2015 ISOSWO APWA Spring Conference

1. 1
Landfill Fires and 911
Todd Thalhamer, P.E.
Hammer Consulting Service
Cal-EPA-CalRecycle, Senior Waste Mgmt
Engineer
El Dorado Hills Fire Department, Volunteer Lt.
2015 APWA/ISOSWO

2. Welcome LF Fires
2

3. And 911
3

4. 4
Todd Thalhamer, P.E.
 Environmental Engineer with 22 years
experience in waste issues
 17 years of firefighting experience
 Currently a volunteer Lieutenant for
El Dorado Hills Fire, California
 Developed a new firefighting concept
called environmental suppression,
which balances the impact of
firefighting with the environment
 Consulted on over 40 waste fire
projects in the US and Internationally
 Performed duties as the Operations
Chief at the San Bruno Pipeline
Explosion Removal Project
 IC for the Longest Burning Tire Fire in
the US
 President of Hammer Consulting
Service providing waste fire training
and command services

5. 5
Projects 2013- Panama Landfill FIre
 2012 - Landfill Smoldering/Oxidation Event, St Louis Area
 2012 - Auto Shredder Fluff Fire, Calgary.
 2012 - Contributing Author Aluminum Waste Reaction Indicators in MSW Landfill, ASCE
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
 2012 to 2009 - Forward Landfill Fire and Gas Issue.
 2012 to 2007 - Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Heating Event, Hawaii.
 2012 to 2007- Central Maui Landfill Fire and Heating Event, Hawaii.
 2012 to 2010 - Azusa Tire Monofill Fire, California
 2010 - Instructor for Waste Fires, Investigation, Evaluation and Response, US EPA, Florida
 2010 - Instructor for the Continuing Challenge Hazmat Workshop - Waste Fires
 2010 - Contributing Author of “Aluminum Waste Reaction Indicators in MSW Landfill” ASCE
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, October 2010
 2009 - Instructor for Waste Fire Courses
 2009 to 2007 - Kailua-Kona Landfill Fire Suppression Project, Hawaii
 2008 - Instructor/Presenter for Landfill Fire Seminar, B.C., Canada
 2008 - Instructor/Presenter for International Tire Conference, San Diego California
 2008 to 2007 - Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Heating Event, Hawaii
 2008 to 2007 - Kailua-Kona Landfill Fire Suppression Project, Hawaii
 2008 to 2007 - Lawson Illegal Disposal Site Subsurface Debris Fire, Riverside County, CA
 2007 - City of Kingston Landfill Fire, Jamaica
 2007 - Helotes Debris Fire, San Antonio, Texas
 2006 - Landfill Fire Conference, Ohio
 2006 - Landfill Fires Guidance Document Final, CIWMB
 2006 - Candlestick Point Subsurface Fire, San Francisco, California
 2006 - Minimize Landfill Fire and Losses, Panel Member, Washington D.C.
 2006-2003 - Tracy Tire Fire Remediation Project, San Joaquin County, California.
 2006 - Landfill Fire Conference, Instructor/Presenter, Ohio EPA
 2006 - Landfill fire, Australia, Pollution Response Agency
 2004 - Chalan Pago Kajiyama Hardfill Facility Fire, Guam
 2003 - Archie GOH Debris Fire, Fresno, California
 2003 - Woodlake Sanitary Landfill, Loretto, Minnesota
 2003 - Idaho Tire Recovery Pile Evaluation, Lincoln County, Idaho
 2002 - Greenhill Road Illegal Landfill/Debris Fire, Johnston, Rhode Island
 2002 - Superior Greentree Landfill Fire, Kersey, Pennsylvania
 2002 - Instructor/Presenter for Tire Fire Response, US EPA
 2002 - Naco Landfill Fire, Naco, Mexico
 2001 - Hunter’s Point Landfill, US Navy, San Francisco, California

6. Projects
 2001 - Shredded Tire Facility in Ohlsdorf, Austria
 2000 - Tracy Tire Fire Suppression Project, San Joaquin County, CA
 2000 - Instructor/Presenter for Environmental Suppression Workshop, Sacramento County, CA
 2000 - Andersen Air Force Base Landfill Cap Evaluation, Guam, USA
 1999 - Illegal Green Waste Pile, Guam USA
 1999 - Cajon Illegal Landfill Fire, San Bernardino County, California
 1998-1999 - Hawaiian Island Landfill Fires, Hawaii
 1998 - Ordot Tire and Landfill Fire, Guam, USA
 1998 - Tracy Tire Fire, San Joaquin County, California
 1997 - Westley Tire Fire, Stanislaus County, California
 1997 - Lone Pine Landfill Fire, Inyo County, California
 1996 - Panoche Tire Fire, Fresno County, California
 1994 - Gillespie Landfill Fire, San Diego County, California
 1992 - Berry Street Mall Landfill Fire, Sacramento County, CA
6

7. Administration
1. 8 hr LF Fire course condensed to 3.5 hr
 Additional training and planning is available
 Documents available via an e-mail request to
ltfire88@gmail.com
2. Cell phones, Questions, Issues,
Sleepiness, Emergency Exits
7

8. Goal
 To change your perception of landfill fires
8

9. 9
Objectives
 To be aware of the risks and hazards for
waste fires whether you are an operator,
responder, regulator, or consultant.
 To provide for safer work environment
 To realize what a preplan can do for you
Will we cover all the risks? NO!

10. What is the difference
 Goal and Objective
 Which is an genic action / specific action
 Which is measurable and tangible
 Why is this important?
10

11. 11
Are Waste Fires Common…
 Yes, However
 Part of the waste business
 Most are operational fires (15 min to 1 hr)
 Majority are surface fires
 Fires commonly occur in Transfer Stations, compost
facilities, and at working faces of LF
 80-90% waste fires at LF are not reported
 Approximately one major tire fire per year
 Season and Time?

12. 12
Sources: US EPA, Tony Sperling
www.landfillfire.com
Statistics
 1,754 landfills in U.S. as of 2006
 ~8,400 dump or sanitary landfill fires
reported in U.S. each year according to
National Fire Incident Records
 1 in 200 fires escalates to a major incident
 42 major incidents per year?
 Probability of small fire better than 50%
 Probability of major fire estimated at 0.5%

13. 13
How Many?
 Data is limited throughout US
 Google™ Alert
 Used key words Landfill Fire, Underground
Fire, Compost Fire, Debris Fire, Subsurface
Fire, and Tire Fires
 Started tracking January 2007
 About 150 events per year
 Found significant events even in California
that were not reported

14. What is your Primary
Concern?
 HSC: Do you have a preplan?
 Fire: Where is the water and foam?
 Landfill: Are we closed and for how long?
 Public: Is the smoke toxic? Do we have to
evac?
 News: How did this start?
 Regulatory: What damage has occurred to
the environment?
14