Scene safety, scene safety, scene safety....

[HERBIE1]

But seriously, does it matter if it was training or not? The value of this video is incalculable for training purposes and What the hell NOT to do!!!!!!

Even to an untrained eye this was a dangerous situation. In fact, I would say that training- or more correctly- not enough training- led to this disaster. Tunnel vision caused people to die needlessly- the rescuers and LEO saw someone who needed help and disregarded their surroundings. A lay person would probably have been more cautious approaching a scene like that..

[Underdawg3ate1]

That is one very well made video, I was thoroughly convinced that it was the real deal until reading all the posts.

My initial reaction to rolling up to the scene like this (with what info was given to the LEO) I would obviously stop and backup immediately, notify county that there is an obvious leak coming from the tank with one person down not moving, Since it looks like the cruiser is situated downwind, I'd be backing up quite a ways, once I felt I was safe I'd stop and gear up with whatever protective clothing my rig would have, get the eyes out and try to give the incoming fire units as much info (pt movement, placard info/tank description, app wind speed and how much gas in escaping) based on what I could see. I'd also contact my local hospital to give them a heads up on potential pts. Once fire is on scene and get the scene under control, then I'd have them check the potential pts to see if they are viable or not. If not then I'd contact the hospital again and tell them to stand down due to the pts being doa. Contact fire command to set up EMS support for the fire crew and set up for deconing of the rig and crew if needed.

Never experienced a true HAZMAT incident such as this and I'm sure my skills are a bit rusty.

[Chief1C]

We're faced with the potential for similar incidents, quite often. The region is covered with "Marcellus Shale Gas Exploration", they use hydraulic fracturing to drill, which includes use of caustic, toxic and radioactive chemicals. And.. with the popularity of METH labs, we've done quite a few clean up stand-by's. When these at home labs were just starting to pop up, the only clean up crew in Penna., was in Pittsburgh. So our stand by lasted anywhere from six to fourteen hours. One of the big materials used to make this toxic brew, is Anhydrous Ammonia, something many of the farms around here have on hand. People were stealing this shit, and transporting it in their car, to the lab. So there would be MVA's, where we'd find propane cylinders in the trunk, leaking this AA. You just have to be prepared for anything, anywhere; if there's a vapor, stage out, SCBA up.. walk in behind a fog line. AA may not be flammable itself, but the vapor can explode at high temps.

[Richard B the EMT]

Underdawg3ate1, Good comments, but leaves me with a question that is in no way a putdown. Are you speaking as a Law Enforcement Officer, an EMSer, or a Fire Fighter? Each have their own radio frequencies, dispatchers, and protocols, and, unfortunately, some might end up in "turf wars", as in "Whatchoo talkin' about? My agency is in charge here".

[Underdawg3ate1]

4c6, I think we've lucked out over here in Lancaster. We don't get too many meth labs popping up, maybe one or two a year if that. It's funny that folks are still a little freaked put about TMI going up again, if they only knew the amount of crap that's out there that'll ruin their day, right in their own neighborhoods. My first due area has two places, a styrofoam container factory and a large laboratory that dabbles in environmental and Superfund site studies. If they go up then that's pretty much all she wrote! Our area is also very heavily populated by the Amish and Mennonite, you of all the times I've been called out to their farms, I've never saw any AA tanks, or any other kind of hazardous materials with the exception of fuels and liquid fertilizers.

Rich, no put down at all! I'm strictly EMS. The method to my madness was if my rig was in the same position and received the same information as to what the LEO received by dispatch. Here in my county, fire and EMS operate on the same frequencies while PD have their own. Unfortunately we can't hear or talk to PD in our rig, we have to relay info to PD thru county dispatch and vise verse. If I'm first on scene to an incident I like to try and give a heads up to the incoming units. If they want to be bull headed and ignore the info I'm giving them and crap hits the fan because of it, then my ass is covered

My company has a pretty good working relationship with our local fire and PD, it's not perfect but hey show my a system that is!

[CBEMT]

I've actually been doing some Googling on the video and based on some of the threads I saw and since there is no actual news articles connected with this, it does appear that this was a very well staged training video. Additionally, if the officer did die with the accident occuring in 2000, was he the officer that died in 2001, 2003, 2006, or 2007?

http://www.isp.state.il.us/aboutisp/memorial.cfm

It's also entirely possible that the officer managed to somehow survive, in which case, obviously, we wouldn't be able to locate anything about a trooper dying.

These guys couldn't find anything about it either.

[emtannie]

In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter if this video is a real or staged event?

The OP never said it was a real event, and it is on youtube, the video equivalent to wiki...

However, it has generated 5 pages of discussion in this thread, and many who have watched it here have posted it to their FB pages and/or emailed it to others with a reminder to stay safe out there. It has made those who have watched it evaluate their own responses to mvc scenes, and review their own skills and knowledge. So, IMHO, regardless of whether this video was a real event or a staged one, it has done its job, and it has been successful in reminding us all to be more aware of the situations we walk into and the potential dangers surrounding us.

[Richard B the EMT]

Well stated, Annie!