West Fertilizer Co., West, TX Explosion-15 Dead, Over 200 Wounded

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Displaced-West-students-go-back-to-school-204079841.html
Displaced West students go back to school following plant blast
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas — Wednesday's explosion at West Fertilizer Company destroyed the town's intermediate school and left three out of four West ISD campuses unusable.
But nearly 800 students will return to the classroom on Monday for the first time since the blast, with the help of good neighbors in nine area school districts.
More than 1,000 people in the neighboring Connally ISD have been working around the clock to make the victims of the West disaster feel at home.
"People have been coming from everywhere bringing desks, food and donations," said Connally ISD employee Larry Barber.
 ::snipping2::
The desks are ready with binders, paper and pencils; workers even put up a sign relabeling the building "West Middle/High School," complete with the school's logo.
Students made ribbons in West colors and added welcome signs to lockers and hallways.
 ::snipping2::
The Texas Education Agency said STAAR testing for West students will be put on hold for the time being.
West ISD parents were getting e-mails from the district on Sunday with all the details they need about the temporary classrooms, complete with bus information and drop-off locations.
Students from Pre-K to 6th grade will continue to attend school on the West Elementary campus, which was not damaged in the fertilizer plant explosion.
The West ISD issued a statement requesting only monetary donations from now on; it has enough school supplies and materials.
Point West Bank and Trust (254-826-5333) and State National Bank (254-826-3741) are accepting cash donations on behalf of the school district.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/honor-guard-holds-vigil-for-fallen-firefighters-in-west-explosion-204032371.html
Honor guard stands vigil for fallen firefighters in West
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas — A public memorial for the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West is set for Thursday at Baylor University.
It will take place at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus at 2 p.m.
 ::snipping2::
Fallen Dallas Fire Rescue Capt. Kenneth Harris Jr. will lie in repose at a West funeral home starting Monday morning. His funeral is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Church of the Assumption Catholic Church in West.
Harris lived in West with his family while working as a Dallas firefighter. He wasn't on duty at the time of the explosion, but rushed to help the volunteers who were trying to deal with the initial fire.
Throughout the weekend, we've seen images of first responders honoring their fallen brothers — firefighters, police and paramedics escorting the bodies and standing guard.
 ::snipping2::
The honor guard stands by the bodies — from the site of the explosion to the halls of the funeral home, firefighters are always nearby, standing at attention, every hour of every day until the burial.
"They went out to protect others; they gave the ultimate sacrifice; and we're there to protect them," said honor guard member Terry Wygal.
He and others are honoring people like:
Jerry Chapman — a volunteer firefighter who was just 26 years old
Doug and Robert Snokhous — brothers, best friends and fathers
Capt. Kenny Harris — the off-duty Dallas firefighter and West resident who rushed in to help
There were many others, all killed protecting fellow citizens.
It is an honor now returned.
"That's why we're there 24 hours a day, to make sure that they're not left behind until they're at their final resting place," said Wendy Norris of the Texas Line of Duty Task Force.
With so many lost and so many funerals ahead, the honor guard expects to continue its somber duty for many days to come.

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/lawsuits-filed-against-west-fertilizer
Lawsuits filed against West Fertilizer
Officials say rail car not cause of deadly blast
April 23, 2013

WEST, Texas (KXAN) - Two lawsuits accusing the owner of West Fertilizer Co. of negligence have been filed in connection with the explosion that killed at least 14 people in the small town north of Waco.

Both civil actions were filed in the McLennan County district court against Adair Grain Inc., which also does business as West Fertilizer. One of the lawsuits was jointly filed by 10 businesses and two churches in West and their insurance companies.

"The explosion and its aftermath caused severe damage to Plaintiff's insured's property and business," one lawsuit says. "Defendant's negligent acts of omission were the proximate cause of the explosion that resulted in damages to the Plaintiffs, including the destruction (of) real and personal property and lost profits."

The second suit was filed by Andrea Jones Gutierrez, a single mother who said her families belongings were destroyed in her apartment near the blast zone. She is seeking up to $1 million for lost possessions and lost wages and benefits.

