Get medical attention immediately. Call a poison center or physician and report exposure to anhydrous ammonia. Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water, occasionally lifting the upper and lower eyelids. Check for and remove any contact lenses. Continue to rinse for at least 10 minutes. Chemical burns must be treated promptly by a physician.

Emergency eyewash stations are located within the ammonia compressor room near the door to the ice rink, and inside the ice rink to the left (when exiting the ammonia compressor room) or to the right (when approaching the interior entrance to the ammonia compressor room).

Get medical attention immediately. Call a poison center or physician and report exposure to anhydrous ammonia. Remove victim to fresh air and keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing. If it is suspected that fumes are still present, the rescuer should wear an appropriate mast or self-contained breathing apparatus. If not breathing, if breathing is irregular or if respiratory arrest occurs, provide artificial respiration or oxygen by trained personnel.

It may be dangerous to the person providing aid to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If unconscious, place in recovery position and get medical attention immediately. Maintain an open airway. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband.

In case of inhalation of decomposition products in a fire, symptoms may be delayed. The exposed person may need to be kept under medical surveillance for 48 hours.

Get medical attention immediately. Call a poison control center or physician and report exposure to anhydrous ammonia. Remove victim to fresh air and keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing. Chemical burns must be treated promptly by a physician. Ingestion of liquid can cause burns similar to frostbite. If frostbite occurs, get medical attention. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If unconscious, place in recovery position and get medical attention immediately. Maintain an open airway. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband. As this product rapidly becomes a gas when released, refer to the inhalation section.

Limited exposure to ammonia vapor will cause minor symptoms that are reversible. Ammonia causes irritation when it contacts fluids in the eyes, nose, and mouth. Symptoms include:

• Blinking, itching and watering of eyes
• Runny nose
• Coughing
• Skin burning sensation

Limited exposure to a dense ammonia vapor will cause moderate symptoms that are reversible. These include:

• Severe eye irritation and tearing
• Coughing
• Bronchial spasm
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Airway spasms
• Increased fluid in the lungs
• Severe chest pain

Extended exposure to dense ammonia vapor is life-threatening, causing:

• Chemical bronchitis
• Fluid accumulation in the lungs
• Chemical burns of the skin
• Death

Bates College has an integrated alarm system with separate back up alarm system to alert emergency responders to the presence of ammonia, outside the closed system.

Underhill Arena – Room 159

• Manning Detector: activated if concentration inside Room 159 reaches 25 ppm, and again at 100 ppm.
  • At 25 ppm, the audible alarm in the compressor room will activate, alerting all room occupants to evacuate. It will activate the exhaust fan in the compressor room. It will call the Bates Campus Safety Dispatch, who will contact Miller Refrigeration, Lewiston Fire Department (FYI), DEP, EPI and Bates EHS. A Campus Safety Officer will respond to Underhill Arena with a hand held meter to confirm the reading, and establish a control zone, as needed.
  • At 100 ppm, the audible alarm for the entire building will activate, with a recorded instruction instructing occupants to evacuate. The blue lights (located throughout the building) will flash, signs next to each blue light instruct occupants to immediately evacuate when blue lights are on. The fire and ammonia alarms for Underhill Arena will activate and a signal will be sent direct to the Lewiston/Auburn 911 Dispatch who will notify the Lewiston Fire Department. The ammonia system will automatically shut down.

• CIMCO Detector: activated if concentration inside Room 159 reaches 300 ppm. This is considered the backup sensor.
  • At 300 ppm, the audible alarm for the entire building will activate, with a recorded instruction instructing occupants to evacuate. The blue lights (located throughout the building) will flash, signs next to each blue light instruct occupants to immediately evacuate when blue lights are on. Merrill Gym ventilation system will be shut down to outside air. St. Mary’s Regional Hospital will be contacted by Bates Security.

