Bethany Fellowship Mission - Executive Summary |
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Bethany Fellowship Mission is a Bible College preparing students for Missionary service. It has 150 employees and 300-350 students who live on campus. This facility complies with NFPA-58 requirements for LP-Gas storage and it is our policy to adhere to all federal, state, and local laws. If an emergency was to occur, it is our policy to notify the Bloomington Fire Department for emergency assistance and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Duty Officer. The worst case scenario is failure of our two propane tanks (30,000 water-gallons each or a combined capacity of 224,000 pounds of propane) resulting in a vapor cloud explosion. According to EPA's look-up tables, the distance to endpoint is 0.5 miles. In addition to the 400 or so on campus personnel, approximately 350 surrounding area residents could be affected within this endpoint. Alternative scenario is a pull away causing failure of a 25 foot length of 4 inch hose. Automatic shut-off valves would stop the flow, resulting in a release limited to the contents of the hose. The vapor released travels to the lower flammability limit resulting in a fireball with an endpoint less than 317 feet. This release would be confined within the Bethany Fellowship property boundaries. No accident involving deaths, injuries, property damage, or environmental damage has ever occurred at these storage tanks. Planned changes to the system include replacing the vaporizer, conversion tank, and service pipe (to be completed by year-end 1999) to bring system up to modern codes and best engineering practices. Additional reviews of underground piping and aboveground tank integrity are also planned. |