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Michael P. Kenny, Executive Officer -3- September 3, 1998 <br /> advised to standby for a scheduled strategy meeting and monitoring assignment. <br /> After the meeting ARB staff were directed to complete a survey of the general area <br /> around the fire and locate monitoring sites between the fire's smoke plume and any <br /> possibly affected residences. <br /> During this initial field survey, ARB encountered other USEPA staff, who were <br /> conducting sampling for particulate matter and also monitoring for several other <br /> possibly hazardous/toxic compounds. EPA staff indicated that they had been <br /> checking for methylene chloride, phenols, and sulfur dioxide, with instruments such <br /> as a Mini-ram, Draeger tubes, and a Monotox. EPA staff also indicated that all of <br /> their monitoring had indicated normal background reading with the exception that <br /> they had gotten a 10 ppm hydrocarbon reading inside the plume adjacent to the fire. <br /> The instrument they had used for this detection was a Foxboro FID OVA calibrated <br /> on methane. <br /> ARB Ambient Air Monitoring Response <br /> After subsequent meetings <br /> with USEPA monitoring staff, <br /> held in order to coordinate <br /> activities and avoid duplication of <br /> monitoring efforts, ARB staff <br /> started monitoring on an "around- <br /> the- clock" basis. Analyzer <br /> readings for CO, total <br /> hydrocarbons (THC) and toluene <br /> in the plume and downwind from <br /> the fire were virtually <br /> indistinguishable from Royster's Tire Re-cycling Facility- 8/11/98 <br /> background levels. The CD ERT <br /> continued to perform this monitoring with similar results until the Incident <br /> Commander, under advice from Michael Kith, San Joaquin Co. Health Department, <br /> released them at about 9 p.m. Sunday, August 9, 1998. The ARB ERT indicated to the <br /> Incident Command that they would be ready to return upon request. <br /> MLD's sampling staff was asked to place the filter samplers approximately <br /> 0.25 and 1.5 miles from the fire in the downwind (SE) direction of the plume. The <br /> filter samplers ran until 11:00 a.m. August 9, 1998. The used filters were picked up <br /> and new filters installed for sampling into Monday. The results of this monitoring <br /> were 69.3 µg/m3 carbon (0.25 mile downwind, SE from fire) and 7.9 µg/m3 carbon <br /> (1.5 miles SE, downwind). In comparison, normal carbon concentrations in the <br />