Twice, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to toxic gas leaks and averted disaster
Hazardous materials specialists responded to two ammonia pipeline leak incidents in 2003 and again in 2007. In both cases, thieves attempted to access the pipeline. Offenders learned quickly that anhydrous ammonia is incredibly dangerous.
Not your everyday ammonia
Deep underground and running most of the width of Hillsborough County is a pipeline carrying one of the region's most dangerous chemicals: anhydrous ammonia. The pipeline runs from a port at the edge of Tampa Bay out towards Central Florida. Though anhydrous ammonia is incredibly dangerous when let out in open air, the pipeline is safely tucked away underground.
Anhydrous ammonia is piped as a liquid under high pressure. If released, the liquid quickly becomes a toxic gas when exposed to air. The gas expands more than 800 times to form a vapor cloud.
The gas in the cloud gravitates towards water to chemically bond with. Since humans are comprised mostly of water, a vapor cloud of this toxin can cause severe burns and respiratory issues. Overexposure to the gas can even result in death.
Anhydrous ammonia is used primarily in the agriculture industry, most commonly for nitrogen fertilizer production and for use in refrigeration systems. It also can be used to make illegal drugs, which is how the local gas leaks came to be.
Down the ammonia hatch
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) retiree Kelly Hallman responded to the first leak in 2003 in a remote area of FishHawk. A man had damaged the ammonia pipeline by breaking into an access hatch.
When Hallman descended the hatch, he found that the only remaining trace of the criminal was a pair of flip flops. A man called 911 later in the week with severe burns on most of his body. The would-be thief had escaped the hatch but not without life-threatening injuries.
To fight the leak, Hallman, retired Battalion Chief Randy Bach, and a highly trained hazmat crew needed Level A entry suits with Tyvek tape at every seam. Level A suits keep first responders fully encapsulated and safe from potential vapor clouds.
Bach's team put up a water curtain using a fire hose with a "fog nozzle" and a metal block to shoot the water out in a fan. The water hydrated the vapor cloud and brought the rehydrated ammonia to the ground. Diluting the cloud enabled the chemical to be handled and disposed of more safely.
Additional team members used equipment to determine where the dangerous cloud was headed at any minute during the incident. The equipment was key in notifying the surrounding neighborhoods of a shelter in place warning.
A nearby elementary school was a significant concern when it was briefly threatened by the path of the vapor cloud.
Preparing for invisible dangers
The HCFR hazardous materials crew trains throughout the year for all kinds of dangers. They know what chemicals are handled in the county and how to protect residents if something goes wrong.
In both ammonia leak incidents, the hazardous materials crew's responses required multiple shifts spraying millions of gallons of water at the vapor cloud to neutralize the incident.
Ammonia vapor can cause chemical burns and even death if one is overexposed. Thanks to Fire Rescue's preparedness and quick responses, residents remained safe.