TABLE OF CONTENTS Fire not only poses a risk to life and property it also has a significant impact on the environment. Environmental damage from fires can be both short and long term and, in the case of pollutants from fires affecting groundwater supplies, may persist for decades or even longer. Rivers, sewers, culverts, drains, water distribution systems and other services all present routes for the conveyance of pollutants off-site and the effects of a discharge may be evident some distance away.
In many cases, major pollution incidents can be prevented if appropriate pollution prevention measures are in place or immediately available. Contingency planning is the key to success, therefore preventive and protective measures and incident response strategies should be carefully considered and implemented.
Every combustion process has the ability to cause environmental pollution. In some cases fires will pollute flora and fauna directly and in others the pollution will occur via the air, the earth and/or the ground water. The degree of contamination from fire effluent depends upon how large the fire is, what is burning and the temperature and burning conditions. When considering how a fire from a particular location may pollute the environment, it should be borne in mind that pollution can occur through a number of routes, including:
Via site s surface water drainage system, either directly or via off-site surface water sewers
By direct run-off into nearby watercourses or onto ground, with potential risk to ground...
