Tag: Bloomington Fire Department

Gas line leak outside Monroe County jail shut off before evacuation plan activated

Gas leak at Monroe County jail Sept. 20, 2023
Gas leak at Monroe County jail Sept. 20, 2023
Gas leak at Monroe County jail Sept. 20, 2023
Gas leak at Monroe County jail Sept. 20, 2023
Gas leak at Monroe County jail Sept. 20, 2023

On Wednesday, outside Monroe County’s jail, a gas line that was busted around 3:42 p.m. had by 7:12 p.m. been shut off. That’s according to a Monroe County sheriff’s office news release.

At least three Bloomington fire department trucks were on the scene at the jail late Wednesday afternoon as part of the emergency response to the leaking gas line outside the jail.

Fire trucks were staged in and around the north-south alley that cuts through the block at 7th Street and College Avenue where the jail is located.

The whooshing sound of leaking gas was audible from the end of the alley. The odor of natural gas was occasionally discernible, but not persistent.

According to a Monroe County sheriff’s office news release, the gas line was broken after an ASI Facilities Services worker removed a broken toilet from the jail. The toilet was set down outside in a way that struck the inlet valve for a gas line into the jail, according to the sheriff’s news release. Continue reading “Gas line leak outside Monroe County jail shut off before evacuation plan activated” →

Full report: Lead fallout from Bloomington fire department burn doesn’t need more investigation

The lead-based paint fallout from the intentional burning of the house at 1213 High Street on Nov. 5 does need additional investigation, according to the city of Bloomington’s contractor, VET Environmental Engineering.

The first 17-pages of narrative from VET concludes with the statement: “It is VET’s professional opinion that further investigation of lead contamination at the Site is not warranted”

The whole report runs 2,430 pages.

Also on Monday, Bloomington fire chief Jason Moore indicated none of the blood tests for lead done for nine different people had come back positive. Continue reading “Full report: Lead fallout from Bloomington fire department burn doesn’t need more investigation” →

Lead levels in soil not actionable in area of flake fall after fire, Bloomington’s contractor says

According to the city of Bloomington, soil samples taken from properties where debris fell after the Nov. 5 controlled burning of a house at 1213 High Street do not show lead levels that are “actionable.”

1213 High Street controlled burn on Nov. 5, 2021.

The debris included flakes of lead-based paint that coated the siding of the house.

The announcement, about the result of lead tests on soil samples taken by VET Environmental Engineering, came in a news release issued by the city of Bloomington late Tuesday afternoon.

The conclusions in Tuesday’s news release are based on results of testing done so far.

The new release says that lead levels in soil samples taken in the area where debris fell do not exceed Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) limits “for residential or direct contact exposure, and are in keeping with IDEM’s survey of background lead concentrations in Indiana.”

According to Tuesday’s news release, none of the samples showed lead levels greater than 200 parts per million (ppm). According to Bloomington’s news release, IDEM requires action to be taken if lead levels exceed 400 ppm. Continue reading “Lead levels in soil not actionable in area of flake fall after fire, Bloomington’s contractor says” →

After lead paint fallout, Bloomington fire chief sets policy on controlled burning of a house: “We will not be doing that in the future.”

Another controlled burning of an “acquired structure” like the house at 1213 High Street on Bloomington’s east side will not take place while Jason Moore is the city’s fire chief.

In this B Square file photo from July of 2021, fire chief Jason Moore addresses the new class of firefighter recruits.

Burning the High Street house to the ground on Friday Nov. 5—after three previous days of live fire training inside the house—caused a plume of lead-based paint chips and ash to cover a portion of the neighborhood to the west.

At Tuesday’s regular meeting of Bloomington’s board of public safety, Moore described the balance of benefits from the training compared to the risk. “We did receive some very valuable training out of this, but it’s not worth the risk,” Moore said.

The fire chief continued, “So I can assure everyone that as the chief of the department, we will not be doing that in the future.”

Immediately after the conflagration caused the lead-contaminated plume to settle on his neighborhood, councilmember Dave Rollo started mulling city legislation against such training fires.

On Tuesday, Moore addressed those city councilmembers, including Rollo, who were tuned in for the board of public safety meeting, which was held as a Zoom video-conference. “With or without that legislation, I can assure you that we do not intend to conduct another controlled burning in an acquired structure again,” Moore said.

The board’s Tuesday meeting was also a chance for Moore to give some updates on the extent of the hazard, progress on the clean up, the cost of the work, and some specific direction to residents.

Some of the information provided by Moore at Tuesday’s board meeting was included in a Monday news release or on a page on the city’s website dedicated to the lead ash fallout from the Nov. 5 controlled burn on High Street. Continue reading “After lead paint fallout, Bloomington fire chief sets policy on controlled burning of a house: “We will not be doing that in the future.”” →

Bloomington residents get some updates on leaden ashfall from fire department training

Keep children and pets away from the ash and burned paint chips that fell out of the smoke plume from a fire that Bloomington’s fire department set at 1213 High Street on Friday.

