HAMMER Facility Well Positioned for Hydrogen Safety Training of First Responders: Design of Awareness-Level Training Program Underway

by Jeffrey A. Serfass
President, National Hydrogen Association

The Volpentest HAMMER Training and Education Center, located near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington, is poised to become a critical leader in hydrogen safety training. Named for Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) community leader Sam Volpentest, the HAMMER (Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response) facility is known for its use of real, life-size props for training firefighters and other emergency responders in events involving structural fires and the release of hazardous materials. HAMMER is now beginning to develop similar capabilities for training first responders in handling hydrogen events.

"Training as Real as it Gets" is the HAMMER slogan. Re-useable life-size props that simulate such incidents as building fires, flammable liquid fires, a ruptured railcar tank, a tanker truck accident, an auto accident, and hazardous material spills are the extra edge that HAMMER provides to emergency responder training. Hands-on experience supplements classroom training. Real flames and heat, real ventilation problems, and difficulties in handling people and materials in dangerous environments are the keys to their training under real conditions. They bring the hazards of any fuel emergency to real life and allow first responders to learn first hand.

The image developed in a briefing of HAMMER capabilities is one of demystifying hydrogen safety characteristics, providing real training that is responsive to the real and different characteristics of hydrogen. If gasoline fires can be fought routinely by trained safety personnel, one can imagine that hydrogen fires can also be handled successfully. This is only an image today, until the hydrogen training components and regimen are developed. Proposed training props will simulate incidents involving hydrogen vehicles, fueling stations, and fueling infrastructure. Training activities will focus on protecting the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment by reducing risks, preventing accidents, and ensuring effective emergency response.

Hydrogen has been handled safely by trained industry personnel for decades. Air Products & Chemicals and Praxair offer training courses for people routinely handling hydrogen, including instruction on the safety codes and standards required for the safe design and siting of facilities. The training being developed at HAMMER and expected to be offered for hydrogen emergencies is oriented toward accidents in a public environment with normal law enforcement, fire, and first aid personnel responding. The people trained to respond to auto accidents, electrical power problems, and building fires require different training programs and environments for hydrogen-related incidents.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has funded the development of a first responder "awareness" level of training. This is a term used by both the U.S. Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). HAMMER is following the tiered training levels of OSHA and NFPA for this first level of emergency response training. Next will come some simple demonstrations of hydrogen properties and behavior, followed by the design of the first hydrogen-specific prop. This will allow the first hands-on hydrogen safety training in a realistic emergency environment. Possibly this might be an automobile prop to help first responders deal with a hydrogen vehicle accident.

HAMMER opened its doors in September 1997 with the primary mission of providing training to Hanford Site workers. Now HAMMER hosts programs in occupational safety and health, fire operations, law enforcement, emergency operations, environmental and waste management, transportation, and homeland security. Since 1997, HAMMER has hosted over 260,000 students in over 15,500 classes. HAMMER is operated for DOE by Fluor Hanford.

For further information, contact Bret Akers at HAMMER, (509) 376-3712 or bret_m_akers@rl.gov, or Linda Fassbender, PNNL, (509) 372-4351 or Linda.Fassbender@pnl.gov.