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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Medford outage reduced to less than 70 residents ... Local agencies simulate emergency at gas-manufacturing plant ... Naloxone credited with nine overdose saves ... Medford outage reduced to less than 70 residents ... Local agencies simulate emergency at gas-manufacturing plant ... Naloxone credited with nine overdose saves ... PUBLIC SAFETY Local agencies simulate emergency at gas-manufacturing plant By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 5:22 pm Updated at 6:37 PM Jackson County Fire District 3, Medford Hazmat and Linde do a live drill to rehearse protocol in case of a gas leak and fire. By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 5:22 pm Updated at 6:37 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Medford Hazmat » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> WHITE CITY — It's the last situation you want to happen at a gas-manufacturing plant: a leak, a fire and injured personnel. But it can happen, and with the correct emergency response having so many steps, practice makes perfect. Employees at Linde Electronics & Specialty Gases and firefighting personnel from Jackson County Fire District No. 3 and Medford Area Hazmat have taken that to heart since 1999, hosting meticulous response drills that mimic accidents at the Antelope Road facility. On Thursday, the company and both fire agencies held another one.  "This has been identified as a high hazard area," says Ashley Lara , Fire District No. 3 fire & life safety coordinator. "Our crews do a great job of coming through the facility a number of times a year to go over different protocols and procedures, and so this type of an event is really nice to actually be able to implement those types of things that they've talked about throughout the year."  Plant manager Matt Pitcher says that despite the plant's safety record, it's still important to train for these scenarios regularly so that if the time ever comes, everyone can go by the book all the way to the end.  "To make sure that we're aligned on what our roles are if there's an incident here," Pitcher says.  The Thursday simulation involved a gas release, small fire and chemical exposure in a manufacturing area at the plant, complete with two victims: one a dummy, the other an employee.  "We had the fire department come in, put out the fire, and then we had some of our emergency responders get in our hazmat suits and go in and actually rescue the two victims," Pitcher says. The victims were bathed and had much of their clothing stripped. One of the victims also underwent a chemical treatment process and both were rushed to a hospital. "We're also seeing how the hospital responds to the situation," Pitcher says. Following that, a regional hazmat team was brought in to deal with any impacted cylinders.  "We're going to control those and take care of the chemicals and then seal those up," says Medford Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fish.  Medford Area Hazmat has coordinated close to 30 such drills over the last 16 years with Linde, he adds, and Fire District No. 3 came on board about six years ago.  "Typically, they do two a year," Lara says. Even with three entities working an accident scene, there's no one agency that makes all decisions. Fish says it's a collaborative effort.  "We make a plan together on what's going to be done," Fish says. "How far we need to go, depending on readings they've picked up, what kind of protective gear we have that we can wear, or do we even go in? "We're not going to come in and take over for what they're doing. We're going to work together, because they're the experts on the product. We've got a base knowledge of thousands of products, but (on) their specific products, we're going to rely a lot on their expertise."  Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 20, 2015 @ 5:22 pm Updated at 6:37 PM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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