News

The excitement and anticipation radiating at the Boston Marathon finish line was shattered by two powerful bomb explosions that were detonated within seconds of each other. The blasts killed three people, including an 8 year-old boy, and have left more than 150 people injured, many of the victims suffering from traumatic amputations and head trauma.

The first blast occurred at 2:50 p.m., approximately two hours after the first runners had crossed the finish line. The second explosion went off twelve seconds later and approximately 100 yards away from the first. The timing of the blasts, in the fourth hour of the race, is typically when the finish line is at its most crowded, with many of the competing recreational runners finishing the race, to the cheers of family and friends who gather in that area to greet them.

Witnesses recounted panic and confusion after the first explosion went off. But within moments, emergency responders, including police officers and firefighters, began tearing down temporary metal fencing to get to the victims, as broken glass from building windows showered onto the street. The medical tent set up for exhausted and dehydrated runners quickly became a triage tent for the dozens of critically injured victims.

The FBI is heading the investigation, along with the Massachusetts State Police, and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. As of this posting, no one had claimed responsibility for the bombings. However, news media is reporting that a Saudi national, in the country on a student visa, is being questioned. The man was observed running away from the area after the blasts and was tackled by a bystander. The man is currently hospitalized with burn injuries. FBI and Homeland Security agents searched the man’s apartment, located just outside of Boston, in the suburb of Revere. Agents removed brown papers bags, trash bags and a duffel bag, as well as other items.

The AP is quoting a law enforcement official source who said that the bombs were made by putting explosives in a metal pressure cooker, also filled with anti-personnel packing, including BB’s, ball bearings and nails. Several doctors involved with treating victims of the bombings reported that many of the injured had multiple pieces of shrapnel embedded into their bodies.

The White House said the bombings are being treated as an act of terrorism. In a statement, President Obama said, “We still don't know who did this or why. Make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this.”

Video of the Boston Marathon bomb explosions provided by the Boston Globe.

Rescue workers and victims shortly after bombs exploded at Boston Marathon.

Could you be suffering an allergic reaction to your computer monitor? How about your brand-new mattress and box spring? What about the kitchen cabinets and carpet in your brand new home? Many products release volatile organic compounds, (VOC or carbon-based chemicals) that are easily evaporated at room temperature. This is known as off-gassing, and can cause allergic reactions such as puffy, red, and watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, coughing, and asthma-like symptoms. Off-gassing can also cause skin irritations like rashes, itchiness, and hives.

Products such as new cars, toys and tennis balls can also produce off-gassing, such as that recognizable ‘new car smell’ for example. Adhesives, wallpaper, and paints are other easily identifiable because of the odors they give off.

But not all off-gassing produces an odor. A flame-retardant chemical used in the plastic of computer monitors begins evaporating from the heat of the monitor when it is turned on. Other odorless offenders include new furniture, cabinetry, and floor coverings.

Although it’s almost impossible today to avoid products that off-gas, there are some things you can do to reduce exposure to them. Experts suggest regularly moving the air in your home by opening doors and windows and using fans. Keeping the humidity low also helps, as many of the chemicals that evaporate, do so in high rates of heat and humidity. Before purchasing and installing a new carpet or products that contain solvents, adhesives, and exposed particleboard, request that item(s) be opened and left to air out somewhere in order to off-gas before installation in your home.

For industry workers, exposure to these chemicals can cause long-term health problems. Emergency Film Group’s Benzene, Toluene & Xylene offers safe handling and protective measures for workers and safe response procedures, as well as other critical information. To learn more, read here. . .

A flame-retardant chemical used in the plastic of computer monitors begins evaporating from the heat of the monitor when it is turned on.

A recent find in a Memphis home is one scenario that is becoming all too common across the country. Police officers found an active meth lab cooking underneath the mattress of a two year-old girl. Investigators said they could smell the chemicals wafting through an open window, while the child was asleep inside.

Because the production of methamphetamine - can be smoked, snorted or injected - is cheap and easy, and the numbers of people who have become addicted have reached almost epidemic proportions. Many of the ingredients used in manufacturing are available at any retail or hardware store. Members of law enforcement say this drug has the ability to impact communities more intensely than other illegal drugs have.

