Massive fire in Phoenix sparked a new foray to inspect the city’s recycling yards
After a massive fire ripped through a recycling yard in Phoenix in June 2021, the way the city abides by regulations has fundamentally changed. Brian Webb from FOX 10 reports.
PHOENIX – A major fire broke through in June 2021 Phoenix Recycling company. Hundreds of firefighters had to be called in to fight the fire and it sparked the largest response in Phoenix Fire Department history.
Related: A massive fire at a recycling yard in West Phoenix triggers the “biggest reaction” in the history of the fire service
The massive flame at Friedman Recycling saw wood, tires and other raw materials burn and a huge cloud of smoke shoot into the sky. This has resulted in a big change in the way the city is bringing companies like this up to the rules.
Phoenix Fire inspectors train companies on fire safety regulations
Over the past few months, Phoenix Fire inspectors have spent the past few months inspecting hundreds of some of the Valley’s most risky recycling companies. Their goal is to educate companies not only about what they’re doing wrong, but also how to get it right.
“It was a little crazy. We had our work to ourselves,” said Phoenix Fire Inspector Lisa Lerma.
Lerma is one of only six Phoenix Fire inspectors. She and her team are tasked with inspecting hundreds of recycling companies across the city.
“There are really a lot and, you know, a lot of these facilities, although they have been in business for many years, a lot of them are not yet. You are not familiar with the fire protection regulations. We’re not experts in fire regulations. It’s our opportunity to come here to educate these people about what fire safety regulations are, give them the tools they need to comply, and make sure they are running business in the safest possible way. possible, “said Lerma.
One day inspectors visited Olgin + Efune Recycling, a full-service recycling company specializing in brass, copper and aluminum.
“They came out to do an inspection about a month ago and tagged one of our fuel tanks and we fixed it immediately,” said co-owner Chad Olgin. “To us piles of metal are liquid. They move all the time, so we don’t see it from the fire point of view. We see it from the operations and production point of view.”
Olgin said inspections like this one are key to keeping his business and others going while maintaining the safety of those who live and work in the nearby neighborhoods.
“We’re working with a neighborhood that’s right next to us and the last thing we want to do is start a fire,” said Olgin. “It affects the neighborhood. It affects everyone who actually sends products here. So let’s say this shop is now closed because of a fire so on. So it’s kind of a domino effect. “
Friedman Brand sparked renewed efforts by the inspection teams
After the fire at Friedman Recycling, the city’s inspection teams began identifying hundreds of other companies that posed a fire risk.
“We’re talking about the junkyards, the scrap, the power yards, the tire stores, and the paper and auto manufacturing facilities,” said Brian Scholl, assistant fire marshal of Phoenix.
According to Scholl, education is the first step in helping these companies identify potential dangers because, as Lerma and her team have learned, some recycling companies do not always recognize the dangers of their work.
“I was on a pallet yard and it was sawed on top of the roof. We came across pretty bizarre things,” said Lerma.
They say one of the biggest detonators is lithium-ion batteries: some companies don’t even know they’re there.
“And then they ignite because of the heat we’re experiencing in the city of Phoenix,” Lerma said. “Ignite the pile and then it spreads, and that’s why we end up with these multiple fires.”
Access is also a major concern: can crews position themselves to fight a potential fire? Can they find a reliable source of water near the property? The team is also trying to find out if the companies have defensible space around their property.
“If we have a fire in a pile, we can actually protect all the piles around it to keep the fire small, and that is our goal,” said Scholl.
“If there is a fire and a facility is storing flammable materials along its property line, there is a greater chance for it to skip the line and go to its neighbor’s property,” Lerma said.
Increased fire risk this summer meant inspectors were free to quote on the spot. Some of them have ended up in court, but many are resolved pretty quickly.
“The nice thing about the citation process is that it takes about a month between the actual court date once I put out a quote, and everyone we’ve met so far has been reconciled in that time frame, which is amazing. Said Scholl.
Phoenix City officials estimate that there are more than 550 recycling centers in Phoenix that they know about, and it is the ones they do not know that are worrying them. That summer, however, the inspectors were able to identify, inspect and bring all facilities into compliance.
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