The 7 wounds of Talcahuano: earthquake, tsunami, fires ...
From March 2 to 7, we were sent by the CBS (Cuerpo de Bomberos of Santiago) to support our colleagues in the city of Talcahuano, a small port city containing some 150,000 inhabitants.
This city is probably the one that has suffered most of all, Chile, during this difficult period of natural disasters. To her alone, she has stored an earthquake and a tsunami both devastating.
During our stay, we worked in various areas: packaging of food parcels, decontamination facilities for fishing, firefighting, water distribution, excavated in CS and houses. ..
With an amount of 2 to 10 quakes per day, we observed a population weakened.
many ways arrived on site without any organization. Organizations donated goods or services have not even taken the time to study the needs. Some given to give something ...
We have also strengthened the CS Talcahuano, devoid of personal and sometimes water. The work in these remote towns of the "civilization of Fire" is a copy of the most anarchic work being done on Santiago's face a little more personal in every sense, the officers shouted a bit more and throw yourself first on the facade ablaze before cutting propagation. Of course, this was only one fire with some of the staff was exhausted by the intense operational activity of the moment ...
Our team 25 Santiago Fire was perfectly well understood and I think the experience was great for everyone.
More photos than usual, they speak better than me.
The technique of pulsing-penciling in functioned perfectly. It allowed us to reduce the intensity of the home and preserve the visibility of the ground (although not a primary goal). The technique was slightly longer to apply a method of "nag", but the result is more than convincing: dry soil, no burning, etc..
Again, quality over speed without endangering human life ...
Earthquake + light industrial district (three chemical plants, five warehouses) Fire
whole night guard was about to fall asleep around of 3:30 am (yes, that later), when we were surprised by violent earthquakes.
Have you ever walked in a wagon train of former model? Have you had trouble keeping up? This is exactly the effect we felt (especially down the stairs of the CS). It is amazing to feel so powerless to sway all buildings visible from a city. It is expected that the elements fall ... Then they fall. Our CS seemed to take the shock, but the whole town cried ...
Five minutes after stopping them we went for a buried person. When we arrived, she was already dead.
Just back to the center back (and after a complete revision of it) we left for a fire on another area with H-4. During our journey on the highway, we saw a dozen other large fires bordering it, like "ah maintains a warehouse fire! Oh no! It is not ours, "every kilometer.
After 20 minutes, you could see flames rising giant, visible at ten miles. The smoke was so black that you could stand out in the night sky. On arrival, three chemical factories ablaze, which subsequently won six warehouses. The loss was indescribable, it was possible to see the limits of fire that frankly turning head side!
We have fitted out two lances (a spear gun and a 70mm cannon launches monitor) that will not charge as little water as the water supply sector was very low. After tickling the giant flare of several tens of meters high, other more powerful means we have replaced. This is the first time I leave the scene of an accident without "finalize" it, and I feel incredibly useless!
Since that day, we are on permanent call (from "acuartelamiento).
For the record I suggest you follow the news media ...
very interesting experience as "intervenors support." Rescuers are sent to a shop fire in a commercial gallery. After ten minutes of attempted attacks by the Interior, the Commander decides to avail of our special vehicle, the H-4 ( description of major equipment here).
The gallery is mostly smoky and the public is still present. On our arrival, two attack crews are still inside the room (basement of 10m2 single large container part of the fabric), trying somehow to cope with the volume of heat-like a real oven! Why two teams were using it correctly their spear no information about it. Everything they were arrested at the entrance by the heat after going down some stairs ...
Our young chief rigging experienced (26 years, 10 years service) and operator "Haz -Mat "(equivalence RADCHIM 2), shall, after recognition under ARI, to propose to COS (seemingly helpless) extraction of hot gas through our fan "Turvex" and the exhaust ducts and a strong attack through our medium foam nozzle expansion (increasing the expansion of the emulsifier low expansion of 10% and also allowing the use of high-expansion foam) and several cans of foam concentrates low and high expansion.
We use a vent at the entrance to the store to inject the foam through the same hole later we will extract fumes remaining in the "Finalized" by the door-lance.
Being responsible for feeding foam, uneducated, I'm allowed to opt for low expansion foam to smother in the first place, home; so I first used the cans of foam concentrate and natural chemical and I could perceive that chemical type has 2 times more efficient. After a decline in the intensity of the home I used the foam to cool the high expansion volume. The extinction term between 15 to 20 minutes, using 200 liters of foam concentrate.
A breakdown of attack (simultaneous with extraction) will also be used in finalizing the pressure to stimulate the local casualty and extract the remaining hot gases.