04/06/2025
This incident gave the crews an interesting challenge. After realizing the battery room was charged with smoke/vapor, crews deployed their Sensit G2 4 gas monitors. They found what appeared to be a high Lel environment. It was thought initially the lead acid batteries were compromised and off gassing. It was difficult to find a source so the decision to ventilate was made. After the environment cleared, the cause was not readily apparent. Further investigation pointed to a refrigerant leak on the compressor for the chiller unit. This didn’t initially correlate with the Lel readings from earlier so further research was needed. It was found after speaking with Sensit and multiple gas detection experts, the R22 in the unit was reacting with the metal oxide sensor causing a faulty reading. Lessons learned never assume what your environment is until you can prove it. Know your equipment, how it responds and what may cause it to fail. Never stop learning folks
