A 20 litre drum of dangerous chemical, which evidently fell off the back of a truck, triggered the call out of Narrabri fire and rescue and HAZMAT units, police and ambulance services on Monday afternoon.
The incident occurred outside The Crossing Theatre.
The northbound lane of the Newell highway was closed and traffic diverted for more than an hour while the chemical spill was neutralised.
Staff at the Visitor Information Centre, down wind of the drum, were evacuated while the spill was dealt with.
Narrabri Station Commander, NSW Fire and Rescue, Shane Bradford, said the response followed the protocols laid down for chemical spills incidents.
“We were notified by a person who contacted the station to tell us a 20 litre drum was leaking onto the road just in front of The Crossing Theatre” he said.
“It appears to have come off a truck.
“The chemical was identified as sodium hydroxide, a toxic material.
“Our information was that it is fatal if inhaled, so we followed the specific guidelines.
“The product reacts with timber, metal or clothing, it can spontaneously combust.
“Our personnel donned gas suits and breathing apparatus and removed it from the road, and sealed it into a hazardous materials container.
“Then we diluted the spilt material to bring it back to a neutral Ph level.
“Because of the Ph level, we were able to use water for dilution.”
The highway northbound lane was closed off by police.
“We evacuated the three staff from the Visitor Information Centre, as required by the protocol, because of the strength and direction of the wind and a necessary exclusion zone” said Shane.
“The Crossing Theatre staff could stay at work because the wind was not a factor for them.”
The drum spill required a response dictated by the safety protocols.
“We played it safe” said Shane.
“If it wasn’t reported, we could have had kids on bikes near it, or starting to play with the drum.
“The drum is now sealed and we are in contact with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to organise its disposal.
“It wasn’t a big job, but the guys have to wear their hazardous materials suits, and it is so hot they can only wear them for a short time before they are rotated,” explained Shane.
“The crews’ blood pressure and temperature is checked by the ambulance, these are standard operational guidelines we must observe.
“They sit in an ice filled chair to help cool them down. It turned out to be a two hour job and we had to use eight separate staff to deal with that one drum. They just can’t stay in those suits for very long, they get very, very hot.”
“We need a lot of people to deal with a little drum of 20 litres.
“People see a lot of personnel involved in these incidents, and the road blocked but at the end of the day we must follow the procedures to ensure everyone is safe.”