No cause for the blast that started with a fire at the plant on Wednesday night has been identified. Kelly Kisner of the State Fire Marshal's Office said Tuesday  that a rail car near the blast site was not the cause. More likely, the fire and explosion were sparked by someone who was killed at the scene.
 ::snipping2::
Officials in West said the blast forged a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep. It shook the ground like a small earthquake, officials said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Rail-car-ruled-out-as-cause-of-explosion-4455952.php
Rail car ruled out as cause of explosion
April 23, 2013

WEST — Officials on Tuesday ruled out a rail car filled with ammonium nitrate as the cause of last week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

The announcement, at an afternoon press conference, came from Assistant State Fire Marshall Kelly Kistner, who called the rail car “a victim of that explosion.”

On Monday, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Bryan Shaw raised the possibility that a rail car at the plant filled with ammonium nitrate had caused the blast at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 people and injured scores of residents in this tiny town of 2,800 people.

But Kistner also said officials have yet to determine the exact cause of the explosion and still don't know how much ammomium nitrate was stored at the facility at the time of the disaster Wednesday.

More than 70 federal and state agents are combing the blast site, going “shovel by shovel” through the debris, Kistner said.

Investigators have now determined the explosion caused a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep, said Robert Champion, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Dallas Field Division. Champion said investigative teams will be at the fertilizer plant site for at least four to five more days.

Though it has been almost a week since the explosion, West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said it's still unclear when residents who lived in the area closest to the decimated fertilizer plant will be able to return to their homes.

“It is not safe,” he said.

Crews are still trying to restore utilities; residents on the south side of town have water that can be used for showering and washing clothes but not for drinking.

A large memorial for the fallen first responders will be at Baylor University on Thursday. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama plan to attend.

The controversial Westboro Baptist Church, known for its conservative teachings, particularly against homosexuality, has announced it plans to picket the memorial.

Addressing reporters Tuesday afternoon, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara never referenced any organization by name but said that any group that tries to disrupt the event “will be dealt with swiftly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

One of the victims was eulogized at his funeral Mass Tuesday as a loving husband and father who was called home by God.

“Today, our hearts are heavy. We know there has been so much tragedy,” Father Ed Karasek said about Mariano C. Saldivar, who died in an apartment complex, one of the closest buildings to the plant.

The service was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, where several more services are planned in the days ahead for other victims.
 ::snipping2::
A native of Mexico, Saldivar moved to California and worked in the warehousing industry, according to an obituary released by a Waco funeral home. He retired in 2008 and moved to West to be near his family.

Saldivar will be buried in Portland, Ore.

Services for Kenneth “Luckey” Harris, a Dallas fire captain who lived in West, are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, also at St. Mary's in West. Harris, 52, will be buried just outside of town at Bold Springs Cemetery.

A funeral for Joseph F. “Joey” Pustejovsky, a volunteer firefighter and the city secretary in West, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's church. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery near West.
Services for West volunteer firefighter William R. “Buck” Uptmor Jr., 45, are set for 11 a.m. Saturday, at St. Mary's church. He will be buried at St. Martin's Cemetery in nearby Tours.

A funeral for Adolph H. Lander, a 96-year-old nursing home resident who died after being evacuated, was held Sunday in Hillsboro. Lander, a World War II veteran, was buried in Gerald Cemetery near Waco.[/b]

A spokesman for Aderhold Funeral Home, the only mortuary in West, said more services are planned here next week for first responders and a 65-year-old woman killed in the blast.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/blast-damage-in-west-more-extensive-than-anticipat/nXWFN/
Blast damage in West more extensive than anticipated
April 23, 2013

Destruction in the city of West appears to be even greater than officials previously estimated as 142 homes — including at least 92 single-family or mobile homes — were destroyed, according to a State Situation Report issued by the Department of Public Safety’s division of emergency management.
The massive explosion April 17 at West Fertilizer Co. left a crater more than 90 feet wide. DPS officials had said earlier that about 50 homes were destroyed in the blast, which killed 14 people and injured more than 200.
The situation report, which cited ongoing assessments, said 350 homes — including 296 single-family, 50 multifamily and four mobile homes — were damaged by the explosion. In addition to the 142 that were destroyed, 51 sustained major damage, 27 had minor damage and 130 were affected in some other way.
State investigators have not yet reached a damage estimate in dollars.
The tally of destroyed homes includes an apartment complex where two residents were killed. Funeral services for one of the residents were held Tuesday, drawing about 150 mourners to St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-explosion-tapes-tell-critical-story-of-hidden-danger-204387861.html
Recordings tell critical story of hidden danger at fertilizer plant
April 23, 2013

While investigators look for clues at the scene of last Wednesday's fertilizer plant explosion in Central Texas, one key piece of evidence can only be heard: The West Fire Department dispatcher tapes.
The 19 minutes of radio transmissions provide a critical and accurate of portrayal of what first responders saw... and the danger they didn’t.
West Police Unit 209: "West Fertilizer, one of their mills is on fire. There's... heavy smoke coming out of the top of it."
That was the call from West Police officer, Unit 209, who at 7:33 p.m. alerts dispatchers of a developing fire at the West Fertilizer Company on the northeast end of town.

