Construction Technology in Buncefield Fire - Case Study Example

Name : Institution : Tutor : Title : Buncefield Course : @2010 Buncefield Overview. The Buncefield fire was as a result of the various explosions that happened in the Hertfordshire Oil terminal in the 11thday of 2005 December. (Chilton, 2006.) This was caused by an oil storage tank that was positioned near a motor way by the organization management team in the heart of Hertfordshire in the renowned England. This is terminal that was rated in position five in the whole of England and the united kingdom and it had a possibility of holding at a time sixty million gallons of fuel. This was a terminal that was owned by the Total U k limited to a tune of sixty percent and Texaco took the other share worth of forty percent to make it hundred percent. According to Chilton, (2006). The initial explosion is up to date related to the tank number 912 that and this led to the other explosions which at the end had caused a damage of at least twenty tanks that were used to store fuel. Due to the explosion, fire broke out and the emergency fire unit had to be called to commence the fight with the inferno. The real cause of the whole thing is related to the reaction between fuel and air that had made a very strong bond. The matter when investigated and measurements taken by the Britain geological survey it showed a magnitude of around 2.4 when read on a Richter scale. This is an event that went into news as the most dreaded event since the Fixboruogh disaster in the whole of United Kingdom and this event was completely conquered by the December 13th afternoon. (Chilton, 2006).Despite all this success one of the remaining fuel tanks did explode that evening and the fire fighters opted to let it burn rather that go on fighting with it. The people who had the chance to witness this event had to remain at a distance as the flames did extent high feet’s and the smoke that resulted from it was able to be seen from as far as the northern Lincolnshire which is about hundred and thirteen kilometers from the area of scene. The damages that were as a result of the did involve the window breakages pf various building within the surroundings of the site and this dint spare the holy trinity neither the Liverstock Green school that was a prominent institution of learning. The front doors of the buildings were either brown way or made to warp into extents that they could not be repaired and beyond this their was a removal of an warehouse wall that was at a distance of not less than a half kilometer from the site. Majority of the nearby offices were so affected such that almost all the windowpanes were destroyed as the holistic explosion found it way through the region. From the reports that were gathered shows that several other vehicles were destroyed and the roof of buildings were ripped of and this made the evacuation from the buildings a must not only due to the thick smoke and the likeliness of more explosions but it was feared that the structures are weakened by the incident and do not meet the levels that are specified for human place of living. The explosion is deemed to had led to at lest forty three injuries and there were at least two victims that were injured to the extent of being admitted into a hospital and one of them is said to had breathing problems. The tackling of the fire was influenced by the declaration of an emergency and this is said to have include the total of twenty five fire engines and the firefighters are said to have been a hundred and eighty. This also included the usage of at least twenty support vehicles that facilitated to ferry the first hundred and fifty fire fighters who began immediately by putting up of containment systems of control just before they commenced the usage of foam to bring down the inferno. This occurrence led to the closure of the motorway and it was said to be the front position taker concerning the largest flame ever to be fought by the fire brigades and the necessary supplies of foam taken from almost all regions in the United Kingdom. The fighters used at least six of the high volume pumps to extract the liquid and these were deployed at different positions.An tar of six more were set pending to work as substitutes and it is said that over thirty four thousand liters the foam was used at a duration of around four hours to cut down on the teeth of the inferno and after this the rate of release was checked. At the verge of December thirteen the fighters were confident enough that thy shall be able to control the inferno and the smoke that covered the place was to a greater magnitude brought down and the thickness was faded which showed that their was a considerable volume of water vapor that was able to reach it and cause the dilution through the combination that followed. According to the fire service deputy director, Mark, the real cause of the inferno was the petroleum escape that could have been the original mother of the explosion and fire initially. From Wallington. (2007),its said that the smoke cloud that was easily seen from the satellite is said to had gone as high as two thousand seven hundred meters in the direction of Reading and Swindon and this was seeable from all the angles provided the person was in south eastern side of England. At the end the fire left over two hundred and forty four people begging for any medical assistance more so on the first day of the incident and out of this hundred and seventeen were diagnosed with funny traits that are said to be brought by the effects of the inferno. In addition, thirty eight were said to me from the general public category. Sixty three emergency workers did suffer from the respiratory complaints such as the sore throats which affected the greater numbers. Evacuations and closures Due to the inferno a whole lot of people were evacuated from the area and it’s said that at least two thousand were forced to seek accommodation in other places and the emergency department had requested the citizens in the affected places to ensure that their windows shall remain closed and they shall have to remain indoors. (Wallington, 2007). People who used the smashed windows were advised to look for refuge from their relatives and the victims who their houses were destroyed had to be relocated to hotels and some more had to stay in the business centers that were near the place. Due to the public safety schools and the related public facilities had to be shut down for duration of two days. Transport disruption As a result of the incident that occurred at the junction of M1 motorway, this was shut for around twenty nine kilometers for a shorter duration and other roads adjacent had also to be closed down. It was also said that people opted to but fuel for storage and they caused long lines in the petrol centers although the trade and industry ministry had promised that there shall\ occur no shortages of fuel. Heathrow airport which received about a third of its fuel from the company had to turn into rationings and the fuel shortages had to go on for duration that covered several months. Disruption of business Companies were unable to reach the targets set and even offsetting the cost that was incurred during the positioning of the products was hard. Despite this organization said that