| Essential details of
the situation:
I have seen a number of leaking gas tank calls as Haz Mat
responses. Many of these were caused by hitting a curb or other object with
the bottom of the tank. The problem is stopping the flow under the pressure
of gravity, usually inside the dent on the tank. Many commercially available
‘putties’ fail do to the constant flow.
Lessons Learned or Reinforced:
The easiest way I have found to slow or stop the leak is
to simply use a bar of soap. What I did was take the bar and scrape or shave
off some soap. I do this using something near the tank such as the leaf
springs. I then have pliable soft soap that I can mold into a ball. I then
press the soft ball of soap into the hole or crack and the flow is reduced
or stopped. I can then either have the car flat bedded with a bucket or pad
placed underneath to catch and spillage, or I have used the commercially
available leak stop epoxy that would not work while the gas was still
flowing. The tank must be drained and replaced but the situation is easily
controlled with this method
Training Suggestions: Review your own departments leak
control kit and see what it contains. See what will work for normal leaks
and see what you have for those hard to reach leaks such as in the dent. If
it is not there already add a bar of soap. Use another bar to practice the
scrapping and see how easily the soap becomes a pliable plug for temporary
leak stoppage. Review your departments use of proper PPE at a Haz Mat
incident as found in Awareness and Operations training. This operation
should be performed while wearing PPE including some form of rubber gloves.
A hose line should also be stretched as you are working around leaking
gasoline.
Submitted by
Captain John Hund, Nutley Fire Department |
