Learned Somthin Today

[Dan Morris]

Had a customer come in about 8am...said we had a tremendous gas leak outside...went out before hittin panic button. Gas was strong enough you could bite it from the air!!!! Called FD, they responded with several truck and a Battalion Chief. Sensors in trucks picked this stuff up several blocks away. Chief called out heavy guns...Hazmat n Heavy Rescue. We sniffed and searched for bout 30 minutes and could find no source for it...during the time, it dissipated.
Bout 2 hours later, an ER Manager from Xcel Energy showed up......couldn't figure out how to open front door....started a class to me that natural gas is ODERLESS.....you CANNOT SMELL it!!!!!
I had to be wrong....told him to go down to station 1 and tell 25
Firefighters that! Guy freaked out that FD was called......
I feel better now that I know it was nothing...sheesh..........
Dan


actually, Mercaptin is added for odor................

[M.T. Pockets]

I'm a firefighter, you did the right thing. The gas co. probably didn't want to get a bill from your city for the firecall.

An odor is added to gas just before it hits the final user and it stinks like Heck on purpose from that point on. If you smell it first get out of there and call 911. The FD can contact the gas co. for you.

Safety first, you did the right thing that could have saved some lives. I'd tell the Xcel guy's supervisor about their rep's comments and ask for a copy of their recommended procedures. I'll bet you're closer than he was.

Also, let the fire chief know. If there is a gas leak in their area and the gas co. doesn't notify them that would be something he should know about.

Glad everything turned out OK

[Dan Morris]

Pockets....I am amazed at this dudes story......we never did figure where it came from! Only ominous things were the news chopper and the medevac that were orbiting!!!!LOL. Like I said, FD thought it strong enough to call out the heavies!!!!
Dan

[FIJI]

gas from the BBQ grill ?????

[Dan Morris]

Originally posted by FIJI
gas from the BBQ grill ?????

LOL...nope...at work! And no, it wasn't propane....plain ole NG.
Dan

[Tater]

but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night I did the something similar when I first got to Alaska. Some fool put our smoke pit outside the backdoor to our shop...RIGHT NEXT TO THE GAS REGULATOR. I was coming back in from checking a missile trailer and noticed a strong gas smell. I called Control, they called FD and just about every fire truck on base came out since this was in the bomb dump. We evacuated and my boss was pretty pi$$ed cuz we lost 2 hours. He chewed me out till the Fire Chief came over and told him to shut his gob; it could have been something much more serious and there's no way to know until they get out there and check it out. Come to find out it was just a pressure release. Needless to say, the smoke pit got moved the next day.

[M.T. Pockets]

Propane scares me even more than natural gas. It's heavier than air and will fill up your basement and then the entire building and whenever there is an ignition source (doorbell, telephone, lightbulb, pilot light) there she goes. It accumulates more than Nat'l gas in an enclosed area. Keep those grills and tanks outside everybody.

[buckhunter]

It always amazes me when there is a gas leak all these vehicles show up, horns honking, sirens blazing, engines going. All the electrial sparks could make NG go boom easily.