FEATURE: Kent fire crews tackle emergency chemical gas leak

A dangerous and corrosive chemical gas which could kill within minutes and eats away at the skin on contact has leaked from the cold storage facility in a busy warehouse, and has already left one worker unconscious.

That’s the situation facing 14 firefighters as they arrive at Lidl’s distribution centre in Northfleet.

There is an urgent need to isolate and contain the ammonia leak – and not just for the sake of those working at the warehouse, in Crete Hall Road, which provides stock for around 600 supermarkets across the UK.

A group of travellers are living in a makeshift caravan site over the road, and St Botolph’s C of E primary school is just a three-minute drive away.

Luckily, this is just a chemical training exercise – the patient is a lifelike dummy, the gas leak is imaginary, and business carries on as usual for one of the nation’s favourite discount food chains.

Nevertheless, crews from Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) must pretend it is a real emergency, in order to learn how to protect one of their area’s biggest businesses, as well as resident.

“If they train regularly, it makes the process second nature. They don’t have to think about it,” Leanne McMahon, west group fire manager, explains.

KFRS have received more than 5,000 call-outs so far this year but crews are not just prepared to respond to blazes and car crashes, they are also trained for gas leaks, floods and a whole range of other serious incidents.

Today there are three crews, two from Thames Side fire station, in Northfleet, and one from Swanscombe – an on-call team who have just five minutes to be up, ready and out of the door if an emergency strikes at night.

“The important thing is to get the casualty out while there is still a chance of saving them,” says Leanne.

Two firefighters leap into action, dressed head to toe in protective clothing and breathing masks, and head into the gas-filled room.

Leanne says: “It’s a real partnership. Sometimes they are even clipped onto each other.”

They are alone in there, despite a dozen of their colleagues waiting outside.

This is because for every one person who comes into contact with the gas, three or four have to be decontaminated afterwards.

Leanne adds: “There’s another team outside, ready to go in if they need them.

“It all depends how hot the fire is, how quickly they get through their oxygen.”

The “unconscious” dummy is carried safely down the stairs, where the firefighters begin removing his clothing and making him safe so the paramedics can take over.

They are then decontaminated by two colleagues, whilst an experienced firefighter and a newly qualified young chap suit up into bright green teenage mutant ninja turtle-esque costumes.

Thames-side green watch firefighter Johan Clarke, who is acting as safety officer, explains what the next step is – as the men head in to find the source of the leak.

He says: “We have a school downwind. We’ve warned people to stay indoors, and are now looking long-term.

“The only thing is it’s quite difficult getting the suit on.”

Leanne jokes: “We call it shark infested custard. Our immediate concern is the casualty but we also have to think about the wider community, and Lidl’s business.”

The “turtles” are then washed off in what must be one of the world’s strangest showers.

As they are doing so, their masks begin beeping – signally low oxygen supply, and they quickly strip out of the decontaminated clothing.

After a debrief, the crews head home – leaving Lidl bosses safe in the knowledge that they are being protected by brave blue light boys, and girls, in Kent.