Yuma Fire Department, San Luis Fire Department, and MCAS Yuma Fire Department Participate in Ammonia Leak Preparedness Exercise
Yuma, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – According to Tony Badilla, county emergency management agency, “more than 750,000 pounds of ammonia are stored in Yuma at any one time.”
Chemicals are used for refrigeration and fertilizers. Both are essential to our agricultural industry.
Chemicals are high in the local area, so first responders are trained to be prepared for emergencies.
Yuma Fire Department’s Gary Welch said, “You can either prevent them all or keep them small.
Crew trained with real ammonia gas near the Gila Ridge Transfer Site.
Badilla, the lettuce capital of the world, is keeping an eye on this chemical.
“Agricultural cooling plants use ammonia as a refrigerant,” Badilla said.
According to the CDC, exposure to high levels of ammonia can burn your skin, eyes, and lungs.
Although rare, death from exposure to ammonia is possible.
The Yuma Fire Department said it is important for public safety agencies to know the specific risks that communities may face.
“There’s a good chance we’ll have an emergency in the near future, or very soon,” Welch said. “A drill like this is to prepare for an emergency like this.”
Fire departments from Minnesota, Texas, Nebraska and Canada also participated.