Merrill Gym: Manning detector panel is located in the front lobby

• Digital display located a safe distance (300 feet) from compressor room, shows ammonia concentration in 10 ppm increments, between 0-100 ppm
• Knox box with keys to access compressor room and manually operate fans located nearby
• Printed information sheets on ammonia located nearby

Blue Lights: Underhill Arena is equipped with three blue lights that activate upon a release (meaning they light up and rotate all at once). These lights should not be confused with the Emergency Blue Light Phones, which are always lit. The location of these lights are:

• Rear of ice arena
• Davis Fitness Center
• Corridor by Locker Rooms

Emergency Blue Light Phone: Underhill Arena has two emergency blue light phones. The light should always be lit. The blue light phones are:

• The Main Lobby
• Below the main bleachers at the arena floor level

Red Light: activates upon release; located outside by the ammonia compressor room entrance (next to Russell Street)

Wind Sock: an orange wind sock is located above the roof on the Russell Street side of Underhill arena; this visual device will give the wind direction so that occupants can move to another assembly area

To avoid an ammonia cloud, move laterally and upwind. A wind direction indicating sock is mounted at the end of Underhill Arena closest to Russell Street. The initial isolation zone is 100 feet to 500 feet. 

Upon activation of the building fire alarm system, or under the direction of Bates staff, building occupants will exit the building utilizing the nearest exit, and proceed outdoors to the designated initial assembly area. For Underhill Arena, the designated initial assembly area is the baseball field between Merrill Gym and Central Avenue. Building occupants shall wait at the baseball field for further instructions and shall report to Bates Campus Safety if anyone is missing or unaccounted for.

Underhill Arena is equipped with blue lights on the interior that will flash in the event of an ammonia release, and has signs posted with directional arrows alerting building occupants which direction to exit. On the exterior, there is a single red light that will flash in the event of an ammonia release, this red light is located adjacent to the ammonia compressor room exterior entrance.

Underhill Arena has two designated areas of refuge, upstairs on either side of the Davis Fitness Center. Occupants that are unable to evacuate on their own shall shelter in place in one of these locations and call 911 to alert first responders to their location and request rescue assistance.

In an ammonia release event, the Bates SERG team and/or Incident Command will determine which buildings on campus will shelter in place vs. evacuate. Communication will be made to the Bates community via Blackboard Connect, the emergency communications tool and via the emergency website https://emergency.bates.edu    

Bates Campus Safety will be able to estimate the status of building occupants (employees and students), but a full building clearance would need to be done by the Fire Department. Due to the nature of this building being open to the public and a recreational use center (ice arena) definitive visitor headcounts are not feasible.

Complaint is received by Bates Campus Safety Dispatch. There are no ammonia detectors alarming. Security will instruct the caller to evacuate immediately using the front door, toward Merrill Gym.

Campus Safety will notify Miller Refrigeration, on-duty Bates electrician, on-duty ice technician, EHS staff.

A Campus Safety Officer will respond to Underhill Arena with the hand held meter to confirm presence of ammonia.

Manning detector sends an alarm to Bates Campus Safety Dispatch. Compressor room is in alarm.

Campus Safety will notify Lewiston Fire Department (LFD) as FYI non-emergency, Miller Refrigeration, DEP, EPI, Bates EHS.

A Campus Safety Officer will respond to Underhill Arena with the hand held meter to confirm presence of ammonia. If over 25 ppm, establish 300 foot exclusion zone, initiate shelter in place protocol.

Miller Refrigeration personnel may enter the compressor room to work on equipment.

Manning detector or CIMCO detector sends an alarm to Bates Campus Safety Dispatch and Lewiston/Auburn 911. Underhill Arena is in alarm and evacuating.

Exhaust fan is interlocked and will turn on to ventilate the compressor room.

Compressors are interlocked and will shut down when room concentration reaches 100 ppm.

Campus Safety will notify Miller Refrigeration, DEP, EPI, St. Mary’s Hospital, Bates EHS.

EPI personnel (HAZMAT team) may enter the compressor room to work on equipment, under the direction of Miller Refrigeration.