Fires kill more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined. No one plans to have a fire, but pre-planning for a fire has been proven to save lives, preserve property and reduce the impact on the environment. Pre-planning the emergency response to a fire has a direct effect on the final cost of the cleanup and disposal.
There has been much debate as to the proper course of action to take in the event an agrichemical facility catches fire. The debate surrounds the decision as whether or not to let a facility extinguish on its own. Both options present potential consequences of polluting the environment.
Professionals with years of experience in making these decisions agree the circumstances for each facility fire are different and therefore the decisions should be made on-site at the scene. Decisions of this nature should be made by emergency responders in cooperation with facility personnel and be based on accurate and current facility information.
This tool has been designed to bridge the gap between the efforts by agrichemical facilities and those of emergency responders by encouraging the pre-planning of fire prevention activities. Additional benefits of pre-planning using this tool are the coordination of joint efforts with emergency responders and the pre-determination of certain information which may be important to the decision-making process if a fire occurs. Specifically, this tool will assist in the development of a Fire Prevention Plan that:
- Has been developed in accordance with OSHA Standard 1910.39, Fire Prevention Plans.
- Is personalized to a specific facility.
- Generates a Checklist for Emergency Responders.
Please continue to personalize and produce the Fire Prevention Plan for your facility.
Master List of Resources
Don't forget to place a copy in your company vehicle and/or in your home for use in case of an emergency.
