Since incidents such as, for example, fires and discharge of che-
micals are basically controlled by the laws of physics, it is often pos-
sible to predict courses of events by applying these same fundamen-
tal laws. In this way it is possible to anticipate the development of
certain types of incidents on the grounds of the measures executed
or not executed in the response operation.Measures
The municipal structure for providing rescue services is norm ally
associated with the execution of various types of measures at anOne cold winter’s day a flange to a tank of ammonia starts to leak. The fire
brigade has arrived and is weighing up the various measures that can be
taken to deal with the situation. It is immediately apparent that the leak can
be stopped by tightening the flange bolts, and work is begun on this. But
for this to be done safely, the full suit firefighters need protection, and the
dispersion of the leaking ammonia gas must be limited. A water
cannon is set up to spray water over the leak. However, when water is
sprayed over the tank, the flow of ammonia increases dramatically. The
water is heating up the tank, increasing the pressure in it and increasing the
flow – the situation has been worsened.
Example 14