Here's the report of our 911 coordinator regarding the crash of the XNG CNG truck that overturned just out of Hartwick (please forgive the formatting errors which are apparently inherent in the cut/paste process):
Good
Morning,
At
the request of Mr. Frazier I am forwarding to the full Board a
summary of Tuesday's incident in the Town of Otsego that
was provided to the Public Safety & Legal Affairs Committee on
Tuesday evening.
I want
to take an opportunity to update all of you on the accident this
morning. At approximately 8:20 this morning I
monitored the Fly Creek Fire Company dispatched to a one car Motor
Vehicle Accident on St. Hwy, 205 near the intersection with Bristol
Road with information that it was a gas truck on it's roof. At
the same time I was notified of the same and was only approximately 5
minutes from the scene. Upon my arrival, I discovered an XNG
tractor trailer on it's roof in the ditch on the right hand side of
the road. The driver had somehow climbed out of the truck and
was seated in another vehicle being treated by a paramedic that was
travelling through. The driver confirmed that he was "empty"
and traveling to PA. I contacted the 911 Center who advised
they had made contact with the Gas Company's 24 hour response line
and they would have personnel there within 90 minutes. Two
other XNG drivers also stopped and provided information about the
truck and stayed at the scene until the Company representatives
arrived on the scene. There were no residences within a 1/2
mile radius.
Working
with the parties represented at the scene, it was determined that
there was no damage to the tanks within the trailer and no leak was
present. Tow companies (Chuck's Towing in Richfield and Clinton
Collision) were notified to begin working on recovering the truck and
trailer. NYS Department of Transportation was notified to
respond and close State Highway 205 to ensure a safe work zone.
It was decided to perform a controlled release of the
compressed gas that the tractor operates on prior to recovery.
During the controlled release, the road was closed and all
individuals retired to a safe zone. Gas monitoring was
performed during the release to ensure safety. The highest
recorded reading of gas during the release was approximately 0.4.
To put this in perspective a reading of approximately 5.0 is
the lower range of the "zone of concern".
Agencies
on the scene included the Fly Creek Fire Company, Otsego County
Sheriff's, State DOT, Verizon, tow companies and XNG. The
Hartwick Fire Department was utilized in assisting with the closure
of State Hwy 205 at the four corners in Hartwick. All agencies
worked well together and the situation was successfully resolved with
no other issues noted. The last units cleared the scene at
approximately 4:45PM.
If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the office
number below or via cell at 437-4247.
In
addition, I have attached several hand-outs that were provided by XNG
to the folks that attended the classes hosted by this office.
The safety features on the trailer performed as they were designed
and there was minimal damage to the trailer itself. While not
being complacent, there was a comfort level with this situation due
to the knowledge that we had received in the training offered by the
company.
I encourage any of you to speak with members of the Fire Departments in your respective districts that may have attended the training. In addition, if there are any local governments or groups that may want additional information I would be happy to attend any meetings that may be arranged to ensure accurate information is provided concerning this incident.
I encourage any of you to speak with members of the Fire Departments in your respective districts that may have attended the training. In addition, if there are any local governments or groups that may want additional information I would be happy to attend any meetings that may be arranged to ensure accurate information is provided concerning this incident.
Arthur
R. Klingler Jr.
Emergency Services Coordinator-Otsego County
Phone (607) 547-4227
Fax (607) 547-4377
Emergency Services Coordinator-Otsego County
Phone (607) 547-4227
Fax (607) 547-4377
This truck crash enjoyed every bit of luck possible: 'empty' (which is a relative term), no breaches, driver not injured, no other vehicles involved, no buildings involved, no houses within half a mile.
The next one, given the laws of probability, will not enjoy every one of these benefits. Which one(s) won't we benefit from?