Training to battle natural gas fires is grant to area first responders.

Training to battle natural gas fires is grant to area first responders.MOUNT OLIVE TWP. – Firefighters in Budd Lake and Flanders as well as elsewhere around Morris County can sign up for special training to avoid potentially cataclysmic effects of natural gas fires.Lou Pepe, fire training coordinator for Morris County, said the training is critical because of the potentially deadly effects of natural gas explosions, like ones that erupted in garbage trucks in Mendham late last year and Madison early this year.“It creates an immense amount of fire,” Pepe said. “If it vents while approaching a building, you don’t have a chance. Without training, what happens if a vehicle is next to a school or a major building or apartment complex?”He said the answer was obvious: Possible widespread damages and injuries or worse.Popular FuelUse of compressed natural gas (CNG) is increasingly popular with trash collection companies as fuel for their trucks. There have been 14 recorded fires involving natural gas powered vehicles in New Jersey and around the nation.Natural gas as a vehicle fuel is an increasingly common choice for refuse collection companies. Because of the lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact of natural gas vehicles, more than 50 percent of new refuse trucks placed into service are fueled by natural gas, according to a report from the Solid Waste Association of North America.The fire in the trash truck in Madison on Jan. 24, sent flames shooting 30 to 40 feet skyward, burning down power lines and caused closing of Main Street.A Dec. 28, 2016, fire in a gas powered trash truck sent flames horizontally “like a blow torch,” severely damaging four stores in the Village Shopping Center on Main Street in Mendham.There were no injuries in either incident but Pepe said it could have easily turned out badly.“In the early stage of the fire, as firefighters approach and it (the gas tank) lets go, they are dead,” Pepe said.The best-case scenario in responding to such fires, when circumstances allow, Pepe said, is to simply let it burn out.“As long as it’s burning in the truck, it vents for 15 minutes and it’s over,” Pepe explained. “As long as the gas is releasing it can burn and we know where it’s going.”Pepe said it is critical for first responders to quickly identify if the fire is caused by natural gas, the location of fuel tanks and shut-off valves and how to approach burning vehicles.Natural gas companies in New Jersey would not sponsor the training so officials approached the Natural Gas Vehicle Institute in Las Vegas, Nev. Pepe said he hopes that Public Service Electric & Gas, N.J. Natural Gas and other utilities will underwrite future training programs.First responders can take the training and then train colleagues in their various departments.The training will be led by Gordon Larsen, a senior instructor with the Natural Gas Vehicle Institute. Larsen is a 40-year veteran of the natural gas vehicle industry and a 15-year firefighter, fire instructor and emergency medical technician.The training is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday or Sunday, June 24 or June 25, at the Morris County public Safety Training Academy, 500 W. Hanover Ave., Parsippany. A total of 40 attendees is required or the training will be cancelled. Registration fees are the responsibility of individual attendees and are $429 after May 1.The course will teach firefighters, law enforcement and emergency medical services workers the differences between natural gas vehicle and their gasoline or diesel counterparts. It will include procedures for responding to natural gas vehicle accidents and fire.