Plant Employees Utilize Fire Extinguisher Training in Actual Fire

Recent fire extinguisher training for employees at a local manufacturing plant paid off at 2:06 a.m. last Friday when a fire broke out in a processing machine and traveled into the  ventilation ductwork and the air filtration system.  Plant personnel shut down power to the entire plant and used multiple dry chemical fire extinguishers to knock down visible flames on the machinery.

Eastanollee, Carnes Creek, New Hope, Toccoa, and Martin fire departments were dispatched to the scene where first-arriving units found that the employees had been evacuated and there was smoke in the building. Firefighters disassembled the air filtration system and piping to extinguish the remaining fire and checked the adjoining areas for fire extension. Smoke was removed from the building and fire damage was limited to the attached machinery and ductwork. 

Portable fire extinguishers can be used from a safe distance to extinguish the beginning stages of fire development, Toccoa Assistant Fire Chief Frankie Deitz told WNEG News, adding that occupants who are willing to fight small fires with an extinguisher are encouraged to become familiar with their use before there is an emergency.