Ben's HAZMAT Experience

Late Easter Sunday, at 11:30 pm, Ben received a call from his 3rd shift leader at Sandvik informing him of a dangerous chemical leak (TiCl4) in his department.  This chemical released a thick, white smoke which caused the fire alarms to go off and the plant to be evacuated.  Since the fire dept was automatically notified and the event went over the 911 dispatch, the county HAZMAT team, EMS, police, and local news crews all showed up as well.  Ben, along with the Sandvik HAZMAT team, responded to the release in cooperation with the Oconee County HAZMAT team.  Ben was excited about going into work to respond to this emergency, despite my worries and concerns.  Ben "suited up" in a fully encapsulating chemical suit with SCBA (astronaut gear with air tank) along with others and stopped the leak, and made things safe again.  Fortunately, no one got hurt and only a little equipment was damaged.  Ben has been an officer on Sandvik's HAZMAT team for the last 5 years.  Fortunately, this is one of the few incidents he has had to respond to.