Coffee Break Training: Hazardous Materials: Indoor Parking and Servicing of Liquefied Petroleum-Gas Transport Vehicles

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Coffee Break Training: Hazardous Materials: Indoor Parking and Servicing of Liquefied Petroleum-Gas Transport Vehicles

Learning Objective: The student shall be able to describe the construction and operational requirements for indoor parking and servicing of LP-Gas transport vehicles when the vehicles are under the control of their owner.

When LP-Gas transport vehicles are parked or serviced in separate structures indoors by the owner/operator, the building must meet the construction requirements of National Fire Protection Association 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code. A “separate” structure is one that is not attached to any
other buildings or structures on the site.

Separate buildings or structures are limited to a single story in height and are required to have noncombustible walls, floors, ceilings and roofs. The exterior walls and ceilings should be made of lightweight material designed for explosion venting, or, if they are made of heavy construction materials such as solid brick masonry, concrete block, or reinforced concrete construction, they should be equipped with explosion venting windows that have an explosion venting area of at least 1 foot (0.1 meter²) for each 50 feet³ (1.4 m³) of the structure’s enclosed volume.

The floor of separate structures should not be below ground level. Due to the fact that LP-Gas vapors are heavier than air and will settle if released from a container, any space beneath the floor should be solidly filled or have a perimeter that is entirely unenclosed to allow ventilation.

The structure should be ventilated using air inlets and outlets with the lowest part of the vent located not more than 6 inches (150 millimeters) above the floor.
Ventilation should be provided in accordance with the following:

Where mechanical ventilation is used, the rate of air circulation should be at least 1 foot³/min·foot²(0.3 m³/min·m²) of floor area.
Outlets should discharge at least 5 feet (1.5 m) from any opening into the structure or any other structure.
Where natural ventilation is used, each exterior wall should be provided with one opening for each 20 feet (6.1 m) of length.
Each opening should have a minimum size of 50 inches² (32,250 mm²), and the total of all openings should be at least 1 inch²/foot² (6,900 mm²/m²) of floor area.

If the structure is used for storage only, natural ventilation is usually adequate. Mechanical ventilation is more reliable than natural ventilation and is preferred for buildings where liquid LP-Gas transfer occurs.

For more information, refer to NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code

NFPA Coffeee Break Training No. FP-2013-14 April 2, 2013 http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb_fp_2013_14.pdf

CFN - California Fire News 2013

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, April 2, 2013