Dispatcher: "51 Fire, 51 Fire. Respond to West Fertilizer Plant they have, a fire out there."
Two minutes later, at 7:35 p.m., Unit 209 arrives at the scene.

Unit 209: "There's heavy smoke coming out of one of the buildings behind the fertilizer... one of the grains here."
Is it one of the mills full of grain or one of the buildings filled with chemical fertilizer? It's difficult to tell.
So at 7:36 p.m., Unit 209 asks the dispatcher to find out.

Unit 209: "Can you locate an emergency contact for West Fertilizer to see if I can get in touch with the owner?"
One minute later — six minutes after the initial call — the first fire truck arrives.
West Fire Department: “West Fire, you can show us on scene. We have flames. F8 to F9, need to go ahead and hook to a hydrant."
Nowhere in the transmissions is there any discussion of chemicals or a potential for an explosion at the facility.
Kent Worley, a former state fire protection commissioner, said the volunteer firefighters should have been prepared for the worst.
"Would they know exactly what they had at that specific moment in time, every amount of product was on hand? That would be difficult to know, and difficult for them to know," Worley said.
But one person was verbalizing danger.

Unit 209: "One of your firefighters is already on scene; I'm going to head towards the park and the evacuate the park. There's people over there."

It's now 7:40 p.m., one minute after firefighters first arrived on the scene. The fire is already getting out of hand.
West Fire Department: "Go ahead and get Abbott in Hill County. Go ahead and have them come up here with another engine. We are going to... this is fully involved, big time."
For the next eight minutes, we hear little in the recordings.
Then — at 7:48 p.m. — Unit 209 radios in with critical information.

Unit 209: "I've got the plant manager here. I don't know if you need him down here, but I've got him parked next to my car if you need him."
A plant manager would be able to provide critical information about any chemicals or danger lurking in any of the facilities or buildings on fire.
Among the chemicals inside, the common but potentially explosive fertilizer ammonium nitrate.
"Ammonium nitrate obviously can be a very volatile product, and there's precautions you obviously you have to utilize when you are dealing with that kind of fire," Worley explained.
At 7:51 p.m., we hear one brief transmission:

West Fire Department: "73,000 gallons of water."
It was the last transmission before the explosion.
The next thing that is heard from the scene is the panicked cry for help from a firefighter who survived.

West Fire Department: "We need every ambulance we can get this way. A bomb just went off inside here. It's pretty bad. We've got a lot of firemen down."
Moments later, another call:

West Fire Department: "We need somebody here now. We've had a bomb go off in here."
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/group-plant-blast-loss-likely-exceeds-100-million
Group: Plant blast loss likely exceeds $100 million
Insurance Council estimates released Wednesday
April 24, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — The damage to surrounding homes and businesses caused by an explosion at the West fertilizer plant was estimated Wednesday to exceed $100 million, as crews continued to sift through a 90-foot-wide crater searching for answers.

The Insurance Council of Texas released its estimate after speaking to numerous adjusters and agents in West, Texas, where officials and displaced residents are working to rebuild after last week's blast. The explosion killed at least 14 people, injured 200 and damaged dozens of buildings.

Investigators have not determined what started the blast or whether it was intentional. At least two lawsuits have been filed against Adair Grain Inc., which operated the West Fertilizer plant.

Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council, said that total figure included estimates on how many homes were destroyed, the property inside and the cost of relocating residents. As many as 140 homes were damaged, he said. With housing limited in West, many families are living in nearby Waco or Hillsboro.
 ::snipping2::
Investigators said Wednesday that the explosion occurred at 7:51 p.m. on April 17 — 18 minutes after first responders, including volunteer firefighters from West, were alerted to a fire at West Fertilizer. Most of the 10 first responders who died in the explosion were found east of the main crater, Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said.

