A deadly ammonia leak in Fernie turned into a sobering lesson for budding refrigeration mechanics at Okanagan College Wednesday.

Ray Koepke, an instructor with Okanagan College香蕉视频直播檚 refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic pre-apprenticeship program in Penticton, one of three in the province, said his class had only gone over safety with ammonia refrigeration plants a couple of weeks ago.

香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 one of the particular requirements for this class,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e very much aware of what safety precautions are in place, and what you can and can香蕉视频直播檛 do.香蕉视频直播�

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With what香蕉视频直播檚 called a Class-T machinery room, Koepke said there is no shortage of safety regulations that should bar a tragedies like Tuesday香蕉视频直播檚 deadly leak in Fernie from occurring.

For instance, anyone who enters the room must have a refrigeration certificate, the mechanical room must have panic doors that open to the outside, a leak detection system needs to be in place with an audio alarm and visual meter on the outside to show the level of ammonia in the room. Anything above 25 parts per million is deemed unsafe, Koepke said.

But in Tuesday香蕉视频直播檚 tragic incident, three people were killed by an ammonia leak, including two city workers and one out-of-town contractor, and a neighbourhood was evacuated.

In a news conference Thursday, officials indicated the alarm went off at 4 a.m., and the building was closed for repairs. But between then and 1 p.m., 香蕉视频直播渟omething went terribly wrong香蕉视频直播� and a medical emergency was called in.

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香蕉视频直播淭o take three people out in such short notice like that, they would have gone in there working on something, they probably didn香蕉视频直播檛 have safety gear on 香蕉视频直播� and not required to, if there香蕉视频直播檚 no danger 香蕉视频直播� but something happened that created an immediate danger, and these guys were in the middle of it,香蕉视频直播� Koepke said.

香蕉视频直播淣ot saying that they would have done something wrong. It香蕉视频直播檚 just that they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It香蕉视频直播檚 not like these things go all the time, either. It香蕉视频直播檚 got to be of some freaking thing that happened, some equipment failure, some device failure. Something happened that香蕉视频直播檚 outside the normal realm of expectation for the piece of equipment.香蕉视频直播�

One of Koepke香蕉视频直播檚 students works on ammonia at the Summerland Packing House, which brought the issue ever closer to home for the class.

香蕉视频直播淓verybody香蕉视频直播檚 concerned about what happened,香蕉视频直播� Koepke said. 香蕉视频直播淲e like our people in Canada; we like to keep them. So we don香蕉视频直播檛 send them into places where it香蕉视频直播檚 not safe.香蕉视频直播�

dustin.godfrey@pentictonwesternnews.com
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