By FRANK VISCUSO and MICHAEL TERPAK
It has been said that firefighters "risk a lot to save a life, risk a little to save little, and risk nothing to save nothing." With that in mind, your first thought at a dumpster or trash fire should be, "This is garbage." There is no value to discarded items, and there is no need to risk your life trying to save them.
On December 29, 2009, several Wisconsin firefighters were injured, and one died from injuries sustained when a large explosion occurred while they were operating at a dumpster fire in the parking lot of a manufacturing plant. This could have happened anywhere in America. When it comes to dumpster and trash fires, there is typically no civilian life hazard; firefighters are the life hazard. Because of this, the primary concern of an incident commander (IC) and all who are working on scene should be to take appropriate precautions to protect firefighters and prevent injury.
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