Hero 2020 Carl Weimer: The Right Man at the Right Time in the Right Place

The Healthy Kids Hero Award

Every year, to mark the anniversary of the March 18, 1937 Texas School Explosion, I salute someone who demonstrates an extraordinary sense of responsibility and commitment to the safety of children and their communities. 

The Healthy Kids Hero Award is an annual opportunity to remember the 1937 TX tragedy and to inspire others to take leadership for public safety, especially where gas pipelines, compressor stations, and other hazardous fossil fuel projects contaminate air and drinking water and put schools, families, and whole communities at risk for deadly explosions and fires. (Heroes 2004 - 2019)

Carl Weimer, Executive Director of the Pipeline Safety Trust (PST), is the 2020 Hero.

Over his long career Weimer has earned multiple awards from colleagues, community leaders, government officials, and other admirers including the 2015 White House for being the most effective advocate for improving the safety of nation’s vast network of gas and oil pipelines.

Courage, Credibility, Community

As important as all his accolades are, Weimer deserves the highest recognition and gratitude of the public and local governments for legitimizing the role of communities in the regulatory process. And, in his role as public interest watchdog, he achieves a high level of trust and credibility as he continuously champions a high standard for transparency in the pipeline industry and the regulatory agencies.

One reason for Weimer’s effectiveness is his remarkable ability to humanize the deadly consequences of the pipeline industry’s ugly history, especially its repeated incidents of criminal negligence and poor management. He firmly believes that citizens should be able to trust that their government is pro-actively working to prevent pipeline hazards.

Read the full article...

For Today's Responders, 1937 Texas Tragedy Still Carries Lessons for Avoiding Disaster 

NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
FEBRUARY 17, 2015 -- On March 18, 1937, a gas explosion occurred in a school in New London, Texas, killing almost 300 of the 500 students and 40 teachers in the building. 

The brand new, steel-and-concrete school, located in the East Texas Oilfield, was one of the wealthiest in the country. Yet it was reduced to rubble in part because no one could smell the danger building in the basement.

While the building originally had been designed for a different heat distribution system, school officials had recently approved tapping into a residue gas line of the local Parade Gasoline Company, a common money-saving practice in the oilfield at the time. 

Unfortunately, on that March afternoon, a faulty pipe connection caused the gas (methane mixed with some liquid hydrocarbons) to leak into a closed space beneath the building. Just before class dismissal, when a maintenance employee turned on an electric sander, the odorless gas ignited. The resulting explosion caused the building to collapse, burying victims. (Watch a video of a news reel covering the event from March 1937.)

By standards employed today, a gas leak could be detected in advance by its odor. The odorless gas in the New London disaster was able to accumulate in the space before anyone was aware of it. 

As a direct result of this incident, a Texas law mandated that malodorants be added to all natural gas for commercial and industrial use, a practice that is now an industry standard. Mercaptan, a harmless chemical, gives gas its distinctive rotten egg odor. It is added to natural gas to make it quickly recognizable and to prevent accidents like this from happening.

Read full article: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/todays-responders-1937-texas-tragedy-still-carries-lessons-avoiding-disaster.html

'Pipelines blow up and people die'

After a series of deadly accidents, Congress created an office to oversee the nation’s oil and gas pipelines. A decade later, it’s become the can’t-do agency. By Elana Schor and Andrew Restuccia 4/21/15, http://www.politico.com/
Great graphics online. Read more and see more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/the-little-pipeline-agency-that-couldnt-117147.html#ixzz3XxMadzXw

A Lesson of the 1937 Texas School Disaster: Visualize the Danger. People with responsibility may not have the knowledge or care about precaution.

The official Court of Inquiry acknowledged a series of design, building and operations problems, and unheeded warnings, yet named no one responsible. They concluded that school officials were just "average individuals, ignorant or indifferent to the need for precautionary measures, where they cannot, in their lack of knowledge, visualize a danger or a hazard." (Court of Inquiry, 1937.)

What is a gas emergency?

(More at Nation Grid Safety Page)

Gas safety emergencies can include but or not limited to some of the following:

• You smell gas or suspect a gas leak.
• There is low pressure (low flame) or no gas in all of your gas appliances.
• Gas to an appliance or heating unit stays on and cannot be shut off.
• There is a continuous flow of water leaking from your gas heating unit or water heater.