Officials continue to study fire and blast patterns to try to determine what ignited on the site and how, Kistner said.

"Right now, think of that coffee table where all 100 pieces are gathered around," said Brian Hoback, national response team supervisor for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Work crews were spread across the site Wednesday. Some were digging with shovels through the ruins of a building. Others were sifting through the remains of two silos, one that held corn and the other holding milo or sorghum.

A rail car that carried ammonium nitrate remained on site, covered by a tarp. Officials don't believe it was the cause of the blast.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/on-tv/west-memorial-service-and-presidents-address-on-WFAA-and-WFAAcom-204495121.html
Thursday's West memorial service and president's address on WFAA / WFAA.com / TXCN
April 24, 2013

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/jones-charity-donates-100k-after-texas-explosion/nXWmN/
Jones charity donates $100K after Texas explosion
April 24, 2013

ARLINGTON, Texas — A charity operated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has donated $100,000 for recovery efforts after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.
The Cowboys on Wednesday announced the donation from the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities to the Salvation Army.
 ::snipping2::
Salvation Army personnel will be at Thursday's NFL draft party at Cowboys Stadium to accept financial donations from fans for recovery efforts in West. Donations are also being accepted online.
___
Online:
https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/texas/WestExplosion

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/West-procession-204587461.html
First of 12 West first responders killed laid to rest
April 24, 2013

WEST, Texas -- A procession through the streets of West honored the 12 first responders killed in Wednesday's fertilizer company blast.
The procession followed the first funeral of one responder Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenny Harris Jr. who called West home.

Some members of the Austin Fire Department staffed the Whitney Fire House so other colleagues could attend.
 ::snipping2::
One week after the blast, many families are still waiting to go inside their homes to  see what they can salvage. With inspections continuing, they're being told that will happen soon, but that a resource officer will escort them.  They don't want anyone else injured.

A 15th death has been attributed to the blast. A nursing home resident rescued from the home died hours after the explosion.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Obama-order-flags-flown-at-half-staff-in-Texas-204568301.html
Obama orders flags flown at half-staff in Texas
April 24, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has ordered that the U.S. flag at federal buildings and military facilities in Texas be flown at half-staff Thursday in memory of the victims who died in the fertilizer plant explosion last week in the town of West, Texas.
Obama signed the proclamation Wednesday.
Obama will attend a memorial service for the victims on Thursday at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He had already planned to be in the state for the dedication of former President George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/last-wave-of-residents-allowed-back-in-west
Last wave of residents allowed back in to pick up the pieces
Many will have to find new homes
April 24, 2013

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/gaps-in-records-cited-at-west-plant
Gaps in records cited at West plant
Plant may have had 270 tons of ammonium nitrate
April 24, 2013

HOUSTON (AP) — A fertilizer plant that exploded in Central Texas last week, killing at least 14 people, could have stored up to 270 tons of ammonium nitrate.

But investigators say they don't know how much of the explosive chemical was kept at the fertilizer company in West, Texas, because of gaps in government regulations. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast.

The Department of Homeland Security requires companies with more than 400 pounds of ammonium nitrate to register for possible security screening. The Texas company didn't register, but it wasn't clear whether it needed to comply.

Owners of West Fertilizer have said in a statement that they are cooperating with investigators but have not commented on the explosion.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/7062/1/funeral-for-dallas-fire-rescue-captain/fire-captain-among-dead-in-west/
Funeral for Dallas fire rescue captain
Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenny Harris died in the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. His funeral was held Wednesday afternoon
April 24, 2013



Fire captain among dead in West
Harris, 52, lived in West. He was off duty at the time, but rushed to the fertilizer plant when he found it was on fire. He died in the explosion.

(Photo Gallery with 10 images)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/czechs-to-send-funds-to-blast-hit-texas-town
Czechs to send funds to help West recover
Donations total $200,000 in US dollars
April 24, 2013


Remains of the the West Fertilizer Co. plant smolder in the rain on Thursday, April 18, 2013, in West, Texas. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool)

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic plans to donate 4 million koruna (some $200,000 in American money) to help the Texas town of West recover from a devastating fertilizer plant explosion.

The government decided to the provide aid in solidarity because a significant number of people in the town of 2,700 have Czech roots. The blast damaged numerous homes in the town.
 ::snipping2::
A ministry statement Wednesday said the money will go toward repairing property in the town.

