of risk and resulted in the situation
that is described. It must be recognized that these resources were not
available to the individuals who had to face the situation as it was
presented to them at the time. This report should not be interpreted as a
criticism of the decisions that were made or the actions that were taken.
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