Environmental Defense Fund: Boston: Snapshot of natural gas leaks http://www.edf.org/climate/methanemaps/city-snapshots/boston)

If you ever smell gas, or have any reason to suspect a problem, experts say to immediately exit the building or area, then call the authorities. For information specific to National Grid, see their safety page.

What to do if you suspect a natural gas leak in your home WRCB-TV  (VIDEO)

• http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/28296203/what-to-do-if-you-suspect-a-natural-gas-leak-in-your-home

Gas leak bill a key legislative step for safety  

Gloucester Daily Times  Editorial: 2/20/14

It’s been just over five years now since a gas explosion, on a frigid Sunday morning in January 2009, literally blew apart the 76 Eastern Ave. house owned by Gloucester police officer Wayne Sargent, rocked the neighborhood around it, and had much of the city on edge for weeks through a number of reported leaks and repairs that followed.

All of us, of course, are grateful that Sargent miraculously survived that blast, which — among other things — blew the house’s front door into the middle of the street, and incredibly drove a rear cellar bulkhead some 20 feet up into a tree.

Now, five years later, we should be grateful on another count — that Sargent, whose home has been rebuilt, has also been able to work with state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante on legislation aimed at shoring up gas inspections, repair records and other safety measures on a bill now winding through the Legislature.

Ferrante, who joined her House colleagues in approving the bill and sending it on to the Senate last week, says the measure will enhance the state’s ability to both guard against natural gas leaks and bolster public utility safety, while also creating an infrastructure replacement program to accelerate the process replacing aging pipelines and lower capital costs for companies and gas rates for consumers... MORE

Marcellus Outreach Butler: Gas Well Fire Demonstrates Need For School Setback

NorthcentralPa.com

Marcellus Outreach Butler (www.marcellusoutreachbutler.org/) Wednesday called for natural gas drilling and gas related infrastructure to be kept at least one mile away from schools.

The gas well explosion and fire that began February 11 near Dunkard, Greene County, which injured one worker and left another missing, feared dead, prompted the State Police to set a half-mile perimeter around the burning well.  

The fire couldn’t be approached closer than 300 yards due to its intensity, yet in Butler County a well exists approximately 300 yards from Summit Elementary School.  A well will be about 1,900 feet from Connoquenessing Elementary School and a well is planned close to Moraine Elementary School.  The school districts to which these schools belong themselves have either leased or are considering leasing and they are not the only school districts that throw caution away to shore up their budgets with gas industry money. What are the risks? 

READ MORE...

  
Resources for schools and communities:

The Pipeline Association for Public Awareness helps schools improve safety planning and readiness by sponsoring the School Pipeline Safety Partnership. www.pipelineawareness.org/schools/  www.schoolpipelinesafety.org/

Smalley Foundation  The Smalley Foundation is committed to increasing safety and awareness for those who live, work and play near oil-and-gas equipment and pipelines. We do this by empowering the general public, training first responders and partnering with the industry. www.smalleyfnd.org

Pipelines, Liability and Insurance?

...In 1937, about 300 schoolchildren and teachers died in the New London school tragedy, the worst gas explosion in Texas history. Lawsuits brought by parents and families against the school district and the Parade Gasoline Company, whose leaking gas fueled the explosion, were all dismissed when the court found no liability.

Things have not improved much today...EG

A Perilous Grid - Fort Worth Weekly

They crisscross the country in a complex maze just below ground level, carrying flammable, dangerous, and highly polluting liquids and poisonous gases. They are capable of catastrophic failures that have killed people and devastated property. They corrode, they leak, they explode — and they do it with some regularity.

The millions of miles of gas and oil pipelines in the United States are vital to every aspect of modern life, but they are also perilous. And companies that own them are not required by state or federal law to carry insurance on one inch of those lines. Most Texas cities, including Fort Worth, require insurance policies, but usually in amounts that wouldn’t cover the damages from any sizable pipeline failure. ...

Read more: http://www.fwweekly.com/2013/06/12/a-perilous-grid/

Lessons Learned: Lafayette Indiana Natural Gas Explosion (video)

http://www.pipelineawareness.org/featured-video-lafayette-case-study

On November 27, 2002 the Lafayette Fire Department responded to a "routine" gas leak.  Dispatch reported that a construction crew struck a natural gas line while installing a traffic signal light.  At least four separate explosions destroyed four homes that day.  Responders from the Lafayette Fire Department share their experience and key takeaways in the video below including information about how to plan for the unexpected, anticipating migrating gas, proper gear, clear communication and the importance of ICS and advance partnerships with operators.

