Carrum Downs firefighter Robert Ayres quickly assessed the situation and called for Dandenong Hazmat Detection vehicle and Hallam Hazmat to assist with the hazardous incident.
At first it appeared the leak was from several storage containers holding up to 2,000 litres but that wasn’t the case.
Crews in splash suits assessed the area and found the Hydrogen Peroxide mixture leak was from a plastic 204 litre drum and they suspected the pressure relief valve appeared to be an issue.
Approximately 200 litres of the chemical leaked and soda ash was used to contain the spill and clean up. A firefighter in a splash suit used a fork lift to place the damaged container in an over-size drum.
Third lieutenant Andy Amad from Carrum Downs was the Incident Controller and he said you need to step it up at a major hazmat job. Call in any resources required early on and continually assess what’s going on. Resources can easily be cancelled if not needed later on.
An Advice message was sent out to inform people in the area there was a chemical leak. No residents were affected by the incident and surrounding roads were closed. The CFA Scientific Officer also attended and advised crews along with a representative from EPA.
According to Incident Controller Amad Police, Ambulance Victoria and the State Emergency Service provided great support during the extended event. Narre Warren brigade provided meals for over 50 people and Dandenong Support setup their Rehab module on-site.
Three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion by AV and it re-emphasizes the importance of pre-hydration and re-hydration at fire calls regardless of how cool the ambient temperature may be.
Also on scene were Frankston Teleboom and BA Van with Patterson River MCV. Additional splash suit wearers came from Edithvale, Skye, Noble Park, Carrum Downs and Mt Eliza.
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