It was September 12, 2012, a day that started out like any other day. George Murray and Rob Franklin had just arrived at the Manheim Water Treatment Plant near Kitchener, ON at around 1:00 pm to install cap flashing for a re-roof completed three weeks prior. When they made it up to the roof they noticed the generator stack was very hot, and the roof surrounding it was very spongy. That’s when the day took a turn.
At about 2:15, they noticed smoke coming from the area and saw that the roof surrounding the generator stack was bubbling. They immediately informed workers from the plant and asked them to shut down the generators. Flames started blazing through the roof so they used a fire extinguisher (which they already had on the roof as per Flynn’s policy) and a water hose provided by the plant worker’s to control the fire, but smoke continued to pour out of the vent. They contacted the Fire Department, who removed approximately 100 sq ft of the roof to ensure the fire was extinguished. In the end it was determined that the generator overheating had been the cause of the fire.
George and Rob were informed that had it not been for their quick thinking, the building could have been a total loss, and even worse, somebody could have been seriously hurt.
A day which started out like any other, ended as a day to remember.
For their actions, safety performance and quick thinking, we have awarded George and Rob with our Flynn Life Saver Awards. Excellent job guys!
