Let's finish the Danvers miracle
IT BECAME known as the "Thanksgiving Miracle." On Nov. 22, 2006, the still of the early-morning hours was shattered by a massive chemical explosion in Danvers that shook windows and homes as far away as York, Maine. The blast at an ink and paint factory on the Waters River damaged more than 100 houses and businesses and left nearly 400 people homeless. The miracle of this explosion was that no one died and only a handful were injured. Eighteen months later, the cleanup is virtually complete, at a cost of about $28 million. But for the miracle to have true meaning, a final task must be completed: doing all that we can to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The state fire marshal issued a report stating that the factory had been storing at least twice the amount of flammable chemicals authorized by the town and was also in violation of state statutes regulating chemical storage.
But it was not the mere storage of chemicals that touched off the explosion. The catalyst was the processing, or mixing, of the chemicals inside that plant. As the investigation proceeded, a stunning fact came to light: Chemical processing in Massachusetts is not regulated, nor is it regulated in most other states.
Currently there is no uniform standard by which these procedures are measured. There is no central repository for data about what types and amounts of chemicals are being stored and how they are being processed in these facilities.
A bill in the Legislature would create systematic oversight of small and large companies involved in processing chemicals by:
Establishing requirements that companies develop and maintain "process safety plans" to include information on the dangers of highly hazardous chemicals, the technology of the process involved, the equipment involved in the process, and the operating procedures related to any chemicals on the premises.
Creating a database of companies involved in chemical processing
Providing a process for inspection and issuance of a user certificate for businesses involved in chemical processing and enforcing frequent inspections by specialized chemical safety teams, overseen by the state fire marshal's office.
Allowing regulations to assure uniform standards in the processing of chemicals.
Increasing training for local fire inspectors to be able to recognize issues with chemical processing.
Authorizing the fees collected by cities and towns to be used for fire inspector certifications; funding any perceived mandate.
Establishing a review team with appropriate expertise to review process and safety practices.
By regulating frequency of reviews and inspections, the bill will help ensure that procedures and practices are still adequate and that any changes to amounts or processing of chemicals are documented and reviewed for compliance.
The Board of Fire Prevention Regulations realizes how acute the need for this legislation is and has already appointed a subcommittee that is drafting new regulations. Individual fire departments do not have the budgets for chemical processing safety experts and engineers, but this bill will give them all access to such on a statewide level.
The bill would cost $1.8 million to implement. If that seems like an exorbitant cost, consider that the Danvers blast alone caused $28 million in damage. More important, who among us can put a price limit on saving lives?
Several years ago, the tragic fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island that took 100 lives touched off a comprehensive review that created stricter safety regulations for clubs and restaurants, not just in Rhode Island but in neighboring states as well.
In Massachusetts, we were more fortunate. But if we do not heed the warning provided by the "Thanksgiving Miracle" and do the right thing, we may not be so lucky next time.
Kenneth Willette is the president of the Fire Chiefs of Massachusetts and the Fire Chief of Concord. 