That’s the advice that local health officials gave last Friday about the ash from the plume.

It’s the same advice that was relayed by the fire department in a news release this Wednesday.  On Friday, the fire department burned the house to the ground, after conducting a week-long series of training exercises involving smaller fires, each of which were extinguished.

The ash and burned paint chips are now confirmed by independent tests to contain lead. That’s consistent with the testing that’s been done on pieces of trim from the vintage 1951 house that was burned.

The light breeze on Friday took the ash westward.

Matt Murphy, who lives about two-tenths of a mile west of the burn site, did the first tests for lead, using an over-the-counter kit from 3M. Murphy tested the ash almost immediately after it started landing on his property. He’s a contractor and knew exactly where to buy the kits—Bloomington Paint and Wallpaper. Continue reading “Bloomington residents get some updates on leaden ashfall from fire department training” →

Bloomington mobilizes to remediate potential lead ash hazard after controlled burn of house, aims to “err on the side of caution”

The text side of a door hanger left on Saturday by Bloomington’s fire department in the neighborhood near the High Street burn site.
The door hanger left on Saturday by Bloomington’s fire department in the neighborhood near the High Street burn site.
On Saturday, the chimney was the only element left standing from the controlled burn at 1213 High Street.
Sarah Pearce targeted bigger flakes of ash with her vacuum cleaner on Saturday.
Matt Murphy rented a large industrial-sized vacuum to collect the ash-covered leaves in his lawn.

On Saturday, after Friday morning’s controlled burn of a house on the city’s east side, fire chief Jason Moore and deputy chief Jayme Washel were going door-to-door talking to neighbors who live west of the burn site.

The top fire officials were informing residents about the potential hazard from the ash that fell Friday on the neighborhood near the house at 1213 High Street, which was burned as a part of a week-long series of training exercises at the house.

Neighbors were also given information about ways they could approach remediation of the ash. Emergency funding has been authorized by Bloomington mayor John Hamilton to pay for work by a disaster remediation company called SERVPRO, Moore told The B Square.

A web form to request remediation of outside areas has been set up for residents by the city of Bloomington. Affected residents don’t have to pay for the remediation.

A web page about the controlled burn, which has been set up by the city of Bloomington, includes instructions about how to wet wash areas inside a house. According to the city’s web page, “Wet washing is the best way to clean up lead dust.”

[Updated Oct. 8, 2021 at 6:52 p.m. The city of Bloomington issued a news release just after 6 p.m. on Monday with some updated information. Among the updates: The service provider initially identified for the cleanup was apparently not able to deliver the requested work. From the news release: “After encountering delays in contracting with one environmental remediation company, the BFD is working to identify and contract with an alternate service provider to conduct the evaluation and cleanup, to be offered at no charge to affected residents.”] Continue reading “Bloomington mobilizes to remediate potential lead ash hazard after controlled burn of house, aims to “err on the side of caution”” →

Tests show lead in falling ash flakes after Bloomington’s controlled house burn: Keep kids, pets away from ash

3M lead test kit applied by B Square to ash flake. Pink/Red indicates presence of lead.
Controlled burn at 1213 High Street on Nov. 5, 2021.
Hood of car at Ruby & Nancy Streets a quarter mile away from burn site on High Street.
White flake in foreground of culvert shot appears to be part the ash fallout from the controlled burn.
Matt Murphy’s collection of samples marked with address of origin.
Nearby resident Matt Murphy points to a flake the fell on his strawberry patch.
Environmental scientist Scott Frosch with Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s emergency response team was on on the scene in the neighborhood at around 4 p.m. on Friday.

In connection with Friday morning’s controlled burn of a house on High Street by Bloomington’s Fire Department, ash flakes and dust fell on the neighborhood to the west.

Resident Matt Murphy, who lives about 300 yards from the burn site, immediately tested some flakes from his strawberry patch, among other places, for lead content. He used a kit manufactured by 3M, which is available in retail outlets.

The checks done by Murphy turned the test swabs red, which indicates the presence of lead. The B Square was able to replicate the same result with a different flake and test kit.

On Friday evening, Bloomington fire chief Jason Moore issued a news release that states: “Local health officials recommend keeping kids and pets away from the ash until testing indicates if it is hazardous.”

Testing will be done by Indiana’s Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Moore’s release says IDEM was notified as soon as a complaint was received about potential lead contamination from the ash generated by the fire.

On a visit to Murphy’s street on Friday afternoon, The B Square bumped into Scott Frosch, an environmental scientist with IDEM’s emergency response team. Frosch was collecting samples and placing them in plastic bags.

