On
Wednesday, the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management hosted a
training exercise in order for evacuation workers and volunteers to
learn about the Texas Special Needs Evacuation Tracking System or
TxSNETS. This system employs a combination of RFID, GPS and bar-code
technology, and was designed to simplify and automate the evacuation
process of elderly, sick, disabled or able-bodied individuals who have
no access to transportation during an emergency. This system allows
County officials to track buses, evacuees and their pets as they travel
from Galveston County to the point-to-point shelters in Austin.
Statement of CSB Board
Member John Bresland Commending the Action by the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) to Prohibit Indoor Purging
August 11, 2010
Emergency Change to
National Fuel Gas Code Addresses Cause of Fatal June 2009 Blast at ConAgra
Slim Jim Plant in North Carolina
On February 4, 2010, I presided at a Chemical Safety Board public meeting in
Raleigh, North Carolina, to present the CSB’s findings on the June 9, 2009,
natural gas explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim manufacturing plant in the
nearby community of Garner.
That tragic and preventable accident cost four lives, injured 67 others, and
led to a decision to close the plant, with the loss of hundreds of jobs in
the region. The accident occurred during an operation to purge (or clear
air) from a new steel gas-supply pipe that was connected to a newly
installed industrial water heater. The pipe was connected at the other end
to the building’s natural gas distribution system. During the purging
operation, gas was allowed to flow through the pipe and exit through an open
valve inside the utility room where the water heater was located. Due to
difficulties in lighting the water heater, the purging operation was
continued for an unusually long time, eventually causing gas to accumulate
above the lower explosive limit inside the building. The gas contacted an
ignition source and exploded, causing extensive sections of the large
facility to collapse.
On
Wednesday, the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management hosted a
training exercise in order for evacuation workers and volunteers to
learn about the Texas Special Needs Evacuation Tracking System or
TxSNETS. This system employs a combination of RFID, GPS and bar-code
technology, and was designed to simplify and automate the evacuation
process of elderly, sick, disabled or able-bodied individuals who have
no access to transportation during an emergency. This system allows
County officials to track buses, evacuees and their pets as they travel
from Galveston County to the point-to-point shelters in Austin.