The manufacturing process involves dangerous chemicals and substances like ether, acetone, iodine crystal, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide, among others. And every pound of meth produced can yield up to 5 pounds in toxic waste, according to DEA estimates.

In 2011, 10,287 meth labs were seized across the country. Children are found in about seventy percent of homes where labs have been seized. Most of these children, if tested, would likely test positive for methamphetamine. The vapors from cooking the chemicals end up everywhere – counter tops, carpets, food, clothes and toys. Children breath the vapors in and ingest them.

Labs are found in rural, urban and suburban areas. They are found in parking lots, in cars, in parks and even in the retail stores where the ingredients were purchased. With more and more meth labs becoming so prevalent, experts recommend everyone recognizing the signs that someone could be producing the drug in their neighborhood. Some of the signs to look for include:

• Unusual and strong odors.
• Large numbers of chemical containers near the property.
• Windows blacked out or covered with blankets, sheets, etc.
• Large number of bottles or containers used for secondary purposes.
• Little or no traffic during the day, but lots of traffic at late hours.

Emergency Film Group’s Response to Illicit Drug Labs DVD is response training for emergency personnel who may encounter a clandestine drug lab during routine calls, or who may be involved in taking down a lab. It’s an ideal resource for law enforcement, hazmat teams, EMS, and other emergency personnel. To learn more, read here. . .

Firefighters battle a blaze from a shake-and-bake meth lab explosion.

The tragic events in Newtown, CT are, sadly, another reminder of just how vulnerable we are to these kinds of attacks in our communities. The massacre in Newtown is the third active shooter incident at a school in 2012. In February, a 17-year-old Chardon, Ohio high school student murdered three students who were sitting in the school’s cafeteria. In April, a former nursing student opened fire at Oikos University in East Oakland, CA, killing seven people.

Schools, malls, movie theaters – places that are part of our everyday lives, our children’s lives – have proven to be easily accessible to assailants with an agenda. Nowhere are we truly safe anymore. A community’s preparedness and organization when a mass shooting occurs is essential to the least number of causalities possible.

In the spring of 2009, the community of Martha’s Vineyard came together to participate in a training film, titled Active Shooter: Rapid Response. The film, designed for law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, emergency management, facilities and others who may become involved with a mass shooting incident, brought together almost eighty people, including students, teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel from all over the island. A good portion of the filming was done on location at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.

It was the Virginia Tech massacre that inspired us to create the film. Having family members who were graduates of the school, we took a special interest in the tragedy. We saw that the school was not prepared to deal with an incident like that and we expected that this was true of schools around the country.

Emergency Film Group has been producing emergency response training films for 30 years and began this project just as we do all our projects - by hiring a committee of subject matter experts to guide them in developing the script. And the community’s endorsement of the project contributed greatly to the film’s success.

Active Shooter: Rapid Response covers the key topics in preparing for and responding to a mass shooting. The film also offers guidance for school officials and emergency operation centers. Organizations of all kinds, in 39 states and abroad, are using the film to prepare - often showing the film to start an exercise involving schools and the emergency response community. To learn more, read here. . .

Emergency Film Group produced 'Active Shooter: Rapid Response' as a resource for both school administrators and law enforcement.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless and colorless gas. It’s also a very toxic one. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell, CO can kill someone before they are even aware they are being exposed to it. Lower levels of exposure to CO can cause symptoms which many times are mistaken for the flu - headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue.

In Atlanta, GA, 500 students at an elementary school had to be evacuated when it was discovered a faulty boiler was leaking CO. Forty-two students and seven adults needed to be treated because of the gas exposure.  Stephanie Hon, of the Georgia Poison Center, told WSPA News that the levels of carbon monoxide fire officials found at the school, 1,700 parts per million, can be deadly over a period of time. Normal levels of carbon monoxide reaches levels of about nine parts-per-million. According to Superintendent Erroll Davis, the school has no carbon monoxide detectors.

A Best Western Hotel in Greensburg KS evacuated guests when high levels of CO were discovered in the pool and lobby area. A local 4-H group of children and parents were attending a Christmas party at the hotel, and several of them complained of severe headaches and nausea. The fire department was called and they discovered the gas leak coming from the hotel pool’s heater. Kiowa County Memorial Hospital Administrator Mary Sweet told St. John News the hospital treated 34 people for symptoms relating to the leak.

