IT'S NO GAME!!!
 
My Department (with Mutual aid from several other departments) was working a barn fire. The barn was about 40 feet from a House and it had an elevated gasoline tank just a few feet from it. The temp was about 100 degrees with around 65 percent humidity so our crews were wearing out quickly. We had some water supply problems at the beginning of the call that caused our frustration level to rise a bit.

The event happened during overhaul so with the heat, and the frustration from the earlier water supply problems no one was at their best. money, Unfortunately, we were unable to save the barn and it was about 80% on the ground. We were in the process of overhaul and my partner and I were on the way back from rehab when it was suggested an officer from one of the mutual aid departments that we should probably not wear my bunker coats any more because of the heat of the day and “anyway the fire is just about out”. My partner and I chose to put ALL of our gear on before we went back in even though it was a hot day, just in case. About 5 minutes later my who had the pike pole pulled back a sheet of tin that had some small flames visible around it. We saw a wooden box with 6” flames coming from one corner of it. The man on the hose put water on the flames. Much to out surprise the box contained 25 pounds of engine parts that were made from magnesium!! We got to see, and until we scrambled back far enough we were part of a very beautiful, but not very fun, fourth of July type fireworks show.

No one was hurt. A few burn marks on our gear but no injuries. This was in part do to the fact that we were wearing our gear. And that the man on the hose line quickly pulled his hose stream off of the box, changed it to a fog pattern and used it to protect us until we could scramble back out of danger.

The lessons I learned here are that even during overhaul no matter how hot, tired and frustrated you are keep wearing all of you gear and make sure you have a charged hose line close by to cover you just in case the unexpended happens. Also do not get so focused on the obvious dangers like the exposure and the fuel tank that you do not look for the hidden dangers because it is usually the hidden dangers that will bite you. Just think if we had taken the advise of the mutual aid officer and not put our gear back on. The day would have an entirely different ending.
 

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