DFD Receives Donation Of Portable Weather Station
Thursday, August 18th, 2022
Another donation of equipment from a local chemical manufacturer has added another important tool for the Dalton Fire Department's hazmat teams. Cargill Incorporated's local plant this week donated a portable weather station to the fire department. The donation is the second donation of equipment to the fire department through the company's "Cargill Cares" initiative.
The new equipment includes a Kestrel 5400 Fire Weather Pro handheld weather meter with a weather vane and mounting equipment that creates a portable weather monitoring station when set up together at an emergency scene. The equipment is advertised as an all-in-one heat safety meter and weather tracking station.
Caption: The weather station is shown set up on a tripod next to a Dalton fire truck
When responding to scenes involving hazardous materials, it's essential for first responders to have up to date and accurate information about weather conditions. The speed and direction of the wind can affect how far dangerous chemicals can spread and it impacts response in many ways including from which direction emergency crews approach the scene and how wide an evacuation area might need to be. Temperature, altitude, and humidity can also be factors that impact emergency responses.
The partnership between Cargill and the Dalton Fire Department started with a training exercise for firefighters at the company's chemical manufacturing facility on Brookhollow Road. Firefighters trained on the site to practice hazardous materials responses and also confined space rescue drills. During the training, the company told fire department leaders that they were interested in giving back to the local public safety community.
"They ended up asking for a list of things that we would like to have that weren’t really in the budget," said Justin Rishel, one of the department's training instructors. "We ended up giving them a list (of equipment)."
"This is a great partnership and one that I hope can be fostered among all the other companies," Dalton Fire Chief Todd Pangle said last week. "We're not looking for free stuff, just that partnership. And that’s exactly what I told Cargill, that we’re appreciative of the donated equipment but we’re more appreciative of their willingness to reach out and come in and say, 'let’s partner up.'"
"It's a really great thing to have a local company that’s part of a larger corporation that is invested in our community in such a way that they want to support the emergency services," said Chief Pangle.
Last week, the fire department received a new Drager XM-5000 air monitor that was also donated by Cargill. The air monitor has a special feature that checks for hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide - toxic gases that are often present after a fire has been put out. The combination of the two gases is known as the "toxic twins" for the danger they pose to firefighters. They can cause cardiac arrest during exposure or cancer years after exposure. The new monitor is carried on Squad 1, the heavy rescue truck can be used not just during overhaul after a fire but also during hazmat situations or in confined space rescues.
According to the company's website, Cargill Cares is a program through which "Cargill businesses and facilities and their employees also give through more than 350 employee-led Cargill Cares Councils worldwide. The councils provide support for local charitable and civic organizations and programs such as food relief agencies, school and youth programs, and local environmental projects."
Below: Firefighter Justin Rishel and Chief Todd Pangle were joined by local Cargill employees Keith Grieser (Plant Manager), Korey Sternard (Operations Manager), Ken Slaton (EHS Specialist) recently as they accepted a donation of the new air monitor for the agency
