NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-77-041 through P-77-042

Page 1Official PDF” NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. ISStJED: December 9 , 1977 Director Materials Transportation Bureau Department of Transportation Washington, D.C. 20590 SAFETY R E C O M M E N D A T I O N (5) P-77-41 and 42 __. A t 1:36 a.m., e . s . t . , on January 25, 1977, a low-order explosion and f i r e destroyed a house i n a residential area near Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the occupant was not seriously injured by the explosion. lJ A t 1 : 4 4 a.m., the f i r e chief of the Old Lycoming Township Volunteer F i r e Department, which had responded t o the f i r e , requested that the Pennsylvania Gas and Water Company (Penn Gas) be notified of the f i r e and explosion. Because the serviceman assigned to emergency c a l l s lived i n a town 20 miles away, and i t would have taken him 45 minutes to reach the scene of the accident because of heavy snow, a local serviceman was dispatched from Williamsport a t 1:55 a.m. A t 2:01 a.m., firemen again notified the gas company of strong odors of gas a t the accident s i t e . The local serviceman arrived about 2:10 a.m. i n h i s personal vehicle without the necessary t o o l s and equipment t o deal effectively with the gas emergency. H e concluded that, since there was no gas service into the house that exploded, the gas main was leaking. He telephoned h i s dispatcher for a s t r e e t crew a t 2:15 a.m.; he also drove to the gas company shop for a combustible gas indicator (CGI) and other work tools. A t 2:39 a.m., a few minutes a f t e r the s t r e e t crew arrived, another explosion demolished a large house 70 f e e t away. A resident of the house and a bystander were k i l l e d by the explosion; several persons, including 1 9 firemen, were injured. Automobiles, a firetruck, and many houses within a one-block radius were damaged severely. - ._ l/ For more detailed information about t h i s accident, read “Pipeline Accident Report--Pennsylvania Gas and Water Company, Natural Gas Explosions and Fires, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1977” (NTSB-PAR-77-4) . 2088A#

Page 2- 2 - On October 1, 1976, 49 CFR 192.615(c)l was revised t each gas system operator maintain l i a i s o and other public o f f i c i a l s t o ' I . . . learn of each government organization that may emergency. " Gas companies often provide tr personnel and thereby know of their capa ever, there a r e thousands of volunteer f i r e departments i n the that cannot be trained during normal ind firemen of these departments could benef training course on hazardous pipeline materials. Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board rec the Materials Transportation Bureau of the U. S. Department Extend its Emergency Services Training Course contract t o include a section on the kazardous materials aspects of flammable pipeline materials such as natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. Coordinate and cooperate with t h e American Gas Association, the American Petroleum I n s t i t u t e , and the I n t e r s t a t e Natural Gas Association of America t o use their expertise i n t h i s area. (Class 111, Longer Term Action)(P-77-41) Instruct a l l Office of Pipeline Safety Operations region compliance offices and s t a t e agents under their jurisdictions f o r 49 CFR 192.615 (emergency plan Particular attention should be giv requires that the gas company t r a i personnel to assure that they are knowledgeable of the emergency procedures and how the c t o verify that the training is effective. (C1 Action) (P-77-42) BAILEY, Acting Chairman, McADAMS, HOGUE, and i n the above recommendations. By: Kay Bailey#