For fighting many fires at once San Francisco’s emergency water system is not adequate for putting out multiple fires at once during a major disaster like a strong earthquake, according to current and former fire officials. In the decades since fires caused by a 1906 earthquake devastated the city, voters have approved hundreds of millions of dollars in bond money for an elaborate emergency water system. But the city has failed to spend it properly in recent decades, fire officials told the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/P6YR8A ). "We have an unlimited water supply, but no way to get it to the fires in half of the city," said Thomas Doudiet, a retired San Francisco assistant deputy fire chief. For example, the newspaper says San Francisco hasn’t spent enough to purchase the portable firefighting equipment that is instrumental to battling blazes in the city’s outer residential districts. The system helped extinguish the large fire at a construction site in the city’s Mission Bay district earlier this month and was used to battle the Marina District blazes after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The effort to remake the city’s emergency water system occurred after fires in 1906 destroyed 27,000 buildings. The blazes burned largely unimpeded due to poor water pressure. City engineer Michael O’Shaughnessy designed a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed system with three large reservoirs built atop some of the city’s famous hills and augmented by giant pumps that could draw San Francisco Bay water. Since then, the city has expanded into areas that weren’t covered by O’Shaughnessy’s engineering marvel, leading officials to build 200 underground storage tanks that hold 75,000 gallons apiece. In the 1980s, retired assistant fire chief Frank Blackburn designed a portable pumping system that allowed firefighters to tap into these cisterns and shoot water at high pressure. But the portable system hasn’t been expanded since the 1980s, and currently only three rigs are available to fight fires in the city, according to the Chronicle. "If we had four major fires like we had (at Mission Bay), we would have an issue," Assistant Deputy Chief Ken Lombardi said. "There is no doubt the (portable) system works — we need more of it to make it work for the whole city." The city needs about $18 million for new rigs and equipment to bring the system up to the level it needs to be, according to Doudiet. So far, the city has only received $400,000 in federal grants for the project. "We’ve got to have the full system in place before the earthquake hits, and we don’t know when that is going to happen," he said.

A humanoid robot that can carry heavy equipment Researchers have developed a humanoid robot that can carry heavy equipment, interact with officers and head straight into a face-melting fire without hesitation. The US Naval Research Laboratory’s Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot, SAFFiR for short, has been in the works for several years as a safety tool for Navy ships. Recently the advanced bot was brought out for a collaborative demonstration with researchers from Virginia Tech and the University of Pennsylvania, according to the lab. The bot is designed to learn a ship’s layout, move around autonomously below deck and stay upright even when a vessel is pitching and rolling. Built-in sensors allow it to see through smoke. Students from the university teams demonstrated complex algorithms that got the robot walking over both manmade and natural terrain, the lab said in a press release. The teams worked on tech to steer the robot to an open flame while avoiding obstacles. They also demoed an artificial muscle that would help it lift equipment, walk with a fire hose and activate a nozzle.

Teaser: FDIC, Indianapolis Website: mailto:chris.lingham@firebuyer.com

A malfunction caused crude oil to enter a refinery A BP refinery has spilled an undetermined amount of crude oil into Lake Michigan in the US. BP said a malfunction caused crude oil to enter the Whiting refinery’s cooling water system, which discharges into the lake. US regulators said the spill appeared to be contained by Tuesday evening. The Whiting facility is BP’s largest US refinery and is in the north-western part of the state of Indiana, near Chicago, Illinois. The Whiting spill had affected a 2,700ft (820m) stretch of the lake’s shore, US officials said, adding that there was currently no threat to wildlife or human health. BP said the leak occurred late Monday afternoon, but that the discharge had now stopped. A clean-up crew had deployed a boom which seemed to have contained the oil, it said. However, the company said efforts were continuing to remove the crude oil, which had mainly affected a cove near the refinery’s waste water treatment plant. BP was recently granted rights to bid for government oil contracts in the US, after being banned from doing so in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – the largest in US history. A few weeks ago, BP announced plans to increase its processing of crude oil at the Whiting refinery, as more oil is sent down from tar sands in Canada. Two US senators who represent Illinois – Mark Kirk, a Republican, and Dick Durbin, a Democrat – released a statement that said they were concerned about BP’s efforts to prevent future spills. "We plan to hold BP accountable for this spill and will ask for a thorough report about the cause of this spill, the impact of the Whiting Refinery’s production increase on Lake Michigan, and what steps are being taken to prevent any future spill," they said in statement. BP said in a statement that it "will continue to work in full co-operation with the agencies to ensure the protection of personnel, the environment and surrounding communities".

Provides fire-fighters with respiratory protection Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety Incorporated today announced that it has received notification from the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) that the company’s FireHawk® M7XT Air Mask, which provides firefighters with respiratory protection in hazardous or life-threatening environments, has been certified as compliant to the 2013 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 1981 performance standard for Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). The company expects to begin shipment of this product in the second quarter. Concurrent with this news, MSA also said it has received notification from the NFPA that the organization has issued a second tentative interim amendment (TIA) that extends the effective shipping date for SCBA models that meet the older 2007 edition of the NFPA standard. Up until now, MSA has been unable to ship its FireHawk® M7 Air Mask following the expiration of an initial TIA on February 28. However, the company has now resumed shipments of its FireHawk M7 SCBA and will continue to do so until June 30, 2014, in keeping with the most recent TIA. "The news regarding NFPA certification for our FireHawk M7XT Air Mask, as well as the TIA extension, means fire departments now have two great options from MSA when choosing SCBA," said Nish Vartanian, President of MSA North America. "Further, with approval of our groundbreaking G1 SCBA expected in the second half of 2014, we will soon be adding another option to the mix, providing fire departments with a broad new range of SCBA choices. The long-term impact of all this is that we are positioning ourselves to capitalize on what we anticipate to be a strong SCBA replacement cycle in 2015 and beyond," he said. MSA introduced the first NFPA-compliant SCBA in 1986, the first year the NFPA established performance requirements for breathing apparatus. Over the past three decades, MSA has continued to advance SCBA technology in keeping with changing NFPA standards. The company pioneered the first emergency escape "buddy-breathing" system approved for use and, more recently, developed an innovative "rescue-belt" SCBA accessory that allows firefighters to repel down the side of a burning structure in an emergency situation, borrowing from MSA fall protection technology developed for the construction market.