Thousands of Czechs, mostly from the eastern part known of Moravia, settled in Texas more than 100 years ago.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/west-fertilizer_n_3134202.html?google_editors_picks=true
West Fertilizer Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years
Posted April 22, 2013, Updated April 23, 2013

WEST, Texas -- Long before it captured national headlines as the scene of a lethal industrial explosion, the fertilizer plant on the edge of this central Texas town had been a community fixture, a crucial supply depot for farmers and ranchers who worked the surrounding pastures.

No one seemed to regard it as a threat.

"It's been there so long that you just take it for granted," said Jeanette Karlik, a columnist for the local newspaper, the West News.

That same attitude -- the assumption that nothing of consequence could go wrong here -- appears to have shaped the actions of the seven or more state and federal regulatory agencies that collectively shared oversight responsibility for the plant, according to a Huffington Post investigation.

Through interviews with former regulators and community leaders, as well as a review of hundreds of pages of documents going back to 1976, a sense emerges that no institution sounded the alarm here, even as fertilizer piled up inside the plant, creating a potentially deadly tinderbox in close proximity to the town. No one effectively prepared for the emergency that eventually materialized, leaving this community uniquely vulnerable to the tragedy that unfolded last week when the plant caught fire and exploded, killing 14 people and ripping apart an apartment building, a school and dozens of homes.

In June 2011 -- less than two years before the explosion -- the private company that owns the plant, the West Fertilizer Co., filed an emergency response plan with the Environmental Protection Agency stating that there was "no" risk of fire or explosion at the facility. The worst scenario that plant officials acknowledged was the possible release of a small amount of ammonia gas into the atmosphere.

Fertilizer long has been recognized as a dangerous combustible material. One variety, ammonium nitrate -- a pellet-shaped product typically shipped in large bags -- caused the deadliest industrial accident in American history, the explosion of a ship at the port of Texas City in 1947, which took the lives of more than 500 people.

In 1995, Timothy McVeigh used about two tons of ammonium nitrate to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. As recently as 2012, the West Fertilizer plant held some 270 tons of that substance, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Yet, according to a Reuters report, the stores of ammonium nitrate here never tripped the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which apparently was unaware of the plant’s existence.

Documents reviewed by The Huffington Post indicate that the last time regulators performed a full safety inspection of the facility was nearly 28 years ago. The entity with primary authority to ensure workplace safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, last visited in 1985, according to OSHA records.

Since then, regulators from other agencies have been inside the plant, but they looked only at certain aspects of plant operations, such as whether the facility was abiding by labeling rules when packaging its fertilizer for sale.

The most recent partial safety inspection at West Fertilizer was in 2011. That inspection, by the U.S Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Commission, led to a $5,200 fine for a variety of infractions, including failing to draft a safety plan for the transport of the large canisters of pressurized anhydrous ammonia stored on site.

In 2006, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the primary enforcer of environmental law in the state, noted that two schools were situated within 3,000 feet of the fertilizer plant. But the agency determined that "the impact potential" of an accident on the neighboring community "was low."

When assessing risks at the plant, the commission and the EPA focused solely on the potential hazards of the ammonium canisters, such as whether they were stored correctly or were leaking. The agencies did not inspect to see if other chemicals on hand might ignite and explode.
 ::snipping2::
As investigators combed through the blackened rubble of the factory over the weekend, and as the citizens of West began to mourn their dead, many questions remained about the disaster. Still unclear was how the fire started, whether the plant's materials had been properly stored and protected, and whether local firefighters had responded appropriately.

Fire safety experts suspect that a fire ignited the ammonium nitrate pellets stored on site, and that in turn may have caused the pressurized contents of cannisters of another ammonia substance to expand and explode outward with tremendous force. Investigators have not yet released a determination of the cause.

But one thing had become painfully clear: The community-wide notion that an explosion at the plant was not something to worry about was proven tragically wrong.
Much more...
Slide show with 30 images

[MuffyBee]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/25/us-usa-explosion-texas-idUSBRE93O01D20130425
Hundreds attend funeral for Texas firefighter killed in blast
April 24, 2013




(Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters and a drum and pipe band joined residents of a Texas town on Wednesday to honor a firefighter who died one week ago in an explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed 13 others and injured some 200.

Authorities said on Wednesday they have not determined the cause of the blast at the West Fertilizer Co in the town of West, a Czech-American community between Austin and Dallas.

