Firefighters from the 86th Civil Engineering Squadron suit up in hazmat suits as they prepare to quell a chemical line rupture Nov. 17, 2015, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The rupture spewed hazardous chemicals within a cold storage facility containing Defense Commissary Agency food items.
86th Airlift Wing
Story by Airman 1st Class Lane Plummer
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - The 86th Airlift Wing firefighters were able to quell a chemical hazard inside Ramstein's cold storage facility from causing any damage to items within it and the environment, Nov. 17, 2015, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Firefighters from Ramstein, Landstuhl and Vogelweh were able to control the situation after a refrigeration line was ruptured, spewing anhydrous ammonia into the facility's air.
According to the on-scene commander, Tech. Sgt. Daniel Linares, 86th Civil Engineering Squadron firefighter, his team got straight to assessing the situation.
"Initial readings showed the air was extremely toxic; that was the bad news," said Linares. "The good news was the valves leading into the punctured pipe were closed off, which meant no more ammonia."
Linares knew he didn't have long to develop a plan of action.
"We knew we had two issues to correct," said Linares. "The first was to ventilate the atmosphere to an acceptable level where work could be conducted again, and the second was to limit the amount of food that could be lost."
Linares and his crew of 11 knew they weren't enough to tackle the situation, so they called for backup from around the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Support came in the form of more firefighters, 86th Aerospace Medicine Squadron bioenvironmental engineering Airmen and an ambulance provided by the 86th Medical Group.
According to Lt. Col. Shannon McDonald, 86th Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering flight commander, the joint effort saved over $3 million's worth of Defense Commissary Agency food from the dangerous chemical.
Lt. Col. Paul Silas, 86th CES commander, said the chemical posed a very serious danger to items inside the storage, due to levels being four times higher than the acceptable limit.
Firefighters quickly suppressed the levels of the dangerous gas, and the weather served as an advantage for the firefighters, according to Silas.
After 10 stressful hours, the cold storage facility was cleared of the high levels of the gas. Silas tallied what the damage could've looked like had the Air Force firefighters around the Kaiserslautern Military Community not responded as swiftly as they did.
"They saved over millions of dollars in meat inventory that day," said Silas. "It could be said our 86th AW fire departments saved Thanksgiving!"
Thanks to 86th CES, the holiday will go on and traditional ham and turkey will be feasted upon around the KMC.
Firefighters from the 86th Civil Engineering Squadron assess the situation during a chemical line rupture at the cold storage facility Nov. 17, 2015, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The Airmen coordinated with several other Kaiserslautern Military Community firefighters and bio-environmental Airmen to suppress and contain a chemical leakage that threatened to spoil millions of dollars in meat inventory.
Firefighters from the 86th Civil Engineering Squadron stand in front of the commissary Nov. 25, 2015, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. These firefighters saved millions of dollars in meat inventory and prevented any damage to the environment during a chemical leakage at the Defense Commissary Agency Storage facility, making sure over 50,000 people will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday unhindered.