 

ATF To Investigate Tulsa School Fire, Explosion That Injured Firefighters,  News On 6, 9/6/2012
Federal resources are in Tulsa investigating a fire that injured several firefighters. The Tulsa Fire Department and the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms met Thursday night about Wednesday's fiery explosion at the old Barnard Elementary school building.

* Caught On Video: Fire, Explosion Destroy Tulsa School Of Arts And Sciences  9/5/2012 

Regulations needed to make sure propane is odorized before it gets to distribution chains and to solve odorant fade issues at the consumer level.

$7.5M settlement in deadly Mass. propane explosion  The Republic.  Family of late Mass. propane gas explosion victim gets $7.5M in legal settlement. BRIDGET MURPHY Associated Press; July 09, 2012  

Gas explosion occurs at University-leased building in Leander | ...A gas explosion at a University-leased building in Leander this morning resulted in one injury caused by flying debris...  www.dailytexanonline.com/.../gas-explosion-occurs-university...

Gas explosion at UT research lab in Leander injures passing motorist http://www.statesman.com/news/williamson/gas-explosion-at-ut-research-lab-in-leander-2398432.html

Lab explosion shrapnel injures motorist  http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/06/13/Lab-explosion-shrapnel-injures-motorist/UPI-47801339634255/?spt=hs&or=tn

UGI cited over safety violations in Allentown gas explosion

Investigators recommend the utility be fined $386,000

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-allentown-gas-explosion-investigation-20120611,0,5815506.story

By Scott Kraus, Of The Morning Call

1:34 p.m. EDT, June 11, 2012
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission investigators have cited UGI Utilities for multiple safety violations in connection with the devastating 2011 gas explosion in Allentown, recommending a series of corrective actions and the imposition of a $386,000 fine on the utility, the maximum allowed by law.

The cause, as suspected, was a leak emanating from a crack in an 83-year-old cast-iron gas distribution line buried beneath Allen Street. The formation of the crack was accelerated by corrosion where the pipe was supported by wooden blocks.

The findings are a result of a 16-month investigation conducted by the PUC in cooperation with UGI Utilities, whose gas lines erupted in the late evening of Feb. 9, 2011, at 13th and Allen streets, flattening eight homes and killing five people.

Wheeling school officials opposing proposed gas well near high school  The Republic, They cite the possibility of an explosion, a spill, and other threats. In an interview with The Intelligencer (http://bit.ly/LdCgjW ), Board of Education President Erik Schramm said school officials have a duty to ensure that development near the school is done responsibly and safely.

Fire reveals gaps in information on chemicals, other hazards. Dispatched to a one-story brick warehouse in flames on Baylis Street in Canton last month, firefighters did not know it contained 8,000 gallons of corrosive chemicals. But not because it wasn't known to the Baltimore City Fire Department. Baltimore Sun, Maryland.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-canton-fire-response-20120506,0,5963885.story

Teacher, 3 students hurt in NY school lab fireWall Street Journal  AP CLAY, NY — Authorities say a teacher and three students are recovering from burns suffered in a small explosion and fire during a science class demonstration at their suburban Syracuse school. Officials with the Liverpool Central School District ...

One student remains hospitalized day after Soule Road Middle School explosion Syracuse.com   Video by John Berry / The-Post-Standard Watch video Syracuse, NY – One girl was listed in good condition at Upstate University Hospital this morning after she was burned in an explosion Thursday in a science lab at Soule Road Middle School in Clay, ...

"I have been in a lot of "events" in my 40 years, and the most dangerous of all safeties is the illusion of safety. ... We call this an operational setup for failure – very bad in risk management approaches." -- Richard B. Kuprewicz, President of Accufacts Inc.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You can prevent explosions in your school. 

Yes, it is painful to threaten the illusion of safety in a school or community and to talk about death and loss. The New London survivors did not talk about their pain for more than forty years.  They teach us that it is even more painful to live with a tragedy when opportunities to prevent loss were ignored or overlooked.

March 18, 2012 is the 75th anniversary of the 1937 Texas School Explosion.

Odor now added to natural gas
http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/03192007_london_gas_odor.html

By MIKE ELSWICK  Monday, March 19, 2007

If a positive angle can be found in the tragic explosion of the London School on March 18, 1937, it could be that hundreds, if not thousands, of lives have probably been saved as a result, according to Archie McDonald.