out of the business craving for growth they were built near the depot and they are the ones who instead sought the location after the depot was long into operation. Its said that Fuji film building was the worst hit to an extent that it had to be demolished immediately reason being it was unsafe .Fuji film building was the one closest to the depot although the Northgate information solutions building, Catherine house which was to the north, keystone distribution structure to the south and 3m and RO buildings on the southern side were also very much damaged. Ground Water Pollution. The three valleys corporation that deals with water produced a report that showed that the particles that are used in the foam had been detected in the water this test was done in sunken water bole hole near the Buncefield site. More so the report said that not a little of this waster was pumped to the public stations and they instead had been forced to close down bore hole near the site since the incident. Buncefield site conditions As a result of the inferno the site has been left without much to be accomplished from it. It is a region that had grown significantly to be able to attract the number of businesses that had expanded their operations significantly as a result of the many businesses that were taking place in it and the immediate soundings .Buncefield site is left bare and only the destroyed tanks and buildings were been left behind after the inferno. Immediately after the fire, the business in the place was killed completely. The fire engulfed on the premises that were used for businesses and they were rendered useless because they instilled fears that human usage of the unstable structures would cause more harm than good. Buildings such as the Fuji one were destroyed beyond repair and this meant that Fuji film corporation wont be doing business in the region in the near future till when they shall manage to come up with another structure subject to the government approval. (Leete.2008). Such a company had been doing a whole lot of business that had to create employment and growth of the economy. The destruction of the buildings can be said to have killed the business potential if the Buncefield site .More over the Buncefield site has had the possibility of creating more well established and extensive developments ,but due to the inferno this potential has been destroyed and the site is more of a useless piece of land. This is a condition that makes the site to lag behind and as the other sides of England are advancing, Buncefield is still in the ruins. An Inferno that has left Buncefield and its environment with little to be gotten from it is having effects that the site will forever live by. The site since the incident has remained un occupied and this makes it to be eliminated even from the national budgets that are meant to create changes but determined by demographics. Buncefield as to date is treated as a place that is of little value in the whole of England. It’s a site that was most dreaded during the incident because no one really new what was to explode next. It was a place was covered by ashes and smoke during the incident that was life threatening with a lot of chemicals that caused breathing problems and sore throats. Since the inferno the site has remained underdeveloped or it has little developments that have come up. Buncefield constraints Societal risk,The implications that were brought up by the Buncefield inferno to the social scope have been lingering in the minds of many members of the society. This risk that is linked to the Buncefield saga in relation to the community and the nation at large denies it the opportunity to grow from the image that was left in peoples mind. People still associate the place with disaster and with out concerns for growth t and development. This social calling makes the place to lag behind and undeveloped purposely because not even one investor is willing to take his resources to that place. (Leete.2008)The social damages caused by the inferno has managed to take control of citizens and nobody actually feels privileged to go and come up with a structure and create a community because people think an exploration may occur and cause another damage. Land issue on planning. This refers to a situation in which the land that is under conflict is controlled by a remote body. Buncefield site is still under the control of the local board and the utilization of the site has to be approved by it. The board response to the land issues concerning the Buncefield type site is not preferable. The un- welcoming response from the members of the board bars the potentials of reclaiming the place. More so the Authorities do not allow any people to visit the site without proper authorities because it’s risky for human life. Lack of Authority, for one to reconstruct the site he has to be granted authority from the Decorum Authority council. This procedure of going in and getting the board papers that re likely to be turned back is what hinders rebuilding of the site Steps to be followed to rebuild Buncefield. According to Gavin.(2008),The Multi Agency Debrief recommended that to reconstruct Buncefield the first thing that has to be is the building of the recovering plans in a manner that they are like response plans. This is where by the outline that is meant to reclaim the land is incorporated into the emergency planning systems to facilitate an all round approach. Secondly, outlining the real benefit that is associated with the having the business society informed of the response. The business world need to be incorporated into the system to enhance the communication processes and a free making of talk’s .The third step that should be followed includes the realization of the significance of having the relevant communities in the recovery plans. This is said that the relation ship between the local community and the world of business should be strengthened to give the room for giving their views in the recovery of the Buncefield. Investigations summary The investigations on the incident are still going on but the first publication is said to have identified three of the critical areas that need to be given emphasis. First, the design and method of operation in the storage site. The report says that their might had an element of poor design and lack of fluency in the storage of the fuel that made it hard to realize the leakages. (Gavin.2008).As a result is recommended that proper designing of the sites that are meant to be used for fuel storage. Secondly the report has proposed the need of having an emergency response to an incident that may happen in future .Lastly advice to the planning authorities should be considerable and that which can enable creation of a plant that is able to deal with any emergencies. References Chilton, R.2006.Underfire: The dramatic Life of London Fireman. Jeremy Mills Publishing. Leeds City UK. Wallington, N.2007. Firemen at War: The Work of London's Fire Fighters in the Second World War. Jeremy Mills Publishing. Leeds City. Gavin, B.2008. Liverpool's Finest: Heroes of the Fire Brigade: The History of the City's Fire Brigade. Trinity Mirror. North West and North Wales. Leete, J.2008. Under Fire: Britain's Fire Service at War. The History Press Ltd. Manchester City. Read More