hazmat

Concord Police and Fire Departments Respond to Tier 1 Hazmat Incident Inside Home

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For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Concord Police and Fire Departments Respond to Tier 1 Hazmat Incident Inside Home

No Active Threat or Danger to Public

CONCORD — Police Chief Joseph O’Connor and Fire Chief Thomas Judge report that the Concord Police and Fire Departments responded to a Tier 1 hazardous materials incident at a home on Old Bedford Road Tuesday night, July 9.

Police have determined that there is no threat or danger to the public at this time and at no point were any homes evacuated as a result of the incident.

At approximately 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Concord Police and Fire received a 911 call reporting smoke coming out of a home at 96 Old Bedford Road.

Upon arrival, police and firefighters observed smoke coming from the single-family home.

Firefighters made entry to the home and located a substance smoldering in a pot on the stove inside the kitchen. Firefighters quickly extinguished the smoldering pot and determined that the substance inside was not food, but a mixture of chemicals.

The District 3 Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials unit was called to the scene to determine what the mixture of chemicals was. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was also called to the scene.

Police spoke to an adult teen male resident of the home who allegedly told investigators that he was trying to create a putty-like substance that when ignited would create large amounts of different colored smoke.

A passerby driving by the home heard smoke detectors sounding and saw the smoke and called 911.

Out of an abundance of caution, the teen and two of the first responding firefighters were transported to local hospitals for evaluation. No injuries were reported.

“Anytime you have a mixture of chemicals that ignites it creates a concerning situation and it is important that all safety precautions are followed, which is represented by the large emergency response here this evening,” Chief O’Connor said. “Thankfully the investigation has indicated that there was no threat to the community.”

Crews are currently searching the home for any potentially dangerous or harmful materials.

“As first responders, we never know what type of situation we will be responding to when going out on a call. What looked like a routine call for food burning on a stove was obviously something much different,” Chief Judge said. “I want to commend our firefighters for quickly taking action to put out the smoldering chemicals and thankfully no one was seriously hurt.”

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Taunton Fire Department Declares Hazmat Incident after Industrial Explosion

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Taunton Fire Department
Timothy J. Bradshaw, Fire Chief
50 School St.
Taunton, MA 02780

For Immediate Release

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Taunton Fire Department Declares Hazmat Incident after Industrial Explosion

Three Workers Treated and Released from Morton Hospital

TAUNTON — Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw reports that the Taunton Fire Department responded to an industrial facility early Sunday morning after three workers were injured in a chemical explosion.

Firefighters responded to IQE, located at 200 John Hancock Road, at 12:25 a.m. for a reported explosion inside the pant. Upon arrival, the first arriving engine company found three employees suffering from flash burns on their faces and hands. Firefighters were notified about the possibility that hazardous materials were released into the air.

A Tier 2 Hazardous Materials Response was requested, bringing in resources, personnel and equipment from around the region.
Officials on-scene determined that the incident involved compressed hydrogen and arsine. The hazmat crew determined that there was no release of materials into the environment and that the danger was confined to a piece of equipment used in manufacturing.
At the time of the explosion, the equipment was under going maintenance.

The three employees were transported by Brewster Ambulance to Morton Hospital, where they were treated and released. No firefighters were injured.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

According to its website, IQE is “the global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor wafer products.”

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Dedham Police and Fire Departments Respond after White Powder, Believed to be Fentanyl, Found at Library

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Dedham Police Department
Michael J. d’Entremont, Chief of Police
600 High St.
Dedham, MA 02026
Dedham Fire Department
William Spillane, Fire Chief
436 Washington St.
Dedham, MA 02026

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-865-4110
Email: [email protected]

Dedham Police and Fire Departments Respond after White Powder, Believed to be Fentanyl, Found at Library

Woman Charged with Drug Possession

DEDHAM — Police Chief Michael d’Entremont and Fire Chief William Spillane  report that a Tier One hazardous materials response was declared today at the Dedham Public Library after the discovery of a white powdery substance, believed to be narcotics.

Dedham Police responded to the library, located at 43 Church St., at 3:15 p.m. for a report of suspicious activity. Upon arrival, officers were informed that a woman had gone into the restroom and not come out for some time. When staff went to check the restroom, the woman ran out of the building, and a white powdery substance was left behind.

The Dedham Fire Department responded to the scene, and a hazmat incident was declared out of an abundance of caution. This sent state and municipal resources into Dedham to provide specialized assistance.

Minutes later, officers reported that stopped a vehicle on Church Street near the police station driven by a woman matching the description of the individual seen at the library. More white powder was observed in the vehicle and on the driver. The substance was field tested and believed to be heroin or Fentanyl or some combination of opioids. The driver, a 28-YEAR-OLD WESTWOOD WOMAN was taken into custody. A criminal complaint will be sought for her this week, charging her with:

  • Possession of a Class A Substance
  • Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Suspended License
  • Providing a False Name to Law Enforcement

The white powder on the suspect and in the vehicle field tested positive for Fentanyl, but the powder in the library field tested negative. Additional tests will be performed on all the evidence collected.

The incident remains under investigation by the Dedham Police Department. The suspect will be arraigned at Dedham District Court at a later date.

No one was injured.

These are allegations all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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North Haven Fire Department Battles Industrial Fire

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North Haven Fire Department
Paul Januszewski, Fire Chief
11 Broadway
North Haven, CT 06473

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 203-404-7751
Email: [email protected]

North Haven Fire Department Battles Industrial Fire

NORTH HAVEN — Chief Paul Januszewski reports that the North Haven Fire Department battled an early morning fire at an industrial facility on Saturday.

Firefighters responded to the Parker-Hannifin Corporation, located at 33 Defco Park Road, at 3:11 a.m., after receiving a call from a police officer working a paid detail nearby. The officer reported smoke showing in the area. Upon arrival, firefighters had flames coming from the rear of a 32,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but the fire alarm was not activated.

Fire was showing through the roof, and firefighters began an aggressive attack to attempt to limit the damage and keep the flames from spreading. Despite the cold weather doing its best hamper efforts, the crews were successful in stopping the fire, and containing the most serious damage to about 10 percent of the structure. The fire was declared under control at approximately 5 a.m.

No one was injured, but during firefighting efforts, it was determined that a large quantity of acids and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process were present at the scene and had spilled or leaked during the fire.

Chief Januszewski has declared a hazardous materials incident. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and a private environmental contracting company were called to the scene to access and clean the chemicals, and the North Haven Fire Department is providing decontamination for workers, as is standard procedure in these types of incidents.

“This was a challenging fire, with a large facility, bitterly cold conditions and the added element of unknown and potentially dangerous chemicals present at the scene,” Chief Januszewski. “I would like to commend our overnight fire crews and mutual aid partners for working diligently to contain this fire to only one portion of the building, despite the fire’s head start with a non-functioning alarm system present in the building. Additionally, had it not been for the alert police officer in the area, the outcome may have been much worse.”

Officials believe at this time that the design of the building worked to mitigate any exposure of the chemicals to the ground and environment.

Interior operations and the fire investigation will begin a soon as all of the chemicals are identified and removed by the contractor.

Fire crews from Wallingford and Hamden also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid, and the North Branford Fire Department provided station coverage.

Once the cleanup is finished and fire investigation are underway, investigators will also look into why the fire alarm system, which had been inspected in the past calendar year, failed to notify the fire department. Chief Januszewski indicates that remodeling and construction work was taking place at the facility, and officials will investigate if that played any role in either the failure of the fire alarm of the outbreak of the fire.

Parker-Hannifin is a manufacturer of gaskets and seals for aircraft.

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