"The major positive that came from the New London school explosion was legislation requiring gas companies to add an odor to their product so anyone can determine when natural gas is leaking or not properly utilized," said McDonald, a historian long associated with Stephen F. Austin State University who has researched the topic.

Naturally, natural gas has no odor. The smell today many associate with the release of natural gas comes from a malodorant agent added to the gas just for the purpose of allowing it to be smelled should a leak develop.

What some people describe as a rotting cabbage smell usually associated with natural gas comes not from natural gas itself but from mercaptans, which are added to natural gas during processing.

The London School can be credited with instigating, or at least speeding up and stimulating, laws resulting in requiring the odor agent to be added, McDonald said.

The April 1937 edition of the Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association ran a 14-page summary of the London School disaster of the previous month. Among the conclusions in the report prepared by H. Oram Smith with the Texas Inspection Bureau, was that "the value of a distinctive malodorant in all gas supply systems by which leaking gas may be readily detected is clearly evident."

Smith wrote there was only one explosion associated with the disaster and no fire.

"Yet there is evidence of a most terrific force in the great extent of devastation and loss of life that came almost instantly; testimony of bodies tossed 75 feet in the air; an automobile 200 feet distant crushed like an eggshell under a two-ton slab of concrete that had been hurled from the building," Smith wrote. He said at the established point of origin of the blast the explosion had to "break through an 8-inch concrete floor slab before starting on its path of destruction."

In the Texas Railroad Commission archives covering a summary of the agency's activities in the 1930s was an item indicating enforcement of the new rules requiring odorants was enacted, said Ramona Nye, spokeswoman for the agency.

"As a result of this tragedy, the 45th Legislature enacted House Bill 1017 ... giving the Railroad Commission the authority to adopt rules and regulations pertaining to the odorization of natural gas or liquefied petroleum gases," the commission archives said. "On July 27, 1937, Gas Utilities Docket 122 was adopted and the commission began enforcement of odorization requirements for natural gas."

In May 1937, the Texas Railroad Commission, at the time referred to as the most powerful board of resource regulators in the world, had passed an order in memory of those killed in New London that continues to impact the lives of people worldwide.

Shortly after the disaster, the Texas Legislature met in emergency session and enacted the Engineering Registration Act, now rewritten as the Texas Engineering Practice Act. Public pressure was on the government to regulate the practice of engineering because of the faulty installation of the natural gas connection at the London School believed to have resulted in the natural gas leak.

Many other states soon enacted rules requiring an odorant be added to natural gas, and later in 1937 federal requirements were made law, Smith said.

According to the Texas Railroad Commission, the odorants are considered non-toxic in the extremely low concentrations occurring in natural gas delivered to the end user.

New photos from the New London school disaster  Houston Chronicle
After the tragic events of that day, the Texas Legislature passed a law ... Search-and-recovery scene following New London school explosion, March 1937...

811

...breaking through a natural gas line can result in an explosion that could prove fatal.

...If homeowners are going to dig a hole or ditch more than a foot deep anywhere on their property, they must call 8-1-1 a full two days ahead of time. Utility crews will then arrive at the site and mark, through various colored spray paint lines, the location of underground utilities.
It's a shared responsibility – from homeowners and contractors to excavators and utility providers – to ensure that services are not disrupted and people are safe. That's why it's essential that you call before you dig. 

--  For safety of all, everyone should heed `call before you dig' August 25, 2011 http://www.theolympian.com/2011/08/25/1772400/for-safety-of-all-everyone-should.html
 

Back to School: Check up on Science Lab Safety

Potentially explosive chemicals at Fort Lauderdale school briefly close Federal Highway 

Linda Trischitta, Sun Sentinel

August 12, 2011

Sun Sentinel/Linda Trischitta

Traffic flow on South Federal Highway was briefly blocked in both directions Friday morning between Davie Boulevard and Southeast Seventh Street while Fort Lauderdale's bomb squad, HazMat team, fire rescue and police worked to dispose of potentially volatile chemicals found at a private school.

The roadblock was removed at 11:30 a.m.

Administrators at Bethany Christian School, 615 SE Ninth St., were preparing for the coming school year when a teacher discovered a quantity of ammonium nitrate from a science lab and said it appeared to be crystallized.

"It being crystallized would make it dangerous and means it was contaminated with another chemical that could make it explosive," Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Matt Little said. "It could have a blast radius of 150 feet."    

Read More. . .