NorthWestern Energy’s support of first-responder gas training pays off
NorthWestern Energy’s recent efforts to provide rural Montana fire departments with combustible gas monitors and training on flammable gas, carbon monoxide and other potential hazards likely saved first responder Walter Barry’s life.
Barry—of the Del Bonita Volunteer Fire Department, one of four volunteer fire departments on the Blackfeet Reservation near Browning, Montana—was working in a detached garage near his house when he heard his carbon monoxide detector going off in the living space above the garage. Although he thought it might be faulty batteries, he remembered his training and began monitoring carbon monoxide levels.
They were at 44 parts per million. “If I hadn’t had the monitor, I’m pretty sure I would have just pulled the batteries out,” he said. “This really opened my eyes up to how dangerous this can be.”
The utility began the training and donation of the monitors after Garrett Smith, safety and environmental professional in the Missoula Division, realized that many of the departments had never been trained to be natural gas first responders, and none of them had combustible gas monitors.
“Many gases encountered during an emergency may be colorless and odorless, making them difficult to detect without the use of a combustible gas monitor,” Smith told American Gas. These volunteer firefighters had been relying on their sense of smell to detect the presence of flammable gas when responding to hit and blowing lines and gas odor calls, he said.
The combustible gas monitor works by continuously pumping ambient air into the monitor, where it interacts with sensors in the device, which then displays the concentration of gases present in the atmosphere, Smith said. The user can then determine whether the area is safe to enter. Combustible gas monitors must be calibrated on a frequent basis to ensure the sensors are accurately measuring the gases present in the atmosphere, he said.
Following the training event, Smith asked if NorthWestern Energy would be willing to donate the much-needed combustible gas monitors.
“The donations committee agreed and thought that would be a great opportunity,” Smith said. The utility donated monitors to the volunteer fire departments in Browning, Babb-St. Mary and East Glacier, in addition to Del Bonita.