Rutland Herald
July 2, 2004
David J. Emery, Brattleboro Fire Chief

A lot has been written over the past week about the recent transformer fire at Vermont Yankee, and I would like to add a firefighter’s perspective. The Brattleboro Fire Department was called to the scene within minutes after the fire was discovered, so I witnessed first-hand the events that took place that morning.

Immediately after the fire broke out, Vermont Yankee’s automatic sprinkler systems worked exactly as designed to contain the fire and protect the building. The transformer was quickly de-energized to prevent electrical hazards, and the reactor was safely shut down.

Within minutes, several local fire departments were dispatched under the mutual aid agreement. In addition to Vernon, the towns of Brattleboro, Guilford, Bernardston, and Northfield all had firefighters at the scene. A command and communications structure was created and a staging area was set up to organize the response effort. All this happened quickly and smoothly.

This may have been at least partly due to the fact that every one of these fire departments had participated in a training drill held by Vermont Yankee last December on a fire scenario very similar to the events that actually took place last week.

Right from the beginning of the fire, the professionalism of the Vermont Yankee fire brigade was outstanding. They were immediately on the scene and acted quickly and effectively. In fact, they were well on their way to controlling the fire when we arrived. According to my notes, the fire was under control at 7:20 A.M.

During my career with the Brattleboro Fire Department, I have been involved in many different types of fire. Transformer fires like the one at Vermont Yankee are not uncommon. They can happen at any type of generating or industrial facility that uses large quantities of electric power. The presence of high-voltage electricity is always an added danger, and I can tell you that any industrial fire presents a unique set of risks and challenges.

Recognizing the fact, over the past several years the Vermont Yankee fire brigade and the Brattleboro Fire Department have participated together in training at a facility in Oswego, N.Y., to learn the specialized skills for industrial fire-fighting, specifically at nuclear plants.

Several Brattleboro firefighters have gone with Vermont Yankee fire brigade to this training, and as a result they were accustomed to working together and are familiar with the specifics of fighting fires are Vermont Yankee. This training was invaluable when this fire occurred.

I believe this was a textbook example of a successful response to an industrial fire and a testament to the excellent skills, training, and teamwork of everyone involved. It would be used as a training lesson for firefighters anywhere, and I want to congratulate everyone who took part.

Entergy agrees with Brattleboro Fire Chief David J. Emery, who recently wrote: “This was a textbook example of a successful response to an industrial fire and a testament to the excellent skills, training, and teamwork of everyone involved. It would be used as a training lesson for firefighters anywhere, and I want to congratulate everyone who took part.”