Acting in an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s proactive hazmat team quickly cleared a chemical incident at a Hollywood self-storage facility last month. The false alarm followed reports of an odor emanating from a locked unit. Although the facility’s gas monitor initially reported toxic gas air saturations in the vicinity, responding crews later deemed the odor non-hazardous. Hazmat crews spend copious hours training and rehearsing for dangerous chemical incidents in densely populated areas. Staying prepared for worst-case scenarios saves lives. While firefighters likely cautiously breathed a sigh of relief following the false alarm, it underscores the necessity of vigilance in anticipating dangerous chemical events.
Pricey False Alarms Undermine Public Confidence
Although false alarms account for nearly 20 percent of all distress emergency calls to fire stations nationwide, the financial impact is not negligible. Firefighters and hazmat crews must treat each report as a serious threat. Failure to respond sufficiently to potentially dangerous incidents consistently can be catastrophic, but that doesn’t mean “false alarms” come without a price either. Although exact monetary expenditures for chemical incidents aren’t delineated in municipal budgets, the average fire department spends nearly $1,500 responding to each emergency call, regardless of the outcome. False alarms are also expensive for manufacturers. Most chemical incidents are the result of noncompliant, haphazard chemical storage practices. Negative publicity from recurring false alarms or residual chemical leaks and fires erode community confidence while demoralizing employees, leading to frequent turnover and declining profits.
Mitigating Potential Threats With Continuous, Compliant Protection
Each hazardous material stockpile classification requires respect and due diligence in securing compliant protection. We offer comprehensive hazmat mitigation and threat reduction for each storage dilemma. Resembling large Connex trailers or shipping containers, our fire-rated chemical storage buildings can protect significant flammable and non-flammable materials for customized workflow operations. Comprised of solid steel welds with optional explosion relief panels, our venerable chemical storage warehouses maintain optimal storage environments, mitigating risks for fires, leaks and dangerous explosions. Furthermore, standard innovative spill sump containment systems can prevent otherwise harmless chemical leaks from polluting the environment. Optional fire suppression, climate control, and mechanical ventilation offer additional stopgaps for volatile various sized chemical stockpiles.