A fire initially broke out at the plant followed by the fiery explosion approximately 22 minutes later, officials said. The focus of the investigation is on learning where the fire started in order to determine what caused the larger blast.

"The main focus in the investigation is the fire," said Robert Champion, special agent in charge of the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), from the Dallas field office.

The plant stored and mixed fertilizer for local farmers, including dangerous anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate.

Most of those killed were first responders who were battling the blaze, so investigators are looking where charred fire trucks are located, as well as a large crater, for clues.

Kenneth "Luckey" Harris, Jr., 52, a Dallas firefighter who lived in West, was among 11 first responders and three others killed when the plant exploded, injuring about 200 people. He was off-duty at the time.

Firefighters from departments across Texas - most in formal dress uniforms - packed into the St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption and an overflow area outside, where mourners included horseback riders in chaps toting U.S. and Texas flags and leather-clad members of several motorcycle clubs.

In his eulogy, Dallas Fire Chief Louie Bright paid tribute to Harris' leadership, dedication and courage, noting that in the course of their careers, firefighters face situations that test whether the "job is just a paycheck or ... a passion."
 ::snipping2::
The toll on first responders in the West blast is the highest in one single incident in the state since a disaster in Texas City in 1947, the Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force has said. In that incident, a cargo ship packed with fertilizer exploded, killing more than 500 people, among them more than two dozen local volunteer firefighters.

President Barack Obama plans to attend a memorial service on Thursday for victims of the West explosion, the White House said. The service will be held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

The government of the Czech Republic said on Wednesday it would send approximately $200,000 in aid to the town founded by Czech immigrants in the 19th century and known for its bakeries selling Czech pastries.

Czech-Americans also have organized a fundraising campaign to offer disaster relief to the town of about 2,700 people, the Czech Embassy in Washington said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/on-tv/west-memorial-service-and-presidents-address-on-WFAA-and-WFAAcom-204495121.html
Thursday's West memorial service and president's address on WFAA / WFAA.com / TXCN
April 24, 2013

BUMP

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/report-federal-agency-charged-with-oversight-of-fe/nXXGj/
EXPLOSION IN WEST
Report: Federal agency charged with oversight of fertilizer plant security in disarray
April 24, 2013



The Homeland Security Department program charged with the security of chemical facilities like the former West Fertilizer Co. plant has been riddled with problems so severe since its creation five years ago that federal investigators recently wondered publicly “whether it can achieve its mission, given the challenges the program continues to face.”
A devastating Homeland Security inspector general report released in March lays bare an alarming pattern of poor planning and ineffective execution that beset nearly every aspect of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, as well as the subsequent misleading of congressional overseers, who were told the program was making progress.
A patchwork of state and federal agencies regulated the West fertilizer plant, but nearly all focused not on plant safety, but on pollution concerns or securing the facility and its potentially dangerous fertilizers from criminal or terrorist threat.
The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program was sparked by the 9/11 attacks and began in 2007 to better protect the nation’s chemical facilities from terrorist theft or attack.
Like thousands of chemical facilities in the nation, the West Fertilizer Co. likely was required to fill out a survey with the Homeland Security Department so authorities could determine its terrorist threat risk. The plant hadn’t done so before it exploded April 18, killing 14 people, injuring 200 others and destroying 142 homes and apartments in West.
But Homeland Security’s regulation wouldn’t have had much to do with preventing an explosion. “Their mandate has nothing to do with safe storage,” wrote chemical expert Patrick Coyle on his Chemical Facility Security News blog recently. “They are responsible for overseeing the secure storage of the material.”
A close look at the Homeland Security program shows that had West Fertilizer Co. been regulated — and become one of the few facilities in the country to develop an approved site security plan — the program could have fostered additional collaboration between the plant and emergency responders.
Such a plan would require a closer look at “specific threats, vulnerabilities, or risks,” according to the Homeland Security Department.
It’s unclear if such a security-focused plan would have been more complete than a risk management plan the plant filed with the Environmental Protection Agency. The risk plan identified a worst-case scenario as a 10-minute gas leak of anhydrous ammonia. But the EPA risk plan wasn’t charged with regulating the tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the facility, which, pending the completion of a forensic investigation, experts have speculated was involved in the explosion.
Officials haven’t released the emergency response plan for the plant filed with local first responders.
But according to the inspector general’s report, for Homeland Security to get to the point of developing a site security plan would have been difficult. Frustrated investigators found problems with everything from the software used to determine a facility’s risk level, to a training academy for inspectors that was created before the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program even began and later had to be shut down because it was so ineffective.
More...

