LADWP Explosion / Explanation
LADWP Explosion / Explanation
(OP)
For those involved with So. Cal. utilities, does the explanation offered by LADWP about last week's explosion that killed a LA County firefighter make sense? The last I read was that a 60-year old PILC cable caught fire in a underground street vault system. This fire resulted in fire / smoke byproducts to fill a private property electrical room enclosure via the laterals / ducts that connected the electrical room to the street vault. A firefighter trying to cut open the lock on this electrical room enclosure with a saw ignited the built up fire / smoke byproducts that then exploded.






RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
Please find official statements and some ides!
RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
I'm sorry the one fire fighter lost his life and that the other was injured, but it was entirely in vain, and was entirely preventable.
RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
Maybe they should be equipped with captive bolt pistols, the compressed air "cow stunner" device used very effectively by the villain in "No Country for Old men" to punch out lock cylinders. Since most locks are brass or stainless steel, there would be a low chance of making an ignition source.
RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
Afterwards one of them commented that when they respond to an incident in some large industrial facility they don't understand what most of the equipment does or how it will respond to water and they are really reliant on site expertise to help them. They're brave people.
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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!
RE: LADWP Explosion / Explanation
I opined that I'd seen arcs at 69 kV and that I would NOT participate in an exercise involving water streams on live 69 kV equipment.
The time I spent on that squad provided some interesting insights into the psyche of SOME firefighters. The impetus to charge in can override clear thinking.
I do not mean to put down firefighters as a group. They are usually incredibly brave and dedicated people, but sometimes poorly thought out actions can result in tragedy.
old field guy