Memorial to the eight fatalities in the May 1991 explosion at a Sterlington, Louisiana, chemical plant. - Photo Courtesy of Spencer/West Sterlington Fire Department

Memorial to the eight fatalities in the May 1991 explosion at a Sterlington, Louisiana, chemical plant.

Photo Courtesy of Spencer/West Sterlington Fire Department

Mission creep is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes. It is a fact of life with which firefighters must live. In May 1991 multiple explosions demolished a plant in Sterlington, Louisiana, specializing in fuel for drag racers. Because of the hazardous materials aspect of the disaster, firefighters serving as advisors to the state police were asked to take charge of recovering eight fatalities from the blast. Jerry Craft, fire chief at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baton Rouge, described the experience in an article for Industrial Fire World magazine. CLICK HERE.

 

0 Comments