Two HFD employees were named as PRIDE Award winners by Energy Secretary Federico Peña for their prompt response after a vial of crystallized picric acid was discovered beneath Hanford’s 327 Building on January 28^th, 1988.

The acid was round in a crawl space under the building in the 300 Area when employees were performing a pre-job walkdown prior to starting maintenance activities. The two were recognized in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on April 14. They were also recognized in a Hanford ceremony on April 21.

"This is an excellent example of what we want employees to do if they encounter unforeseen hazards that have not been analyzed," said Hanford Manager John Wagoner.

The two represent dozens of people who helped resolve the picric acid event.

"Through the thoughtful, appropriate actions taken by emergency responders at the picric acid event, Hanford has demonstrated that we’ve made necessary improvements," Wagoner said.

"I’m proud of everyone who took part in resolving this issue safely and taking the appropriate emergency response actions," said Hank Hatch, president of Fluor Daniel Hanford. "It shows the commitment of our workers to protecting themselves and each other as they perform their day-to-day activities. This is the kind of commitment necessary to do our work safely as we continue with cleanup."

Named to receive DOE’s PRIDE Award are:

David Hare, a fire battalion chief and the initial incident commander during the event. He was instrumental in directing the response at the scene. He established control, coordinated with facility personnel to make sure the proper resources were available, ensured that protective actions were implemented, and initiated the appropriate notifications.

Jim McQuown, a Hanford firefighter. He was instrumental in mitigating the incident. As a certified hazardous materials responder trained to the technical level, McQuown was a member of the entry team that crawled into the space where the vial was found. He helped rehydrate the substance in order to stabilize it for removal.

The PRIDE Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate creativity, initiative, and dedication.

Excerpted from Hanford Reach, April 27, 1998