Another deadly disaster was averted in Warren, Ohio when a gas leak was discovered at the Trumbull County YMCA. Clients who were at the facility working out began to complain of lightheadedness. The building was evacuated of all employees and clients. Firefighters tested the levels and found the CO level at 942 parts-per-million.

Emergency Film Group’s CO: Response to Carbon Monoxide Incidents DVD training program provides training to firefighters, industrial fire teams, EMTs, police, poison control center personnel, plant safety personnel and others who may be called upon to respond to an incident involving carbon monoxide. To learn more, read here. . .

Children being evacuated from an Atlanta school after the detection of a carbon monoxide leak.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, there were 7,232 train accidents between the years of 2009 and 2012. Causes of these accidents include derailments, collisions, accidents at railroad grade crossings and obstructions. In most incidents, the damage caused by the accident is minor. But a derailed train can pose serious health or environmental problems when tank cars filled with dangerous substances are ruptured, burn, or the contents spilled.

Recently, a derailed train in Paulsboro, N.J. caused the evacuation of 50 homes and sent more than 40 people to the hospital, complaining of breathing problems. The freight train, with two locomotives, 82 freight cars and a caboose, derailed on an old-style swing bridge that apparently buckled and sent four of the tank cars in a creek below, leaving  other cars dangling off the bridge.

One of the cars in the water was carrying ethanol. The three others were carrying vinyl chloride, a flammable liquid. The crash tore open a 1-by-3-foot hole in one of them. At 400 ppm in air, vinyl chloride can cause breathing problems and dizziness. At 12000 ppm those exposed for as little as ten minutes could experience life threatening health effects. The Lower flammable Limit for vinyl chloride is 3800 ppm. Hundreds of responders were needed to clean up the accident site.

In another recent incident, responders in Wayne Township, PA, were notified of a possible hazardous chemical spill from a five car train derailment. One of the cars contained isobutylene, a flammable gas.  Isobutylene is easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames capable of forming explosive mixtures with air. Vapors are initially heavier than air and can spread along the ground, possibly causing dizziness or asphyxiation without warning. There was no release or spill from any of the cars, and no injuries reported for the train crew or emergency responders.

Every community needs to have a plan for these types of incidents. Emergency Film Group has developed the Protective Actions: Evacuation/Shelter In Place training program for emergency response personnel: incident commanders, police officers, emergency management personnel, National Guard troops, hazmat teams, firefighters, security personnel, dispatchers, emergency operations center personnel, and others who might be involved in ordering or carrying out protective actions. To learn more, read here. . .

A derailed train can pose serious health or environmental problems when tank cars filled with dangerous substances are ruptured, burn, or the contents spilled.

An entire town in Louisiana was recently evacuated after officials discovered six million pounds of explosive material they say were being stored illegally. The 800 residents of Doyline were put under a voluntary evacuation order for several days, with kids out of school and some people living at camp sites in a nearby state park.

The explosives were discovered last October, when fire officials were called to a blast at Explo Systems’ northern Louisiana facility, located at Camp Minden. As authorities began investigating that explosion, they discovered an estimated 6 million pounds of a propellant called M6 haphazardly stored. Boxes were stacked in buildings, some were packed into long corridors that connect the buildings and more were found stashed outside. Many of the containers were spilling open.

The evacuation was necessary because authorities feared that ignition of any of the propellant could set off a massive chain reaction that would race through the corridors and blow up multiple buildings, threatening the town.

This isn’t the first time Explo Systems has come under scrutiny for their handling of explosive materials. A series of at least 10 explosions at its current location in 2006 caused an evacuation of Doyline, shutting down Interstate 20 and forcing officials to move students to schools in a nearby town.

The company also came under scrutiny in West Virginia where it was using an old military explosive called tetryl in mountaintop removal mining for Catenary Coal Co. in 2006 and 2007. A February 2007 blast injured one worker and exposed others to toxins. Some of the tetryl dated back to 1940.

Explo Systems leased the property at Camp Minden from the National Guard. According to a report on KTBS News, the company was so far behind in their rent, the National Guard refused to lease the company anymore space.  The State Police is investigating the company for possible criminal charges.

