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4-6.4 Types of Fires and Suppression Action - Cont'd .
CAUTION
Never use a solid stream of water on electrical fires.
b.
Vent Fires. The fabric collapsible tanks have little or no vapor or air space above the liquid if operated properly;
however, under some conditions, a vapor and air space may exist. Any vent fires of the tanks must be recognized and
extinguished promptly to prevent the flame from entering the tank. This action should be taken even if the flame arrester
is believed to be in place.
WARNING
Never draw fuel from a tank burning at the vent. This could pull the fire into the tank.
1.
Vapor-rich Atmosphere. If the vent fire is a yellow-orange color and is giving off black smoke, it indicates a
vapor-rich tank atmosphere. In this case, there is little danger of the flame entering the tank. The flame should be
extinguished with water fog, carbon dioxide or dry chemical.
2.
Flammable Atmosphere. A vent fire with a snapping, blue-red, almost smokeless flame indicates that the
atmosphere in the tank is near the flammable range and, because of this, flame may soon enter the tank. In this case,
personnel must be kept away from the tank and outside the berm. The atmosphere in the tank can be made vapor-rich
by pumping products into the tank. When the flames show a vapor-rich atmosphere in the tank, the fire can be
extinguished with water fog, carbon dioxide, or dry chemical.
c.
Liquid Fires. Fires on the surface of liquid fuel accumulations from spills or leaks can be extinguished with foam
or dry chemical extinguishers. On large fires, water fog or solid streams are effective, but the action should be directed
by an experienced fire fighting expert. The wheel-mounted combination dry chemical and aqueous film forming foam
extinguishers furnished with the TPT are intended for use in extinguishing liquid fuel fires by first extinguishing the fire
with dry chemical and then preventing reignition with the film forming foam. Detailed operating instructions are in
Appendix A.
4-6.5 Organization and Training
The key to effective fire prevention and fire suppression is organization and training. All personnel associated with TPT
operations should be trained first in the elimination of fire hazards and, secondly, in the use of the fire suppression
equipment. It is recommended that a specific fire fighting organization be established to handle the suppression of fires
that do occur. If a fire does occur, all personnel not involved in the critical operation of the unit or in the fire fighting
organization should be evacuated.
4-7 Health and Safety Precautions
Not all personnel health and safety hazards can be covered. The secret of safe operations is to cause people to "Think
Safety". It is recommended that in addition to an initial formal safety training program, a system of regular safety
meetings be set up where personnel can recite their safety problems and supervision can take action. Specific safety
topics can be covered in such open discussions. The following outlines some of the more obvious potential health and
safety problems and actions to be taken.
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