WYOMING, Mich. — Tuesday morning, firefighters got a call about an ammonia leak at the State Heat Treating Company in Wyoming. Ammonia is a dangerous chemical that can cause respiratory issues if inhaled, so the surrounding blocks were given an evacuation order, and neighbors outside that perimeter were told to shelter in place and close their windows.
Firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after the call, but they say much of the key preparation was already done.
“On our way there we get wind conditions, any type of atmospheric conditions that can tell us where that plume of ammonia may travel," said Deputy Chief Dennis Van Tassell of the Wyoming Fire Department.
Those conditions are what tell firefighters where to set up, and in today's case, gives an idea of where to set that evacuation order.
“We always seem to gain more information once we arrive," said Lieutenant Matt Dumond of Grand Rapids Fire Department. "That’s critical initial actions done by the first firefighters regardless of their training levels.”
Once they arrive, that's when they take all that information and use it to assign the right specialists and equipment, like drone teams or hazmat technicians.
"We refer to those as a level A," says Dumond. "What that does is totally encapsulates our technicians so that whatever is in the air, whatever may be spraying from some plumbing, they’re protected.”
Along with the specialists, up-to-date training is crucial - like the hazardous materials training the Wyoming Fire Department went through just last week, meaning they were fully prepared.
“We already knew some of the hazards, and how to deal with it," says Van Tassell. "This is exactly how we said we’d deal with it."
From arriving on the scene to clearing the evacuation order was less than two hours.
Workers at the metal treatment plant say ammonia is a chemical they use regularly, but have never experienced a leak like this. They say eight people were inside when the leak happened, it was smelled quickly, everyone made it out and nobody was hurt.
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