Temporary HVAC is more common than one would imagine. It has many uses. It is primarily used for heating or cooling a particular place. It is mainly used during extreme weather conditions. In some cases it’s the only way to make it possible to continue to work. An example of such a case would be a crewman working n a tunnel. The temperatures can be very high, so OSHO mandates the use of temporary HVACs to cool the place down.
Temporary HVAC is also used in critical life-saving situations. A little girl in west Texas slipped into a well hole and was lodged there for days, as workers tried one method after another to reach the trapped girl. The rescuers pushed a hose down as close to her as possible, pumping in fresh air. This use of temporary HVAC saved the little girls life.
As the world watched, the rescuers worked around the clock continuously, looking for a way to reach the trapped little girl. There was no way to be sure how she was holding up in the well. The rescuers dropped a micro camera down in an attempt to view the situation and to formulate a plan. To their horror, one of her legs was up above her head. This posed a bigger problem with the rescue attempts; they didn’t know if she was seriously injured or if she had just slipped down the well pipe. In this situation, temporary HVAC was critical and it allowed the workers to keep the fast pace of trying to reach her before it was too late. Finally, the girl was rescued and everything went well, thanks to the efforts of rescue workers and temporary HVAC.
Another time that comes to mind when the use of temporary HVAC was vital. The A & M annual homecoming barn fire was being prepared when the logs shifted, the logs tumbled down, and many college students were trapped under the heavy logs.
The rescue team used the temporary HVAC for students that had reached but were unable to pull from the wreckage. The temporary HVAC allowed the rescuers to get fresh air to the injured students and bought time to pull the logs off.
The process of removing the logs was tedious, they removed them one log at a time. Heavy cranes were trucked in to lift them away from the pile. As time passed and the injured students remained trapped, the world was soon watching the process on television. No one took notice of how the temporary HVAC units were used to keep the injured students from drifting into shock. They also refreshed the rescuers as the work went form minutes to hours then to days. Everyone was riveted to the television broadcast rescue.
More and more rescue working poured in from around the globe to help safe this young adults. The logs were trucked to a space were OSHA could investigate and determine the cause of the collapse. The annual homecoming event was under the gun. It seemed that the tradition might end with this disaster. The temporary HVAC was necessary to be able to maintain the pace throughout the night and into the days that followed.
There was a nice, bright day in California; the traffic rush hour of workers heading home had the freeways bumper to bumper. The World Series was being played just a short ways from the center of the quake. Freeways had been built one crossing over the other, this spelled disaster for the commuters. Freeways began to collapse like pancakes one layer on top of another. This trapped people inside their cars, with very little space to receive a fresh breath of air. Many were critically injured, rescuers worked franticly to reach the survivors. Temporary HVAC mobile units were made available to the rescuers. They would push hoses in to allow the trapped to receive a vital fresh breath. Many were trapped with family members that had died in a split second as they helplessly watched. Temporary HAVC units were circulated throughout the disaster area, as more and more people were found still alive and waiting to be rescued. It was a true lifeline.
The baseball field had rocked as the quake shock the entire area and with each after shock the rescuers worked faster to free the trapped victims. The fans realized that this was a strong earth quake and they began to file out of the stadium to assist the rescuers. They were amazed at the victims struggling to be free from the crumpled cars and crushed concrete. Temporary HVAC units saved many lives that day. It helped to keep hope alive as the rescuers worked until all were recovered.
I am sure we all remember the Apollo 13 space flight when an equipment failure put our astronauts in danger. It started a chain of reactions that made us hold our breath waiting to see if they would make it home. One of the problems they had to deal with was the buildup of carbon oxide in the module. The scientist on earth came up with a design for a temporary HVAC unit to clean the air they were breathing. Who would have considered that a temporary HVAC would be so important on one of our space trips? I know it never crossed my mind.
One spring not too long ago, the Houston Medical Center was flooded by Tropical Storm Allison. All the power went out leaving the use of a generator necessary, the only problem with that was the generators work in the basement submerged in flood water. The call went out to all the emergency stations the need for temporary HVAC units. The patients were at the mercy of the hot, heavy, and humid weather conditions. They were received from around the world from all our neighbors next door and those around the world. Trauma brings enemies together faster than a mediator or signing a peace treaty. Mankind does not look away when other humans face disaster. To me this is amazing and a sure sign the there is a supreme being watching over us.
When the storm hit New Orleans so hard the town was totally destroyed. There was very little to salvage but the strong spirits of mankind. Temporary HVAC units were shipped to the area by every method possible. The people were welcomed into homes, churches, schools, or any place was they could take refuge. With so many people in these small crowded areas temporary HVAC units were shipped to various destinations around the country. Even today many of the refugees from their homes remain in the areas where they had been received after the storm had passed. Temporary HVAC units were lifesavers once more.
Just last month, Galveston, Texas and surrounding areas were virtually washed off the map by Hurricane Ike. Ike left disaster in its wake for hundreds of miles. The use of temporary HVAC units was required to keep the refugees from becoming ill, to keep the shelters air clean and safe to breath. The devastation was as far north as Tyler, Texas. Power was lost to thousands of homes, garbage removal stopped, and the drinking water was contaminated by the flood water. FEMA distributed generators to the shelters and aide stations as fast as they could be shipped in. The generators allowed temporary HVAC units to be utilized all across the southern areas of Texas.
Lives were saved while others were made more bearable. The Federal Government sent relief to all points of need. Families did not receive these temporary HVAC units, they were reserved for buildings where a large no of people were housed in close quarters.
Many individuals were fortunate to how their own private generators, but finding gas to keep them running was hundreds of miles away from ground zero. The temporary HVAC units could not operate without the fuel for the generators. It was a domino effect. There were hundreds of people that were caught off guard when Ike forced his way up through the heart of Texas. It caused damages as far north as Oklahoma. Never had I ever witnessed such force as Ike packed within his clouds and wind.
Trees fell across roadways, houses, cars, sheds, boats, the list is endless. In the aftermath of a disaster as Ike brought with him, humbles me. As I drive down the roads, and alleys, the disaster mounts and the restoration begins through the courage of my fellow Texans. I lower my head in thanks for the grace that saved me and many of my neighbors. Some lost property, but none lost friends or families. They are the greatest treasures we will ever hold. It times like these that we realize how quickly our worlds can end and how quickly life can be snuffed out. Peace and grace to you all.
