Overview

This report explains the explosion/BLEVE that took place on April 9, 1998, at the Herrig Brothers Feather Creek Farm, located in Albert City, Iowa. Two volunteer fire fighters were killed and seven other emergency response personnel were injured. Safety issues covered in the report include protection of propane storage tanks and piping, state regulatory oversight of such installations, and fire fighter response to propane storage tank fires. Recommendations concerning these issues were made to the Herrig Brothers Feather Creek Farm, the Iowa State Fire Marshal, the Fire Service Institute of Iowa State University, and the National Propane Gas Association. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is an independent federal agency whose mission is to ensure the safety of workers and the public by preventing or minimizing the effects of chemical incidents. The CSB is a scientific investigatory organization; it is not an enforcement or regulatory body. Established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the CSB is responsible for determining the probable causes of incidents, issuing safety recommendations, studying chemical safety issues, and evaluating the effectiveness of other government agencies involved with chemical safety. No part of the conclusions, findings, or recommendations of the CSB relating to any chemical incident may be admitted as evidence or used in any action or suit for damages arising out of any matter mentioned in an investigation report. See 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)(6)(G). The CSB makes public its actions and decisions through investigation reports, summary reports, safety studies, safety recommendations, special technical publications, and statistical reviews. More information about the CSB may be found on the World Wide Web at (http: //www.chemsafety.gov).