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Volunteer fire companies operate on shoestring budgets and many rely on local emergency planning committees to keep them informed about potential chemical threats. In McLennan County, the committee had not held a full meeting since 2011, said Frank Patterson, the county's emergency operations coordinator. And he had not read a report from the fertilizer company that outlined its chemical supply. Texas does not require any training for volunteer fire companies, though most do so independently, said Chris Barron, executive director of the State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association. Often volunteer firefighters receive first-level certification that provides an overview of fire-suppression and rescue techniques. At least 20 of West's 29 firefighters had such training, Barron said. It teaches that oxidizers such as ammonium nitrate "will accelerate burning when involved in a fire" and "may explode from heat or contamination." In West, however, firefighters appeared to focus largely on the chemical with which they were most familiar
- the anhydrous ammonia, a liquid fertilizer that has a risk of producing a toxic chemical cloud in an accident. Doreen Strickland, president of the volunteer firefighters from nearby Abbott, pulled up to the plant as it exploded. One of her fire trucks was lifted in the air and slammed back down. Some of her men were inside, and she knew they had to be dead. At least three were killed. But she heard no one discuss ammonium nitrate ahead of the massive blast. "Our main reason for evacuating at that time was because of the heat and intensity of the fire, and it was so close," Strickland said. The anhydrous ammonia "was a major concern." Dr. George Smith, medical director of the town's ambulance service, knew the facility had fertilizer chemicals. He didn't know about ammonium nitrate and said he wasn't thinking of an explosion. He, too, imagined a lethal chemical cloud. He ran to the nursing home to move residents to the side of the building farthest from the plant, placed damp towels in the door cracks and prepared to turn off the air conditioning. The fire company, meanwhile, called for assistance. "Fully engulfed," firefighters reported at 7:41 p.m., according to radio transmissions and call logs. They asked for a ladder truck, an extra ambulance and other help. At 7:53 p.m. that changed. "Rest home destroyed," a caller informed dispatchers. "Advise, big explosion and shook every house," another said.
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