Safety Zone

Safer driving in Jersey

In May, New Jersey became the 15th state to enact Slow Down to Get Around legislation. Other states that have enacted versions of the legislation include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The law requires motorists to slow down, safely change lanes if possible and operate with due caution around waste trucks when safety lights are flashing, similar to cautions motorists must now exercise when traveling through a construction work zone or when passing stopped safety vehicles.

First responder training program targets CNG engines

Firefighters in Madison, New Jersey, are developing a first responder and training program for vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG). This is in response to the increase in fires on these types of vehicles. According to an article in the Madison Eagle, fuel can create large bursts of fire if ignited, similar to a blow torch. The article cites a fire in Mendham, New Jersey, where a waste hauling truck’s gas tank ruptured and severely damaged four businesses at a shopping center. Flames engulfed the truck, and firefighters were not able to turn off the CNG valve.

Tracking facility fires

A study undertaken by Ryan Fogelman, vice president of business development for Southfield, Michigan-based Fire Rover, has uncovered more than 280 recycling or waste facility fires in the U.S. and Canada in a 12-month period spanning parts of 2016 and 2017. Fogelman says 41 percent of those fires occurred at waste facilities such as transfer stations, while another 27 percent occurred at scrap metal locations.