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Mr. Ingram. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Preyer. Mr. Evans ?
Mr. Evans. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Have you examined the GSA fire code ?
Mr. EsTEPP. I am not familiar with the GSA fire code, but they make leference generally to the same standards that are used universally throughout the fii*e service.
Mr. Evans. That is what I wanted to know.
Mr. EsTEPP. I think standard No. 40 is the same standard that they were attempting to apply as it relates to those bunkers.
Mr. Evans. Do you think those bimkers were in compliance with that standard?
Mr. EsTEPP. No, sir, they were not.
Mr. Evans. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Preyer. Mr. Morr?
Mr. MoRR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chief, are you familiar with how the film that was not damaged in the fire was handled after the fire ?
Mr. EsTEPP. I am familiar with some of it. Apparently they removed a lot of the material from that bunker. I would imagine they put some of it into other bunkers, but also they apparently brought in a trailer to store much of the nitrate film onsite. They moved it further away, further back into the complex, but we had a little bit of a problem with that particular storage facility also.
It was a refrigerated truck. The film was put inside. It was rather hot. We were asked on a couple of occasions to go down and cool the truck down because the system had broken down inside the trailer. There was even an attempt made to take it offsite to have the refrigeration fixed. We just thought that would be too dangerous to attempt.
I believe that is where the bulk of the film was being stored until recently.
Mr. MoRR. Do you know how long it was stored in that refrigerated truck?
Mr. EsTEPP. For several weeks, I know that. According to Lieutenant Malberg, I think it was a couple of months.
In their behalf, let me say this. They communicated with us regarding that particular unit. I think they were on the right track by asking us to come down and cool it down, but we could not concur in driving that over the highway with that amount of film in it.
Mr. MoRR. To your knowledge, was the truck secured or inspected ?
Mr. EsTEpp. From what I am told, a television reporter following up the fire went down and found the site unchallenged in terms of his being able to get close to it and found the vehicle unlocked.
Mr. MoRR. How close was the truck in proximity to other buildings ?
Mr. EsTEPP. I am not certain the photograph we have helps with that. It was toward the Records Center building. It was a good distance away from the bunkers in an open area. There was a much better attempt to put it in a safer area.
[Photo shown.]
Mr. EsTEPP. They moved it back several hundred feet.
Mr. MoRR. I have one other question that occurred to me.
You mentioned that the pumpers were ordered to back away from the unit, that it was done in haste, and that at least one line was severed.