High-performance fire protection Morgan Advanced Materials announces the availability of FireMaster FireBarrier 135 sprayed refractory cement, offering superior fire protection and simple, cost-effective installation. FireMaster FireBarrier 135 is ideal for concrete tunnel lining fire protection and the fire protection of ventilation shafts, escape tunnels and refuges as well as critical systems such as water mains and communication cables. FireMaster FireBarrier 135 has been specially developed for the high temperatures that may occur in tunnel fires. Unlike most other products used for tunnel fire protection, it can withstand repeated and prolonged exposure to high-temperatures. It can be installed onto concrete or metal substrates using standard spray equipment and featuring very low spraying wastage during installation, its single layer application makes it fast and easy to install. It is adhesive to most construction materials and can be installed quickly, helping to reduce labor costs while maintaining the final product’s quality and proven reliability. FireMaster FireBarrier 135 has extremely high adhesion strength–typically eight times its weight, allowing fixings to be attached directly to it. It can be trowelled flat to provide a high-quality surface finish that can be used as the final tunnel lining surface (with optional painting), avoiding the need for expensive secondary cladding. The material can also be cast into sheet form and installed as a dry board or shape for applications where spraying is not convenient. Comprehensive and extensive testing of FireMaster FireBarrier 135 per the RWS fire curve and required by NFPA 502 has proven that the material resists environmental conditions found in tunnels, making it ideal for tunnel fire protection. FireMaster FireBarrier 135 is resistant to water jet sprays used to clean tunnel lining, and will not spall when subjected to water hose sprays at high temperature, increasing firefighting safety.

Likely to have been travelling too fast A commuter train at Chicago O’Hare International Airport has derailed, injuring 32 people, officials say. The train came off the tracks, crossed a platform and travelled part way up an escalator at one of the busiest airports in the US. None of the reported injuries are serious. A spokesman said the train was likely to have been travelling too fast when it crashed in the early hours of Monday. "I heard a boom and when I got off the train, the train was all the way up the escalator," passenger Denise Adams told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. Fire officials told the Chicago Tribune that six people were in fair condition and 26 in good condition as they were transported to hospital. Investigators are said to be reviewing security footage and interviewing CTA employees to determine the cause of the derailment. People posted images of the derailed CTA Blue Line train on social media.

At least eight killed by landslide  At least eight people have been killed by a huge landslide in the north-western US state of Washington. Rescuers pulled five bodies from the debris on Sunday, adding to three found on Saturday. Officials say there are still a number of people registered as missing, but search teams said they had not seen or heard any signs of survivors. The 54m (177ft) deep landslide destroyed 30 houses near the town of Oso, about 90km north of Seattle. Rescue teams have only just been able to properly search the site. It was deemed too dangerous to access the worst-affected areas on Saturday. An eyewitness told the Daily Herald that he was driving on the road and had to quickly brake to avoid the mudslide. "I just saw the darkness coming across the road. Everything was gone in three seconds,” Paulo Falcao told the newspaper. Robin Youngblood, another witness, told the Seattle Times: "All of a sudden there was a wall of mud. Then it hit and we were rolling. The house was in sticks. We were buried under things, and we dug ourselves out." Residents reported hearing cries from those trapped, but local fire chief Travis Hots said the dangerous conditions were hampering the rescue effort. Search-and-rescue help came from across the state, including the Washington State Patrol and the Army Corps of Engineers. The landslide cut off the city of Darrington and clogged the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, prompting fears of severe flooding downstream if the build-up of water behind the debris breaks through suddenly. The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain. More rain is expected in parts of Washington on Sunday, and some people have been advised to move to higher ground. The area has had problems in the past with unstable land. Source: bbc.co.uk

No victims, but production down considerably An oil tank exploded at a treatment plant run by state energy company YPF on Saturday, affecting more than 3 percent of the firm’s total output of crude but leaving no fatalities, the company said. YPF said its nearby Lujan de Cuyo refinery, which produces 106,000 barrels of oil per day, was drawing on oil from back-up deposits and operating normally. Local TV broadcast images of a large oil tank ablaze at the Cerro Divisadero treatment plant in the province of Mendoza, around 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southwest of Buenos Aires. The company said the fire and explosion affected the entire treatment complex, forcing the closure of ten deposits that produce 1,460 cubic meters (51,559 cubic feet) of crude per day. The treatment tanks at the plant produce 3.8 percent of YPF’s total output. "The fire started midday on Friday in one of the plant’s oil tanks," YPF said in a statement. "The company activated its contingency plan and told provincial and national authorities and is at this time working with them to control the situation." The plant was evacuated and 14 people received medical attention, YPF said. Six fire-fighting airplanes were dispatched to control the fire and make sure a nearby river was not polluted, YPF said. But nightfall would put the work of the planes on hold until Sunday morning, an official with the local government of Malargue said. Temperatures near the fire were too high to allow firemen to combat the blaze on foot. Meteorologists said strong winds were quickly spreading toxic smoke.