Department of Energy's Industrial Fire Training Course

Elko, Nevada

For more information or registration, click here

Pictures from the November 14th - 17th 2005 class , click here (video to come soon)

Course Summary

Terrorist behaviors and tactics common in terrorism incidents
This segment will include presentations from the social and behavioral sciences with a focus on understanding terrorism and the motivation of terrorists, who are often involved in groups guided by strongly held beliefs. The social psychology of terrorism as a group phenomenon is important for first responders to understand, as one event may be closely related in time to other events for the deliberate and direct purpose of harming first responders. Research dealing with typical tactics and the social and demographic characteristics of terrorists will be discussed. University of Nevada, Reno faculty will present this segment.

Chemistry of flammable liquids and gases
The chemical and physical characteristics of combustible/flammable and liquefied petroleum gases will be examined, with emphasis on how these characteristics have a direct impact on strategy and tactics of handling incidents involving these products.

Hose handling and effective streams
Safe hose handling techniques will be examined for combating both pressurized and pool fires involving flammable combustible liquids. The use of hose lines and stream patterns is much different for combating these types of fires than those normally used in structural fire fighting. How an effective stream is defined and obtained when combating both pressurized and pool fires involving flammable/combustible liquids will also be covered. The key to successfully mitigating these types of incidents is the effective use of water as a primary extinguishing and protective agent.

Use of dry chemical extinguishers with water/foam and use of existing equipment
Many of the industrial fires encountered can be successfully handled by using a combination of extinguishing techniques. This portion of the course will discuss the use of combination devices and multiple agents. Emphasis will be placed on using equipment already available in most departments.

High-volume foam application and use of existing equipment
The development of large volumes of foam may seem to be outside the capabilities of many fire departments. This class will discuss techniques for developing these large-volume flows using equipment that is easily obtainable by most fire departments. The session will also include techniques for calculating the application rate for foam and amount of foam and water required.

Preplanning and hazards of:

§                                 Pipelines

§                                 Rail cars and bulk terminals

§                                 Tank trucks and truck terminals

An understanding of the basic arrangement and operation of common facilities is important to handling incidents involving flammable liquids. A general overview of layout and common features among these industrial facilities will give students a better understanding of the hazards present within each.

Flammable/combustible liquid and LPG storage tanks
Bulk storage facilities are located throughout the country and these represent the potential for catastrophic fires whether caused by accident or terrorist action. Recognizing the hazards and knowing proper strategy and techniques for combating these fires can reduce their impact on local communities. The session will cover common features, engineered protection systems and use of fire department equipment in combating these incidents.