Fire chief Moore’s statement issued late Friday continues: “If individuals want to pick up any of the ash, they are advised to wear gloves, place the ash in a sealable plastic bag, and to wash their hands afterwards.”

On the topic of the ash, the news release concludes, “Once testing results are available, further communication will be released concerning disposal.” Continue reading “Tests show lead in falling ash flakes after Bloomington’s controlled house burn: Keep kids, pets away from ash” →

Bloomington fire department’s top ISO score feted

Fire trucks parked outside Switchyard Park pavillion.
Map of fire station and hydrant locations.
Bloomington fire chief Jason Moore.
Bloomington mayor John Hamilton (left) and city council president Jim Sims.

On Friday morning, just outside the pavilion at Switchyard Park, Bloomington mayor John Hamilton and city council president Jim Sims undraped a new logo on the fire department’s Engine 5.

The new design features the numeral “1” and the phrase “ISO Class,” to highlight the Bloomington fire department’s recent score of 1, awarded by Insurance Service Office, Inc. (ISO).

That’s the top score on a 10-point scale, which is based on: the fire department’s equipment, staffing, training, and geographic distribution of stations (50%); water supply (40%); and emergency communications (10%).

Fire chief Jason Moore noted that the truck used for the unveiling is the oldest in the department’s fleet. But it’s not that old—it was purchased in 2016 and delivered in 2017.

Replacement of fire apparatus has been one of the investments made with revenue from the public safety local income tax, which was authorized in 2016.

Up-to-date fire trucks are one of factors feeding into the ISO score. Continue reading “Bloomington fire department’s top ISO score feted” →

11 new firefighters added to Bloomington department, some will help staff temporary location

Eleven new Bloomington firefighters sworn in on July 23, 2021.
James Brown III takes oath administered by city clerk Nicole Bolden.
Robert Morgan, Jr. takes oath administered by city clerk Nicole Bolden.
Deon Walton, takes oath administered by city clerk Nicole Bolden.
View of the temporary downtown Bloomington fire station looking west from College Avenue.
A view from the north on 4th Street of the temporary location for Station 1 of the Bloomington fire department.
Map of Bloomington fire station locations.

On Friday afternoon at the bottom of the grassy landscaped tiers in front Bloomington’s city hall, Devin Owens tore open an envelope and read aloud the contents: “Probationary firefighter Owens. I am assigned to Black Shift Station 1.”

The announcement earned a round of applause from a gathering of about 60 people.

The ritual reading aloud of station assignments by Owens and 10 other new firefighters came after they were sworn in by city clerk Nicole Bolden.

Fire chief Jason Moore, deputy chief Jayme Washel, battalion chief for training Tania Daffron, and a couple of dozen other firefighters attended the ceremony, as did Bloomington mayor John Hamilton, deputy mayor Don Griffin and several other city staff.

At 11 members, it’s the largest and most diverse recruiting class ever, Moore told The B Square.

The station to which Owens was assigned is currently closed, due to around a half million dollars worth of damage, which it sustained during the June 18–19 flooding. Continue reading “11 new firefighters added to Bloomington department, some will help staff temporary location” →

Possibly closed through mid-2022 or longer: Flood-damaged downtown Bloomington fire station

Fire House with inset due to flood closure
Map of Bloomington fire station locations.
Map of Bloomington fire station locations.

A temporary location at 4th Street and College Avenue could be serving as Bloomington’s downtown fire station for another year and a half.

That’s based on a “right of access” agreement for the property, which was approved by the Bloomington’s redevelopment commission (RDC), at its regular meeting on Monday. The  fire department’s right of access to the RDC’s property runs through the end of 2022.

Station 1 was damaged in the flooding that hit areas of downtown on the night of June 18.

The heavy rains that night filled the fire station’s basement with eight feet of water, drowning the building’s telecommunications center. Station 1 also served as the department’s administrative headquarters.

The temporary site—in the former Bunger & Robertson building at College Square—is four blocks east west of Station 1.

It has been housing the department’s administrative functions since the flood hit. On Monday, Bloomington fire chief Jason Moore told The B Square that the department also has operational crews stationed there from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

When the firetrucks are not at the temporary site, they are distributed to other stations in a way to optimize fire protection coverage from those four sites.

Providing fire protection around the clock from the temporary downtown location will be made possible by the RDC’s approval at its Monday meeting. The right of access includes permission to establish a temporary fire truck bay in the parking lot, which will allow the trucks to be secured overnight.

In connection with the temporary fire engine bay, Bloomington’s board of public safety will be asked at its Tuesday meeting to approve a $101,850 base contract with Mahaffey USA, to erect the structure. Continue reading “Possibly closed through mid-2022 or longer: Flood-damaged downtown Bloomington fire station” →