"Our 21st Century Minute Man"

Our 21st Century Minute Man
New England Progress Magazine
Summer 2007 Issue
written by Bill Donovan

History repeats itself-sure. But nowhere can that repetition be more dramatically seen-to the careful observer-than in the historical New England town of Lexington, Massachusetts. Remember the shot heard around the world? Samuel Adams' call to arms and the legendary Revolutionary War Battles of Lexington and Concord? In 1775, armed conflict commenced here with a bang between the fledgling thirteen colonies and British Empire. Our nation's brave militia, the Massachusetts Minutemen, took up arms..and America was born.

But jump ahead...230 or so years...and now take a good look at lovely Lexington's neatly paved streets. Do you notice how many are newly resurfaced while others have long patches running down the side? On November 9, 2005, Lexington heard another shot, and the town could have been lost once more. A gas explosion rocked the streets as a faulty pipeline connection caused the explosion of a home on Hancock St.

"Lexington authorities such as Police Chief Chris Casey and Fire Chief William Middlemiss played huge roles in bringing the town back together after the explosion," said Duke LaConte. "With the assistance of Bill Hadley, the director of the DPW, a command post was set up where everyone involved in the recovery efforts assembled. Once the town became organized, things really started to turn around." Middlemiss, highly trained in "incident command," oversaw the entire operation.

Enter our 21st century minuteman. The man who organized the entire restoration was Donald Duke LaConte, plumbing, gas, and mechanical inspector of Lexington's Building Division. "The morning was routine," stated LaConte. "My job is to inspect all major work done in the town and enforce the codes of the state of Massachusetts. Prior to the explosion, I had conducted about three site examinations and was in the Town Offices on Mass. Ave."

At this time, major pipe work was underway on the intersecting street of Hancock, a short distance from the Battle Green. The homes in this neighborhood are part of a historical district, which features Buckman Tavern. Lexington militiamen in pre-revolutionary times went to this popular watering hole after training sessions on the Green.

KeySpan Corp. pipeline workers stationed at the intersection of Hancock and Cottage mistakenly attached a high-output gas line to a low-output gas line. "A misprinted engineering drawing had been given to the pipeline crew," expressed LaConte. This caused a sixty-pound high pressure gas main to cross over to a normally thirty-pound low pressure main, which feeds the homes and businesses and reduces gas to 1/4-1/2 lb. of gas pressure at the service regulator. The regulators could not withstand this incoming surge of pressure and blew.

People heard the massive explosion. The Hancock Street house shot up in flames, launching its owners, who had been outside at the time doing yard work, into the street.

LaConte rushed to the scene and saw not a home, but a huge column of flame and black smoke soaring into the sky. With the aid of the Lexington Fire Department and the fire departments of nearby towns, all scrambled to secure the area. "By the time the fire department arrived, the two story wooden frame structure had collapsed," LaConte explained. "Window glass and debris shot into the sky, crashing down onto the yards of neighbors. We had authorities here from Hanscom Air Force Base as well as surrounding towns," stated LaConte. "All watched as the conflagration tore through the middle of the home. Sixty-pounds of gas ripped its way through that home like a blow torch."

The home burned for two hours despite efforts to put out the fire. Victims of the fire received hospital treatment. "It's fortunate this gas leak occurred early in the day; the majority of the town was either at work or in school," expressed LaConte. "Kids get out of school around 2:30-3 p.m. here."

It was clear from the look and the sound of the fire itself that this had been a gas explosion. After an anxious period involving the fire department, town officials and the KeySpan Gas company, gas was cut off throughout the town, affecting local businesses and neighborhood of nearly 2,000 homes. More calls came in with residents complaining of a strong odor of gas. "Several homes at this time had levels in the explosive range," LaConte explained. Lexington Fire Chief Middlemiss ordered an emergency gas shut-off, leaving eighteen hundred KeySpan customers without gas utilities. Within hours, Lexington turned into an excavation zone. Streets were occupied by backhoes and pipes; just about every street in the affected area was lined with ditches. KeySpan acted quickly, determining the cause of the explosion and excepting responsibility for the mounting problems. In a public statement, corporation President Nick Stavropoulos said, "This incident was the result of human error. We are very grateful that no one was seriously hurt and sincerely regret the difficulty facing the family directly affected."

Local and state authorities worked alongside natural gas distributor KeySpan Corp. during the following weeks to restore gas to safe levels in each household. LaConte and nearly 500 workers worked twelve-hour shifts around the clock. KeySpan provided shelters for families who left their homes for two weeks. "For fifteen days, I had gas and plumbing inspectors and locksmiths going in and out of homes with me, restoring gas service to normal levels," said LaConte. "I barely got to see my family." Police Chief Casey protected these controlled break-ins into homes. He also provided lawful crowd control, preventing the curious public from gaining access to areas under maintenance.

Ultimately, the incident affected an area of 210 streets and 25 miles of gas main. KeySpan divided this land into 30 zones and manned it with crews from Cape Cod, Central Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. "Gas was reintroduced into each section in increments of 2 lbs. at a time until fully restored to 30 lbs.," stated LaConte. "We started with the mains in the street to the tie-ins in the houses and businesses up to the service regulators. Then, and only then was gas reintroduced into the homes and businesses, ensuring face levels of 1/4 to 1/2 lb."

During the next two weeks, any gas appliances in homes or businesses that had been compromised by incident were repaired or replaced at KeySpan's expense. The company even delivered Thanksgiving dinners for many residents who still had no gas for cooking. Officials held ongoing meetings to discuss preventing anything like this from happening again. LaConte approved a final decision to restore gas in Lexington homes, with the help of nearly 80 gas inspectors.

In late December, LaConte reviewed the incident to the Northeastern Massachusetts Plumbing and Gas Inspectors Association (NMPGIA.) He stressed the need for a mutual aid system for Inspectional Services. "Coordination of town employees was very important," LaConte stated. "Lexington was fortunate to have a highly qualified fire chief and personnel to deal with a catastrophe of this magnitude." The gas shut-off saved hundreds of lives and prevented millions of dollars in damage.

Like other older cities and towns, potential problems exist below the streets. The gas system running through Lexington dates back to the nineteenth-century. Because there is a large amount of ledge in Lexington, fragile rod-iron pipelines placed over 100 years ago are only inches below the pavement level and are subject to the effects of frost heaving. Building codes today state that newly placed lines are required to be eighteen-inches underneath the surface. Also, in the past coal was used as the primary heating commodity throughout Lexington homes and many discarded their undesirable burnt coal ashes onto the then unpaved street. This action caused a gradual damaging chemical reaction which overtime challenged the structural integrity of old gas pipes. This very fact alone is necessitating major work to replace the eroding antiquated framework. As a result, gas leak emergencies in Lexington are a frequent occurrence, causing a heightened alertness amongst the townspeople. To assist in this vigilance, many town vehicles are now equipped with gas detectors.

Each day, tourists from all over the world still arrive to experience the calming sights and historic charm of Lexington, totally unaware that the town residents that they mingle and interact with have more vivid memories of the calamity, originating on November 9th, 2005, than they do of the events that made the town famous on April 19, 1775.