PRIORITY COVERAGE
This report is part of the American-Statesman’s extensive and continuing coverage of the tragedy in West.
Look for live coverage of Thursday’s West Memorial Service at Baylor University online at statesman.com.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/national/204626501.html
Fathers, firefighters: Lives lost in West, Texas
April 25, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — On April 17, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, leveled part of the small town located some 20 miles north of Waco. Most of the victims were first responders from fire departments in West and other nearby towns that were on the scene trying to control the fire that preceded the blast.
With help from relatives, friends and obituaries of the deceased released by local funeral homes, The Associated Press compiled vignettes of some of the 14 victims who died in the blast. They were a grandmother, a town secretary, a fire truck builder, a town festival organizer, fishing enthusiasts, hunters, fathers, men preparing to become emergency medical technicians, and devoted church and local organization members.
Here are their stories:

WILLIAM "BUCK" UPTMOR: Fence-builder, musician, rodeo devotee
Uptmor, 45, owned a fence-building business and was supposed to start a job at a nearby ranch soon. Among other projects, Uptmor's company built the local cemetery's fence, said Bill McKown, a retired school superintendent from Abbott, Texas, a town six miles from West.
"He was always busy," building fences, McKown said. "Because he was very reliable."
Uptmor was the drummer for the band Billy Uptmor and the Makers. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, watching his children's sporting events, coaching Little League and supporting his daughter in barrel racing. He trained and jockeyed race horses and loved to rodeo, whether it was riding bulls or saddle and bareback broncos, according to an obituary released by a funeral home in West.
"I told him: 'You probably got every bone in your body broken.' And he said, 'That's probably true,'" McKown said.
He is survived by his wife of 13 years, Arcy Uptmor, his parents, two sons, a daughter, a grandmother, a brother, a sister and several nieces and nephews.

JOEY PUSTEJOVSKY: A caring, devout man
Joey Pustejovsky, 29, one of the volunteer firefighters killed in the blast, was the secretary for the town of West, said Veronica Felderhoff, a volunteer at the church where Pustejovsky's mother, Carolyn, works as a secretary to the rectory.
"He was a very caring person, always ready to help, a very devout Catholic," Felderhoff said. The Pustejovskys attended Mass every Sunday.
A funeral home obituary said Pustejovsky had been town secretary since 2009 and had worked as a personal property appraiser for McLennan County Appraisal District. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of The Assumption, where he started the youth ministry and was the director for two years of the Catholic Brothers and Sisters United Youth Ministry, the obituary said.
He loved spending time with his children and family as well as being involved in the community and his church.
The youngest of three brothers, Pustejovsky is survived by his wife, four children, his parents, a brother, grandmother and other relatives.

PERRY CALVIN: Father, husband, firefighter
Perry Calvin, 37, died responding to the fire at the fertilizer plant. His father, Phil Calvin, said Perry, a husband and father of two boys ages 9 and 2, was looking forward to his wife having a new baby around Thanksgiving.
He was a volunteer firefighter at the Navarro Mills and Martens fire departments and was attending EMS classes in West. He also was a student at the Hill County Fire College.
He was a self-employed farmer and loved the outdoors. He enjoyed horseback riding, rodeos, fishing and spending time with his family, a funeral home obituary said.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Ann Calvin, two sons, his father, a brother, two sisters, grandmother, nieces, nephews and other relatives.

JIMMY MATUS: Fire truck-builder and operator
Matus, 52, was killed while responding to the fire that caused the explosion. He was the sales manager at Westex Welding & Fire Apparatus, a company that builds fire trucks. For the past 40 years, he worked at the company and for the last half of that time he managed all aspects of the business, a funeral home obituary said.
"Jimmy was an outstanding man, someone who would go out of his way to help you. That's the way we are taught," said Garratt Matus of his father's cousin, Jimmy Matus.
Matus graduated from West High School in 1979.
He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, SPJST Lodge 54, Sokol West and the State Fireman's Association, and an honorary member of the Masonic Lodge in West. He also served on the West ISD school board and played Santa Claus for local organizations, the obituary said.
He is survived by his parents, his son and daughter, two stepdaughters, two sisters, grandchildren, nieces and other relatives.
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