Why are refrigerator fires so dangerous? #firefighter #fire #ems

Yes, I know that’s a warmer and not a refrigerator. But sometimes it’s more than the flames that make a fire dangerous. Also, no one wants to ruin a good lasagna 

[ruslankellogg]

Dude just dropped war crime knowledge, survival information, and his own backstory in one sentence.

[trxvito]

For those unaware, Phosgene gas was commonly used as a chemical weapon during WW1

[SimonTekConley]

I bet when he left high school, he never thought he would live a life of chemistry

[EmpyrionBlackthorn]

Dude, I learn so much from your channel, thank you. Burning refrigerant bad, run away fast. Gotcha.

[faxmachine]

"and that my friends is not how you want to die" is such a powerful line

[jflabeets]

Accidentally exposed myself to phosgene two days ago while welding. Some brake cleaner was on the part and I didn’t know it (some meaning enough that I heard it boiling). I got hit in the face with the gas and thought it was just the smell of paint or something burning.

2 minutes later I went outside and still smelled chlorine… looked up brake cleaner to see what happens when it burns and immediately went to the hospital.

The nurse treated me like an idiot for wasting her time with something so trivial because I didn’t have any obvious signs of injury and she didn’t know what phosgene is… doctor understood the concern and checked to make sure I was ok. Symptoms may not appear for 2-14 hours as the phosgene turns into hydrochloric acid…

Long story short, don’t weld anything that has non flammable chlorinated brake cleaner… tetrachloroethaline also turns into phosgene when it burns.

Poison control, CDC, and NIH all direct you to the ER in the event of exposure.

[katedevlin]

The old owners of my business refused to put any money into the upkeep of the business. So one day we're all working and foul smelling smoke starts pouring from the ceiling. The AC unit on the roof had caught fire. We called 911 and ran out of there so fast. The sight of that fire captain yelling at the owner when he finally showed up was absolutely beautiful and makes me happy every time I think about it.

[mnFlatLander]

To quote my Chemistry major friend from college: "There's a reason why they are called the 'Fluorine Martyrs."

[theswarmsquad]

“That creates phosgene gas”
History buffs: *nervous sweating*

[gamingfox]

I was like “what’s worst then hydrofluoric acid” then I heard phosgene and was like “oh guess we’re committing war crimes now”

[Cliffdog]

This video probably saved the lives of me and my team members. We had a significant Commercial fridge fire at a Supermarket I clean for, and because I saw this, we all got out quickly and our local FD put it out with minimal damage.

Thank you very much.

[d.w.hardcastle]

As comedic as he is in most of his videos, I hope people also appreciate that information and "PSA's" like this SAVE LIVES! Love the funny things that he's posted, but also really love the fact that something like this will save people from the deadly curse of ignorance.

[unclemeat]

I'm a maintenance tech for a large apartment complex. One night while on-call I got called out to a unit that a resident came home and their apartment was "full of fog". I'm thinking fire but she said it smelled different, "right lady"...until I arrived and her 2nd floor apartment was full of dense fog. You could watch the air move as you walked across the room. There stood the resident and our security guard, just talking casually. I realized one of the fittings on the new condenser installation blew and dumped the entire charge into her apartment. I tried to persuade them to exit the unit without alarming them but it took me finally saying "inhaling this shit will kill you" before they would move. I could feel my lungs burning and my eyes felt this they were drying up. We arranged for her to spend the night elsewhere, she says she needs to grab a few things. She heads back in and spends 40 minutes taking a shower and packing a bag. People are crazy.

[ZanderBander]

It's the enthusiasm with the horrifying info that makes this so golden

[jamietraufler]

Thank you for the heads up. I work in hvac . We build commercial hvac units. And have giant tanks of those refrigerants on hand 😳

[DANiELLEfineArt]

I worked at a bakery, and one day there was a cockroach. My coworker thought that picking up the hand torch and attempting to caramelize said bug with it was the best idea ever. It wasn't.
The cockroach ran its flambe butt off and under the commercial fridge, where it ignited some insulation. Thankfully a blast from the fire extinguisher put it out. As for my coworker, she didn't understand why we were so pissed off at her as she was blissfully unaware of the danger she caused. She also didn't remain a coworker for very long afterward.

[twm]

“Well that creates Phosgene Gas”
Dudes that fought in World War 1: “First time?”

[xfaster]

“Well that creates Phosgene gas!”
*shivers in USCSB Phosgene Hazard videos*

[rambolouw]

Thanks for the video. My dad was a decorated fireman in south africa and after a back injury actually working as a fridge mechanic. The only incident he had was with a fridge that used R406 that explode when the gas came in contact with a flame. He got lucky was able to put the fire out. Take care and Godspeed.

[paulne]

No one told me, older industrial refrigerators have ammonia gas. Working at a scrapyard, in an elevated crane, with no air conditioning, and down wind, when I went to pick the unit up, a big cloud of gas came at my crane. It was like my lungs were going to explode with extremely HOT air. Thank God I had my seatbelt on, because when I came to, I was hanging out the door, leaning on the swing lever. When I told management, I was told, go back to work or goodbye. So much for employers caring about their employees!