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Landfill Fires and 911

Todd Thalhamer, P.E.Hammer Consulting ServiceCal-EPA-CalRecycle, Senior Waste Mgmt EngineerEl Dorado Hills Fire Department, Volunteer Lt.

2015 APWA/ISOSWO

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Welcome LF Fires

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And 911

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Todd Thalhamer, P.E.

Environmental Engineer with 22 years experience in waste issues

17 years of firefighting experience Currently a volunteer Lieutenant for

El Dorado Hills Fire, California Developed a new firefighting concept

called environmental suppression, which balances the impact of firefighting with the environment

Consulted on over 40 waste fire projects in the US and Internationally

Performed duties as the Operations Chief at the San Bruno Pipeline Explosion Removal Project

IC for the Longest Burning Tire Fire in the US

President of Hammer Consulting Service providing waste fire training and command services

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Projects 2013- Panama Landfill FIre 2012 - Landfill Smoldering/Oxidation Event, St Louis Area 2012 - Auto Shredder Fluff Fire, Calgary. 2012 - Contributing Author Aluminum Waste Reaction Indicators in MSW Landfill, ASCE

Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 2012 to 2009 - Forward Landfill Fire and Gas Issue. 2012 to 2007 - Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Heating Event, Hawaii. 2012 to 2007- Central Maui Landfill Fire and Heating Event, Hawaii. 2012 to 2010 - Azusa Tire Monofill Fire, California 2010 - Instructor for Waste Fires, Investigation, Evaluation and Response, US EPA, Florida 2010 - Instructor for the Continuing Challenge Hazmat Workshop - Waste Fires 2010 - Contributing Author of “Aluminum Waste Reaction Indicators in MSW Landfill” ASCE

Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, October 2010 2009 - Instructor for Waste Fire Courses 2009 to 2007 - Kailua-Kona Landfill Fire Suppression Project, Hawaii 2008 - Instructor/Presenter for Landfill Fire Seminar, B.C., Canada 2008 - Instructor/Presenter for International Tire Conference, San Diego California 2008 to 2007 - Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Heating Event, Hawaii 2008 to 2007 - Kailua-Kona Landfill Fire Suppression Project, Hawaii 2008 to 2007 - Lawson Illegal Disposal Site Subsurface Debris Fire, Riverside County, CA 2007 - City of Kingston Landfill Fire, Jamaica 2007 - Helotes Debris Fire, San Antonio, Texas 2006 - Landfill Fire Conference, Ohio 2006 - Landfill Fires Guidance Document Final, CIWMB 2006 - Candlestick Point Subsurface Fire, San Francisco, California 2006 - Minimize Landfill Fire and Losses, Panel Member, Washington D.C. 2006-2003 - Tracy Tire Fire Remediation Project, San Joaquin County, California. 2006 - Landfill Fire Conference, Instructor/Presenter, Ohio EPA 2006 - Landfill fire, Australia, Pollution Response Agency 2004 - Chalan Pago Kajiyama Hardfill Facility Fire, Guam 2003 - Archie GOH Debris Fire, Fresno, California 2003 - Woodlake Sanitary Landfill, Loretto, Minnesota 2003 - Idaho Tire Recovery Pile Evaluation, Lincoln County, Idaho 2002 - Greenhill Road Illegal Landfill/Debris Fire, Johnston, Rhode Island 2002 - Superior Greentree Landfill Fire, Kersey, Pennsylvania 2002 - Instructor/Presenter for Tire Fire Response, US EPA 2002 - Naco Landfill Fire, Naco, Mexico 2001 - Hunter’s Point Landfill, US Navy, San Francisco, California

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Projects 2001 - Shredded Tire Facility in Ohlsdorf, Austria 2000 - Tracy Tire Fire Suppression Project, San Joaquin County, CA 2000 - Instructor/Presenter for Environmental Suppression Workshop, Sacramento County, CA 2000 - Andersen Air Force Base Landfill Cap Evaluation, Guam, USA 1999 - Illegal Green Waste Pile, Guam USA 1999 - Cajon Illegal Landfill Fire, San Bernardino County, California 1998-1999 - Hawaiian Island Landfill Fires, Hawaii 1998 - Ordot Tire and Landfill Fire, Guam, USA 1998 - Tracy Tire Fire, San Joaquin County, California 1997 - Westley Tire Fire, Stanislaus County, California 1997 - Lone Pine Landfill Fire, Inyo County, California 1996 - Panoche Tire Fire, Fresno County, California 1994 - Gillespie Landfill Fire, San Diego County, California 1992 - Berry Street Mall Landfill Fire, Sacramento County, CA

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Administration

1. 8 hr LF Fire course condensed to 3.5 hr Additional training and planning is available Documents available via an e-mail request to

ltfire88@gmail.com

2. Cell phones, Questions, Issues, Sleepiness, Emergency Exits

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Goal To change your perception of landfill fires

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Objectives

To be aware of the risks and hazards for waste fires whether you are an operator, responder, regulator, or consultant.

To provide for safer work environment To realize what a preplan can do for you

Will we cover all the risks? NO!

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What is the difference

Goal and Objective Which is an genic action / specific action Which is measurable and tangible

Why is this important?

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Are Waste Fires Common…

Yes, However Part of the waste business Most are operational fires (15 min to 1 hr) Majority are surface fires

Fires commonly occur in Transfer Stations, compost facilities, and at working faces of LF

80-90% waste fires at LF are not reported Approximately one major tire fire per year Season and Time?

12Sources: US EPA, Tony Sperling

www.landfillfire.com

Statistics

1,754 landfills in U.S. as of 2006 ~8,400 dump or sanitary landfill fires

reported in U.S. each year according to National Fire Incident Records

1 in 200 fires escalates to a major incident 42 major incidents per year?

Probability of small fire better than 50% Probability of major fire estimated at 0.5%

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How Many?

Data is limited throughout US Google™ Alert

Used key words Landfill Fire, Underground Fire, Compost Fire, Debris Fire, Subsurface Fire, and Tire Fires

Started tracking January 2007 About 150 events per year Found significant events even in California

that were not reported

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What is your Primary Concern?

HSC: Do you have a preplan? Fire: Where is the water and foam? Landfill: Are we closed and for how long? Public: Is the smoke toxic? Do we have to

evac? News: How did this start? Regulatory: What damage has occurred to

the environment?