MSW Management | Editorial

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Landfill Manager's Notebook

Fighting Fire

Ever hear of a “fire negotiator”? Neither have I. How about a fire fighter? You bet. That’s because nobody ever put out a fire by talking to it—the fire must be fought.

By Neal Bolton

I recently watched the late George C. Scott in the movie Patton. In this movie, Mr. Scott played the powerful role of Gen. George S. Patton—a very polarizing character. You either loved him or you hated him. But either way, there was no doubt he was a fighter. Every move he made was directed toward defeating his opponent and winning the battle.

There’s a lesson here for landfill managers.

When it comes to your facility’s fire-fighting plan, is yours a battle plan or a bureaucratic plan?

A bureaucratic plan is often prepared as part of a permit application. It is written primarily to satisfy regulatory requirements and contains phrases like “…the facility shall control fires using best management practices … in full compliance with all applicable fire regulations …” Such a plan reads more like a legal document than a practical fire-fighting plan. Of course, the written plan must address specific issues as required by regulation, but if it is to be practical it must include more than legalese.

A practical fire-fighting plan must address site-specific conditions and risks. It must address those risks with realistic solutions that are based on the facility’s actual capabilities.

You can come up with a layout of your site using a recent topographic map, labeling specific areas and activities. Then, using this information, identify your strengths and weaknesses. Think “Defensible Space.” Get your crew involved and do some brainstorming. Take into account the prevailing wind patterns and focus on those specific areas where a fire is most likely to start or where a fire would do the most damage.

For example, stockpiled, unprocessed greenwaste can pose a significant risk of fire due to spontaneous combustion. If a fire starts in the greenwaste area, the prevailing wind could blow smoke and embers directly toward the fuel storage area, putting it at risk. The smoke could also blow across the entrance, perhaps making the site entirely inaccessible.

The woodwaste and grinder present similar risks.

Similarly, smoke from a fire at a methane facility or in a landfill area might not block the entrance but could make the water tank inaccessible.

Other considerations include:

Type of vegetation in and around the facility
Moisture content of the surrounding vegetation
Response time from nearest fire station
Type of machines available onsite
Suitability of onsite machines for use in fighting a fire
Whether machines are well-maintained and free of trash so they don’t catch on fire, too

Are machines parked in a location that would allow access if a fire started when the facility was closed? At one of the landfill fires to which I responded, the tractors had been parked adjacent to and downwind of the active fill area. When a fire started, all but one of the machines were hidden by smoke. Fortunately, the fire didn’t spread to the machines.

In order to effectively fight a fire at your landfill, you must view your facility in the same way a general would view a battleground. Identify areas where you are vulnerable, and then bolster your defenses accordingly.

Relocate to a safer area those activities posing a higher risk, especially if they have the potential to multiply damage by spreading fire to other areas.

The written fire-control plan on your shelf is important. It’s also a regulatory requirement. But if you can’t apply it in a practical way, the plan won’t be worth the paper it’s written on should a fire actually occur.

Be tactical. Think defense. And if a fire should happen to occur, you’ll be better prepared to go out and fight it.

Neal Bolton is a consultant specializing in landfill operations.

MSW - November/December 2007