Massachusetts: Industrial Fire Mitigation

A leading manufacturer, who produces injection-molded plastic packaging, thermoformed products, flexible films and tapes and coatings, was struck by a fire at their Massachusetts plant.

The fire caused more than $400,000 worth of damage affecting 70,000-square-feet of the building including specialized equipment to run the facility. An unplanned shut down of operations was not an option. The company quickly called upon FIRST ONSITE to implement a plan to keep business operations running.

KEEPING BUSINESS OPERATIONS RUNNING

Fortunately a planned shutdown was scheduled over the July fourth weekend allowing FIRST ONSITE an opportunity to thoroughly clean the water and soot damage. The plant requested FIRST ONSITE perform the entire job in four days, half the time originally estimated. FIRST ONSITE quickly assembled a team and ran 2–12 hour shifts with a crew of 45 technicians, 5 supervisors/inspectors and a project manager for each shift.

Travaillant 24 heures par jour, les membres de l'équipe ont commencé à assainir chaque centimètre carré de l'installation. La plupart du nettoyage a été effectué à 25 pieds du sol à l’aide de nacelles ciseaux et d’élévateurs à bras articulé. L'usine était remplie d'équipements de haute technologie très sensibles qui devaient être protégés; il fallait également manœuvrer autour d'énormes quantités de tuyaux, de conduits et de systèmes de chauffage, de ventilation et de climatisation (CVC).

Because work efficiencies and high quality workmanship are central to FIRST ONSITE’s beliefs, we staged and tested all 40 scissor lifts and articulating arm lifts the day before the scheduled cleaning, allowing the team to be at 100% within the first 2 hours. We also installed a series of electrical back-up systems prior to cleaning, allowing us to run all of our equipment 24 hours a day at full tilt for 4 days straight.

PLANNING IS KEY

FIRST ONSITE was able to help the plant over the holiday weekend because of good planning and extensive resources, including experienced team members and our own equipment. We exceeded the goals by finishing the project six hours early and going above and beyond by wiping down their equipment, which was not included in the original scope. This was all accomplished while maintaining the original project costs.

The manufacturer and FIRST ONSITE have a long standing relationship. Being part of our national Priority Response Program allows the facility to have an emergency response solution in place before a loss occurs; it also promises preferred service during area wide disasters. Because the manufacturer took the time to plan for unforeseen events, FIRST ONSITE became intimately familiar with their business, allowing for a quick recovery.