TEEX aims to make disaster training almost like the real thing

Abstract

When a small farm warehouse caught fire in West, Texas, in 2013, members of a volunteer fire department rushed to the scene. Unknown to them, the store held more than 40 metric tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate fertilizer in wood storage bins, surrounded by seeds and other flammable farm supplies. As the fire grew, the firefighters sized up their options. Soon, the building exploded—flattening an apartment building, nursing home, three schools, and much of the small town. It also took the lives of 12 firefighters and three people living nearby. The emergency responders had just 20 min from when the fire was reported to when the blast occurred. The high cost in lives and property led the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) to conduct a lengthy investigation and issue several recommendations to avoid or limit the impact of such accidents in the future. The primary recommendations