TOPIC

THE
BP
TEXAS
REFINERY
EXPLOSION
A
FIRE FIGHTING
 PROCEDURAL
RECOMMENDATION

AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES
0 INTRODUCTION TO METHODS OF
FIGHTING HYDROCARBON FIRES.

1 EVACUATION AND CASUALTY

HANDLING PRACTICES IN
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS SIMILAR
TO BP EXPLOSION.

2 ERRORS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
 METHODOLOGY
3 THIS WORK WILL MAKE USE
OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN
THE FIELDS OF FIRE
FIGHTING.

WE WILL INCLUDE
DEMONSTRATIONS WHERE
NECESSARY.

OUTLINES
4 WHAT ARE
HYDROCARBONS AND WHY
ARE THEY SO
COMBUSTIBLE?
5 HANDLING
HYDROCARBON FIRES
6 TRIAGE IN FIRE FIGHTING
7 IDENTIFIED SAFETY
PROBLEMS AT THE BP TEXAS
REFINERY
8 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
BETTER PRACTICE

WHAT ARE
HYDROCARBONS AND
WHY ARE THEY SO
COMBUSTIBLE
9 BURNING
10 COMBUSTIBILITY

11 FLAMMABILITY
DESCRIBE THE REACTION OF DIFFERENT
ELEMENTS WITH OXYGEN.
HYDROCARBONS REACT FREELY WITH
OXYGEN TO PRODUCE CARBON DI OXIDE ,
WATER AND A LOT OF HEAT

HANDLING
HYDROCARBON
FIRES
12 THE UNDERLISTED
METHODS ARE APPLICABLE.
1. CO2 (Fixed System)
2. Foam/AFFF
3. Installed sprinklers
4. High-velocity fog
5. Dry Chemical Powder
6. CO2 Portable

HANDLING
HYDROCARBON
FIRES
13 PRESCRIBED METHOD FOR
BP EXPLOSION FIRE FIGHTING
SCENARIO:
High-Velocity Fog
ADVANTAGES INCLUDE
14 Water is infinitely available unlike
other extinguishing materials
15 High velocity pushes fire in desired
direction.
16 It removes heat and displaces oxygen
from the fire zone
17 Forms no residue over critical assets

HANDLING
HYDROCARBON
FIRES
 HIGH VELOCITY FOG
HOW ITS DONE

TRIAGE IN FIRE FIGHTING

18 Simple Triage and Rapid

Treatment (START)
19 Sacco Triage Method (STM)
20 Triage Sieve and Sort
21 Move, Assess, Sort, Send
(MASS)
22 Careflight
23 Reverse Triage

Simple Triage and Rapid

Treatment (START)
24 START was designed in the
1980s
25 PURPOSE
To assist hospitals in quick
organisation of resources
especially in the case of mass
casualty incidents.
 Simple Triage And Rapid
Treatment (START)
26 METHODOLOGY
Casualty assessments are based
on Respiration,
Perfusion/Circulation, Pulse,
ability to walk and mental
status. Based on these
assessments, casualties are
colour coded and sent to the
designated Hospital.

Simple Triage And Rapid

Treatment (START)
27 COLOUR CODES
 RED
Experiencing problems with
respiration, Perfusion and
Mental status.
Attention for such casualties is
immediate.

Simple Triage And Rapid

Treatment (START)
28 COLOUR CODES
YELLOW
 Patients with burns (Second
degree covering less than 15%
of the body) without airway
problems.
Major or multiple bone and joint
injuries
Back or spinal injuries.
These casualties are sure survive
without immediate medical
care and can be delayed.

Simple Triage And Rapid

Treatment (START)
29 COLOUR CODES
 GREEN
Often tagged the walking
wounded, This category
includes casualties with cuts,
scrapes and sprains. In
emergency situations, such
patients would be considered
for refusal. However, due to
mass casualty cases, they are
admitted and attended to with
least priority.

Simple Triage And Rapid

Treatment (START)
30 COLOUR CODES
BLACK
DECEASED AND NON-
SALVAGEABLE CASES

?
IDENTIFIED SAFETY
PROBLEMS AT THE BP
TEXAS REFINERY
31 Turnaround Planning:
Although needed to replace this
atmospheric vent with flaring, work
was deferred twice, despite being
on OSHA list.

32 Unit Level Controls: The

failure of liquid high level
notification could happen in any
system that does not promptly deal
with outage of one component, be
that the level sensor, DCS
communications, or failure of
control room to notice in timely
manner during a busy startup.

IDENTIFIED SAFETY
PROBLEMS AT THE BP
TEXAS REFINERY
33 Operations: During startup it
is vital to have field staff watching
local instrumentation in
ADDITION to control room guys
watching the panel, particularly if
ANY part of DCS was worked on
during the turnaround.
34 Work Site: Locating a modular
building for the turnaround staff in
between process units is in
violation of the 1972 Outdoor
Industry Association (O.I.A.) unit
spacing guidelines: which enabled
there to be enough space to fit a
building!
The explosion happened when
nearby workers were in this
building.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR BETTER
PRACTICE

35 ADHERENCE TO POLICIES
AND REGULATION.
36 FOLLOW UP ACTION ON
RISK ASSESSMENT.
37 AVOID POSTPONING
MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR BETTER
PRACTICE

RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR BETTER
PRACTICE
 HOPE YOU
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