Safe Storage of Explosive Materials, the DVD training program that Emergency Film Group produced for the Institute of Makers of Explosives (www.ime.org), is designed to assist manufacturers, distributors and users of commercial explosives in conforming to Federal Regulations and recommended practices. This film may also assist public safety personnel who might respond to a situation involving explosives. To learn more, read here. .  .

Aerial shot of facility where 6 million pounds of explosives were being illegally stored.

Over the past several years, many people have received forwarded emails from friends, warning about incidents of bottle bombs left in people’s yards that explode when the bottles are picked up. The bombs are made from plastic soda bottles and filled with liquid. Many unsuspecting victims, thinking the bottle is just trash, pick it up. That movement causes the bomb to explode. What starts out as a teen-age prank can end with an explosion severe enough to cause second- or third-degree burns, loss of limbs, blindness or loss of hearing.

There are hundreds of videos on the internet that give instructions on how to make a bottle bomb, using every day household products – Drano, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, tin foil and dry ice – and more. After placing the selected ingredients in a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, a gas begins to appear. The gas then explodes through the bottles weakest area, typically the neck of the bottle. The bigger the bottle means the bigger the explosion.

Recently, two bottle bombs exploded at Ferris High School, in Spokane WA. The first bomb exploded shortly after 8:30 a.m. in a restroom in one of the buildings of the school. A custodian received skin irritation while cleaning up the chemicals and some students had respiratory problems from breathing the fumes. Students were evacuated from that building. Once the area was cleaned, students were allowed back in.

At 11:15 a.m., another bomb exploded, this time in the school commons eating area. With a second bomb detonating, the decision was made to evacuate the entire campus of the school. Police officers and firefighters swept through the school, checking every classroom and hallway for other devices. A teen suspect was identified and confessed to the incident.

Although bottle bomb incidents are isolated, it’s important for people to be aware of the potential dangers. Emergency Film Group offers Sulfuric Acid and Hydrochloric Acid a safety training program about the hazards of acids and safe response to incidents. It is part of our HazChem Series. The film is available in DVD and online as both an online course and for Video on Demand. To learn more, read here. .  .

Bottle bomb explosions can be severe enough to cause second- or third-degree burns, loss of limbs, blindness or loss of hearing.

Trenches are dug for a variety of reasons – construction, agricultural and installing utilities and pipelines. But the dangers of trench collapses, cave-ins and side wall collapses are very real.

Two children, playing at an unsecured excavation site for a new home in the Tinsley Park area of Chicago, were buried for thirty minutes when a wall of mud collapsed on them. One of the girls was buried up to her shoulders in mud, while the other was buried beneath her. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, rescuers described this as the perfect scenario for them to be alive, lying on top of each other created an air pocket to breathe. The girls, ages 11 and 12, were conscious and talking during the ordeal as rescue workers used their bare hands to dig them out.

Firefighters in Riverside, CA rescued a motorist crashed down an embankment at the Riverside interchange, walked 150 yards to find help – and then fell into a two-story-deep construction trench. The man was driving alone in his vehicle when he collided with another car. Unhurt from the crash, he climbed out of his vehicle and contacted 911 from his cell phone and began to walk closer to the area below the interchange. He stumbled and landed on the bottom of an open 18-foot deep trench.

One of the challenges to firefighters in removing the victim from the trench was the danger of the walls collapsing, burying him and any nearby rescuers. Crews used plywood sheeting to shore up the trench walls, and then used ropes, winches, harnesses and a rescue litter to lift the man out of the trench.

The potential risks to rescuer workers when excavating victims from trench collapses always need to be considered, as was the case in a recent collapse in Raleigh, NC. One worker was killed when a trench he was digging collapsed, burying him under several feet of dirt for over two hours.  The rescuers had to vacuum out the soil and couldn’t try to get in because of the unstable ground. Frank McLaurin of the Raleigh Fire Dept. explained the danger to NBC17 News, “With the shifting soil and the fractures in the soil, it was just too risky to go in before we could stabilize or remove the soil to gain access.”

Emergency Film Group’s Trench and Excavation Rescue DVD is an excellent training for rescuers who could respond to the scene of a trench or excavation collapse where there are trapped victims, providing operations and technician level training to fire departments, search & rescue teams, contractors, EMS and others who may respond. To learn more, read here . . .

Rescue workers prepare to lift victim from trench.