This fatal anhydrous ammonia accident occurred in March 2016 at a seafood processing plant in Boston, MA. The Boston Fire Department (BFD) is one of the top fire departments in the United States. These radio communications are being shared as a “learning opportunity” for SAFTENG members. Not only is the radio traffic telling by the items discussed, the timeline is also telling. As I said the BFD is world-class by anyone’s standard and the fact that it took them nearly 30 minutes to get on site and affect a rescue is telling. There were a ton of unknowns that caused issues, but here are some key time stamps:
BFD Ammonia Fatality Radio Traffic w/ timeline