OREANDA-NEWS. Several fire brigade teams from the State Fire Service and from LOTOS Straz, with special equipment and fire-extinguishing agents, participated in special drills organised on the premises of the Grupa LOTOS refinery on Wednesday June 26th. Fire fighters from both units jointly practised how to protect company employees and local residents from the consequences of vast quantities of toxic gas - hydrogen sulphide - being released into the air.

The scenario envisaged that considerable quantities of hydrogen sulphide would be released into the air as a result of one of the refinery's installations becoming punctured. LOTOS Straz and the Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Services (the organiser of the drills) assumed that the highly toxic and flammable gas would be carried by the wind towards a large shopping centre and further on towards Gdansk, posing a hazard to the health of the employees and local inhabitants.

Several dozen fire fighters and several heavy fire engines from the rescue, fire-extinguishing and chemical rescue teams of LOTOS Straz as well as of the State Fire Service brigades of Gda?sk and Gdynia, took part in the operation. The fire fighters, supported by the foremen overseeing the nearest installations, commenced evacuating employees to rallying points, while at the same time raising six-metre high water curtains along a 300 metre-long section to prevent the gas from spreading south of the refinery.

Hydrogen sulphide is heavier than air, colourless, very toxic and highly flammable. Its strong odour, which resembles the smell of rotten eggs, can be sensed even in low concentrations. In the refinery, hydrogen sulphide is produced from crude oil, which contains small amounts of sulphur, and is then processed further.