Grand Forks AFB firefighters undergo hazardous materials response training

by Senior Airman Susan L. Davis
319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

7/26/2012 - GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Grand Forks Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services members took part in a two-day emergency response training session this month at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad yard in downtown Grand Forks.

Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER) - a voluntary, nationwide outreach effort created to help communities prepare for and respond to hazardous material transportation incidents - hosted the July 19-20, 2012, training sessions.

The focus was teaching safety officials and emergency responders how to prevent or mitigate incidents involving anhydrous ammonia, a toxic, pungent and colorless gas frequently used in fertilizer and other agricultural products.

Base officials said the training is useful from a practical standpoint as well.

"While this particular training was more central to anhydrous ammonia, what our members learned could come into play for future base exercises and activities," said Grand Forks Air Force Base Fire Chief Roy Bergh. "It offered greater insight into the properties and uses of anhydrous ammonia, and how to contain a potential leak.

"Also, because the training was conducted by instructors from BNSF, it offered more familiarization with railroad equipment used locally, the structure of various tank cars, and their different configurations," Bergh said.

He also explained how the training was constructive to the base as a partner in the community, particularly in a time of declining budgets and manpower.

"We are fortunate to have a mutual service agreement with six surrounding areas of Grand Forks including Northwood, Emerado, Thompson, Grand Forks International Airport, Grand Forks and East Grand Forks," Bergh said. "The Grand Forks Fire Department has a vast array of training and equipment that they can share with us, and we can trade off by sharing with them our chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training.

Senior Airman Shane Holland, Grand Forks Air Force Base fire inspector, said he found the training useful and informative.

"I thought the training was excellent and well-planned, the instructors were very knowledgeable, and the delivery was very fluid," he said. "I'm studying a hazardous materials career development course for my next skill level, and a lot of the material discussed in Friday's training coincided with what I'm studying. I learned quite a bit."

Grand Forks was the fifth location on an eight-stop tour through the state.

According to Heather Patch, assistant state coordinator for TRANSCAER, Friday's event had one of the best turnouts TRANSCAER has seen in North Dakota, with nearly 50 people in attendance representing Grand Forks AFB, Grand Forks Fire Department and other emergency agencies from surrounding areas.

"We've got a good number of folks out here today, so this is a good response," she said. "TRANSCAER conducts training like this on an almost constant basis all over the country."

Patch explained that while this year's training sessions were focused on anhydrous ammonia, next year's will concentrate on chlorine and ethanol products.

Base firefighters also took part in an additional training day July 23, 2012, in Devils Lake, N.D