Commentary proffered by S. Marshall:

You think things are moving pretty fast nowadays in the Fire Service? It sure seems like it to me. I was in the Fire Service in the 70′s through the early 90′s…until I decided it was time for you youngsters to take over. Compared to fire fighting of the 70′s, today’s Fire Service is like science fiction or maybe rocket science. The technology now in use was only a dream in some designers mind…or in some cases, the designers hadn’t even been born yet!

The next big challenge as I see it, is the technological advances on our battle grounds. You’ve had to deal with changes in how buildings are constructed, new hazards in freight transport, how cars are constructed, and even how they are powered. So what’s next? How about nuclear reactors in the home?

Sounds insane doesn’t it? This is no “Back To The Future” Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor with a flux capacitor. This is something being planned and marketed in the US and it’s coming to a home in your first due and probably sooner than you think.

Toshiba has designed a small reactor called the 4S. It’s designed to power a small community for about 30 years at a very low cost. So what happens when you are dispatched for a melt down? Or more likely, for some yahoo who got three sheets to the wind and has now driven his 4X4 into the containment structure…and guess who gets to save him?  That’s right, you!

In reality, the reactor is designed to be buried about 100 feet below grade and capped with concrete. It’s a sealed unit with “no user serviceable parts”. Once the fuel is depleted, it has to be dug up and taken back to the factory for servicing and a new unit left in place.

And this is from a company who had a serious problem with laptop batteries bursting into flame!

Still think it’s waaaaay off in the future? Galena Alaska is scheduled to be the test bed site for just such a reactor. It is intended to be a 10 milliwatt reactor..with a $25 million dollar price tag because it will be the first and will be used as a reference site for later installations. To their credit, Toshiba will pay for nearly all of the construction costs at this particular site.

So now on top of the hazardous materials in trucks by the thousands, extremely heavy freight train traffic all over the country, cars that are powered with gigantic batteries and couches that will cause a flash over with the mere thought of a fire anywhere near it, you get to worry about becoming a nuclear technician.

I’m not here to offer up expertise in how to control a runaway reactor sitting on the corner of Main and South Streets, just to remind you that as confusing as things are right now, they are about to get a whole lot worse.

Toshiba and some other manufacturers are also planning an even smaller unit that will power a single household. Imagine, a nuclear reactor sitting in every house, right next to the furnace! I think I will wait until safe fission is available.

We may need to return to the days of lime green fire apparatus so that the paint matches the glow we will get!

Firegeezer recommends that you read more about Galena’s upcoming move to Micro-Nuclear power HERE.