BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) A hazardous materials response team was dispatched Thursday morning to the Titan Cold Storage facility on Browning Road in Delano following an ammonia leak.
Jeremy Ruiz from the Kern County Fire Department explained that many cold storage facilities, or those with large refrigeration units, often contain ammonia and ammonia pumps.
Ammonia leak prompts hazmat response at Delano cold storage facility (KBAK){p}{/p}
“So with a leak like this, they’re going to need to close valves, and they have to do that in a fully encapsulated suit,” Ruiz said.
Ammonia leak prompts hazmat response at Delano cold storage facility (KBAK){p}{/p}
“So that means their suit is completely closed off to any of the outside environment. So no air is getting in, no liquid is getting in.”
Ammonia poses an inhalation hazard that can damage the respiratory system or cause chemical burns to the skin, prompting a shelter-in-place advisory.
Ruiz noted that once the hazard is fully mitigated and no leaks are confirmed, the advisory can be lifted. He emphasized the need for firefighters to proceed cautiously during hazmat calls due to the potential danger of the chemicals involved.
Ammonia leak prompts hazmat response at Delano cold storage facility (KBAK){p}{/p}
“And what that does is it creates this environment where we capture everybody that’s involved in the facility. Anybody who knows anything about the product, the system – and we get them all together, we talk through, assess, make a plan,” Ruiz said.