BENZINE DANGERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4187, 22 May 1939, Page 3

BENZINE DANGERS

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. FIREFIGHTER GIVES ADVICE. Haw many people, when they draw up their cars at a petrol station and say “Six gallons, please,” stop to con-’ sider the dangerous character of the commodity they are ordering, and the many precautions which have to be taken in the transport and handling of such a produet to ensure its safe delivery, to the point where they can order it freely? Perhaps the first thing that comes into our minds is the danger of a lighted match or cigarette. While smoking is prohibited at service stations, the need for strictness in this direction is even more apparent at the depot, and provision is made in the form of a box at'the depot gate in which persons enterjng must deposit matches or cigarette lighters, and thus prevent the chance of inadvertently “lighting up” and the possible consequence of “blowing up.” When inside the depot we now find many small precautions which may not occur to us unless.they are pointed. out. For instance, the staff are required not to wear steel toe or heel plates on their shoes; the tools, such as spanners, hammers, etc., arc made of brass and not steel; the engine which shunts the rail tank cars into the depot must have at least one truck between it and the rail tank car, so as to minimise the danger of sparks from the Engine igniting any fumes which may be in the vicinity. STATIC ELECTRICITY. Another danger which has to be contended with is the possibility of a spark caused by static electricity; hence the earthing of the petrol waggons by means of a steel chain which is attached to the lorry and dragged along the ground; also while the lorry is being filled it is earthed by means of a special steel wire attached to it and also to the fill-pipe, which in turn is properly earthed. The static electricity set up by the movement of the petrol through these fill-pipes has been known to throw a spark two inches long. DRIVERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES. Drivers of these petrol waggons must always be on their guard, as there are so many things which cause a fire. They must never leave their lorries unattended in the streets; they must see that no benzine is spilt when being transferred from the waggon to the petrol service station, as this may find its way into a sewer or drain and be carried into the vicinity of a naked light, causing an explosion which could be of very serious consequences. At one time the drivers were required to clean the pumps with a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil. In some cases the rags used were screwed up and thrown behind the driver’s seat for future use; but in two instances at least, spontaneous combustion occurred, and there would have been a serious fire had it not been for the prompt action of the fire brigade. ADVICE IN EMERGENCY. Now, a few words as to the means available should a fire occur. If the fire is only a small one, a dash of sand from one of the boxes placed at convenient points about the depot may be sufficient. These boxes have a short-handled shovel attached, and when the lid is lifted the front of the box automatically falls forward, making the shovelling of sand simple and quickly effected. Should the fire be under the bonnet of the car or lorry, the hand extinguishers carried' on the lorries and situated about the depot would perhaps be the most effective. The safest and surest means in the event of fire of any consequence would be the two-gallon Foamite extinguishers. These are placed about the depot where they would be most likely to be needed, as a second or two wasted in attacking a fire of, or in the vicinity of, motor spirit, may mean disaster. PETROL TRANSPORT. A few details of the storage capacity of the depot may be of interest. The rail tank cars which transport the spirit to the depot contain on the average 5000 gallons. This is transferred to the storage tanks by what used to be a hand pump, but is now electrically operated. The storage tanks are in some cases underground, which saves a great deal of evaporation and loss through difference m temperature. The depot under discussion has four of these underground tanks and one vertical tank above the ground. The vertical tank will hold 40,000 gallons, whereas the capacity of the others is only about 9000 gallons each. In big installations such as at Auckland, these vertical tanks have Foamite pumped to them from a central Foamite plant operated by a power pump. Tanks which are set above the ground have to be set in a compound, so that if the tank developed. a leak or caught fire, the motor spirit would be confined to the compound, which will hold the equivalent to the capacity of the tank. The foregoing are just a few details which will give some idea of the precautionary measures which may have to be taken to ensure the safety of those whose lot it is to have .the handling of such volatile and inflammable product. (Article read by Fireman W. E. Mathieson, of Hamilton, at the sixtieth annual conference of the United Fire Brigades’ Association of NewZealand, and made available to the “Courier” through the courtesy of Superintendent Brocklebank, of the Stratford Fire Brigade.)