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Saturday, September 23, 2023

Southlake Fire Department: How Pre-planning Takes Emergency Preparedness to New Levels

During the September 20 City Council meeting, the Southlake Fire Department, along with City Response Personnel and Mutual Aid Response, were recognized for their recent actions and pre-planning efforts regarding the DalDen Corporation fire.

On August 17, crews responded to a fire incident at 4285 T.W. King Road. The DalDen Corporation is a manufacturing company for hazmat chemical filling and packaging.

Due to the severity of the fire and the presence of chemicals, a total of four alarms were requested. Other resources in use that day include:

  • Northeast Fire Department Association (NEFDA) HAZMAT and Rescue companies.
  • Emergency Management for logistical support.
  • Public Works for assistance with the mitigation of HAZMAT.
  • Police for assistance with traffic control, evacuations, and scene security.

 

Approximately 75 fire personnel arrived at the scene to combat the fire.

“Thanks to the pre-planning process and working with different departments and agencies, the fire was under control within 90 minutes,” Southlake Fire Chief Mike Starr said during the City Council presentation.

The pre-planning process played a significant role in containing the fire at DalDen Corporation. Before firefighters began putting out the fire, crews identified onsite chemicals and investigated how they would respond to water to avoid any reactions. Crews were also able to bring in equipment from Public Works to build dirt damns and stop the flow of hazardous run-off into creeks.

By implementing these procedures, the City and all partners can take precautionary measures and respond to emergencies effectively and efficiently.

“We enhance our response by our mutual aid part of the NEFDA group,” said Chief Starr, “Most of the cities are part of our NEFDA resources, and we trained with them constantly to make sure that we understand their capabilities; they understand our capabilities, and we had those specialty resources.”

“We had everybody from Public Works to PD to the building department,” Chief Starr said. “Our City team really steps up.”

To learn more about the City of Southlake’s Elements for Effective Fire Response, please watch the City Council presentation online.

Fight the Bite: Remember the 4-Ds for your defense against mosquitoes

The weather outside is getting warmer as we get closer to summer. Warm weather means lots of sun…and mosquitoes! As you spend more and more time having fun in the sun, don’t forget about the 4-Ds.

Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood to get rid of mosquito breeding sites like flower pots, drains, pop-up and clogged rain gutters. Take a look around your home for some of these common mosquito sources. If you find standing water, you can use mosquito dunks. They’re found in most large retail stores and are quick and easy to install.

Dusk & Dawn are the when mosquitoes are most active, try and stay indoors during those times.

Dress in long sleeves and pants when you’re outside. Be sure to spray thin clothes with repellent.

DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is what you should look for in your insect repellent, check for 10-30 percent.

We’re here to help – if you notice a large amount of mosquitoes we can help identify their source and make recommendations to reduce the mosquitoes you are seeing. Contact us at cupton@ci.southlake.tx.us.

If you have unanswered questions about West Nile or the Zika virus, please contact Tarrant County Public Health at 817-248-6299 to help.