Taunton and Onondaga Hill Firefighters Manage Campus Chemical Emergency in Onondaga County
Photo by Taunton Fire Department
Taunton, NY - A commercial refrigeration leak involving dangerous concentrations of Freon triggered a specialized hazardous materials response and forced the mechanical ventilation of a classroom building at Onondaga Community College on Thursday afternoon.
At approximately 12:53 p.m. on September 10, the Taunton Fire Department was activated on mutual aid to assist the Onondaga Hill Fire Department with an odor investigation on the OCC campus in central Onondaga County. Responding directly from quarters, Taunton deployed Car 1 (Chief Phelan), Car 2 (Deputy Chief Harris), and Ladder 5 (Lieutenant Williams).
Upon arrival, fire officers established that a commercial walk-in cooler had suffered an active refrigerant (Freon) leak. Although facility maintenance personnel believed the line had been isolated prior to emergency arrival, initial atmospheric monitoring conducted by Taunton crews and Onondaga Hill Rescue 1 indicated lingering chemical hazards.
Chief Phelan established overall incident command while Deputy Chief Harris assumed operations. Given the toxicity and displacement risks associated with high concentrations of refrigerant vapors, command made the tactical decision to request the City of Syracuse Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team.
Equipped with advanced gas detection meters and specialized mitigation gear, Syracuse HazMat technicians entered the facility and recorded elevated, hazardous concentrations of refrigerant inside both the walk-in cooler and an adjacent classroom space.
Operating under the direction of the HazMat unit, firefighters from Taunton and Onondaga Hill deployed high-volume ventilation fans while maintaining continuous air-monitoring sweeps. Crews systematically flushed the toxic vapors from the building envelope until meter readings confirmed that atmospheric levels had returned to normal baseline safety thresholds.
No injuries or civilian exposures were reported. All emergency apparatus cleared the campus scene at approximately 2:30 p.m.
No information from the author.