The document provides operational examples and insights from responding to a landfill fire in Panama. It discusses establishing safety protocols like LCES (Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, Safety Zones) and health and safety plans. It emphasizes using appropriate respiratory protection like SCBA in smoke areas, and how portable monitors can help delineate work zones. Overall it stresses the importance of pre-planning, managing resources effectively, and protecting personnel health when responding to landfill fires.

1. 1
Operational Examples
and Insights

2. Waste Fire Objectives
What are your objectives
 Process to guide your response
 First objective is always to protect and
provide a safe working environment
 Now What is the next objective?
 Smoke/Suppression/Contain/Cost
2

3. For Example
Landfill Fire in Panama
3

4. Cerro Patacon LF
Panama City Landfill
20 + year operational history
~ 7 million tons of waste in- place
1,200 Tons Daily/24 hours a day
Last bench/lift did not have a soil cover
4

5. Landfill Issues
5

6. Landfill Fire
 March 19 the largest landfill in Panama was set
ablaze.
 While it is not official, apparently there were three
separate fires
 The landfill’s final cell (~200,000 cy) had no soil cover
to prevent the spread
 Slopes around 1.5 to 1
 Add 15 to 25 mph trade winds that blow every day
and evening during the dry season
 25 to 30 acres of burning trash
6

7. Smoke Impact?
Landfill less than 5 miles from the City
The City has a population of 880,691 with a total
metro population of 1,272,672
7

8. Prevailing Winds - Yes
 Smoke plume into the population center
8

9. Request
 US Embassy, Panama
 Mr. John Law, e-mail on March 20th
 Video Conference with Panamanian
Officials on March 21st
9

10. 10
Request for Assistance
What is the objective?

11. Recommendations
 Use ICS [Only Fire]
 Set Priority
 Eliminate smoke impacts to the metro population
 Objectives
 Provide for HS for site personnel
 Contain the fire
 Locate and Purchase Class A Foam
 Use soil and foam and work in tandem
11

12. Process
12

13. Status
 75% Controlled the fire by Sunday
 Monday elected to use explosives to
“collect the methane” and blow out the
south slope
13

14. OK We Will Go
14

15. Arrival
 All Resources Released
 35 to 40 hotspots remaining
 Project/Site given back to the LF operator
 No site information available
 No ICS
 No foam
 Now what?
15

16. How Fast can You Run
16

17. 17
Ready? Establish LCES
Lookout
Communications
Escape Routes
Safety Zone

18. 1st USE LCES
Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, Safe Zones
18

19. 19
Second- H&S Plan
 Should account for all the potential
exposures and site hazards
 Communications
 Hospital Locations
 Emergency Numbers
 Air Sampling Procedures
 Respiratory Issues
 Work Zone (Cold, Warm, Hot)

20. Third - Respirator Plan
 Required
 Must account for multiple hazards based on
types of waste
 Define your work zones and have real-time
monitoring
 SCBA, Respirator, N95, real-time monitoring
20

21. 21
Respiratory
Equipment

22. 22
Respirator
 Air-Purifying Respirators
 Will Protect from particulates, dioxins, acid
gasses with limits, metals
 Will not protect from CO, H2S or Low O2

23. SCBA
Limitations
 Inter operability
 Different departments
 Different users
 Breathing/Operating Times (30 m/60m/8hr)
 Fill Requirements
 Training and Certs
23

24. 24
Tracy Suppression –Supplied
Air
 $411,000/5 days
 No contaminated water was generated
 770,000 gal of water / 990 gal of foam
 $18 Million (US) to Remove

25. 25
Supplied Air
Ground

26. 26
Supplied Air Equipment

27. 27
Warm Zone Firefight with Real-
Time Air Monitoring

28. 28
Use of Personal Gas Monitor
 Technique developed in the field to reduce
exposures to hazardous gasses/chemicals from
waste fires
 Uses CO as an indicator of other byproducts of
combustion
 Allows work to be conducted in the warm zone
without respirators, SCBAs or supplied air

29. 29
Real Time Air Data
 Photo Ionization Detector (PID)
 Particulate
 VOC,CO,H2S, CH4, other gasses

30. 30
Personal Gas Meters
 Gasses to monitor based on site conditions
 The meter shall be intrinsically safe
 Look for water resistant models;
 Should clip or attach at breathing zone;
 Verify regulatory alert/alarm levels (e.g., STEL)
 Decide on disposable vs. calibrate type

31. 31
CO
Monitors

32. 32
Special Equipment

33. 33
Ground Monitors

34. 34
Daspit™
http://www.williamsfire.com
Ground Monitors

35. Equipment Safety

36. 36
Heavy Equipment Operations
 PPE
 Communications
 Blind Zones
 Kill Zones
 Escape Routes
 Supplied Air
 Min. of 2 piece
of Heavy Iron

37. 37
PPE at a Waste
Fire
 Everyone in the hot and warm zone should be
out fitted with the appropriate fire ground
personal protective equipment (Bunker/Nomex®)
 This includes operators of equipment

38. 38
Communications

39. 39
Heavy Equipment
 Communications with FF
 Post a look out at a distance

40. 40
Heavy Equipment Issue
Visibility

41. 41
Equipment Zone and Rescue
How do you perform a
rescue from an
excavator?
Blind and Kill Zones

42. 42
Clothing and Rescue

43. 43
Equipment Safety
 Minimum of two pieces of equipment
 Rescue potential, you NEED at least two
 Prefer enclosed cabs
 Pro: Operators are more protected
 Con: Operators are more aggressive

44. 44
Bottom Line for Waste Fires
 Wear appropriate respiratory protection as
directed by an industrial hygienist
 Breathing air via a SCBA or supplied air should
be used if you are in an area of smoke and/or
H2S, CO
 Wear fire ground PPE
 Exposure to visible smoke SHOULD BE
AVOIDED without respiratory protection
 Portable CO monitors can be used to delineate
the hot zone from warm

45. LF Suppression
Summary
 Pre Plan / LCES/ Health and Safety Plan/ Respirator Plan
 Use available resources
 Manage your water
 Monitor personnel and work zones ► AVOID SMOKE
 Have a stock pile of soil available at all times