As the oil activity increased over the years in western and
central North Dakota so too has the need for a more fire
fighting services. Fire crews are trained not to attempt to put
out oil well fires, unless someone needs to be rescued from
imminent danger. Their role is one of containment, to keep the
fire from spreading off the well or drilling site. Curtis
Freeman, an engineer in Dickinson is also a volunteer assistant
fire chief and helped write an education program for fire crews
in North Dakota. Freeman says with the influx of oil activity in
our region of the state, fire crews are responding to accidents
on the highways and roads that involve equipment and chemicals
used in the oil field. (Curtis Freeman, Dickinson Volunteer
Assistant Fire Chief) "Some of the materials going across the
road and some of the materials going down the interstate and
going on the rail facilities. Through Dickinson we have crude
oil, ethanol, hydrochloric acid all kinds of things going
through town now." Freeman says firefig