Fire-station blaze a safety highlight

Blue and red flames shooting nearly ten feet in the air were visible outside the Newport Center fire station Friday night.

Firefighters, clad in full-turnout gear and armed with breathing apparatuses, fought the tower of fire started by a propane-gas leak.

Stepping in unison, the group of six kept a steady stream of water on the flame, enough to push back the fire so one of them could turn off the gas.

Once the blaze was out and the leak contained, they did it all over again. And again.

The flaming propane was all part of a FLAG ? flammable liquids and gas ? drill that the Newport Beach firefighters have been practicing all week.

“We try to train for all aspects of our job,” said Newport Beach Fire Capt. Ron Gutierrez, one of the leaders of the training exercise.

Training to handle a fire involving flammable liquids or gases is important because the real situation could easily occur in Newport Beach, Gutierrez said.

The methane plant in Newport Coast and the oil fields between Newport and Huntington Beach are two examples of a situation where FLAG training would come in handy, Gutierrez added.

Friday’s drill was conducted with equipment on loan from the Santa Ana College Fire Academy. Propane gas was piped to several training apparatuses, each modeled on a potential ignition source, such as a barbecue or home gas meter.

Once the gas was turned on, it was ignited by a flare and the firefighters went to work.

With a gas leak, the goal isn’t for firefighters to completely extinguish the flame, said Capt. Chip Duncan. If the flame goes out and the gas is still on, the gas travels and creates an even greater fire danger.

“With these kind of fires the best way to put them out is to shut off the source of the fuel,” Duncan said.

In the drill, firefighters used the strong stream of water from the fire hose to push the flames away from the gas shut-off valve; the gas was then shut off safely and the flame extinguished.

Fire officials warned that if someone smells gas inside or outside their home, they should get out immediately and call 911.

People should also know how to shut off the gas in the event of an earthquake or disaster, Duncan said.