We
all have our stories to tell; from the people who have made
us laugh, to Owners and Contractors who took us for our word
and placed a heavy burden on us to perform when we said we
could. I've met people who helped me mature by telling me
of their mistakes and reminding me not to repeat the same.
Guys like Harold Hudgins, who could make you cringe waiting
for the end of a story but when you reminisced about the story,
you knew there was wisdom imparted.
How many
members can tell the story of how they engineered some project
with the intent of Einstein but it came out looking like Abbott
and Costello! How we all have experienced the thrill of victory
and the agony of defeat. Especially, when we wanted a specific
project so much that we priced it at cost, even below cost,
and missed the mark by some huge percentage to the next bidder.
Even the times when you offered to do a job for free…
and find somebody else offered to pay a dollar!
I thought
about all my demolition experiences on a recent flight to
Thessaloniki, Greece, to a country where I was to implode
a 7-story building for a contractor I had met only once. I
had only seen the project from pictures and from a hand-sketched
drawing by someone possessing no implosion experience. When
I received a call from my dear friend Nikos Pappassavas in
Greece, (almost every man in Greece is named Nikos), it was
with avid enthusiasm he orated about a job he was looking
at, I quoted him a meager fee, based on his description of
the job, thinking it would be great to visit Greece with my
wife.
As many
explosive users can attest, it is only by the grace of God
that you can get through the security systems implemented
by the new TSA. I had to load the batteries from my blasting
machine into my check-in baggage in order to get on the plane.
When we landed in Greece some 27 hours after leaving nearby
Spokane, WA, I met Nikos and an engineer by the name of Pascale
and was whisked away to our hotel in downtown Thessaloniki.
On the
ride, I explained the slight, one-hour delay getting on the
plane in Spokane because of the blasting machine. I then found
out that getting a permit to possess a blasting machine in
Greece is a little like getting a permit to carry a firearm
here in the United States.
I then
spent about two hours in our hotel lounge being briefed about
the protocol to get a permit to use explosives in Greece and
was informed our team was actively pursuing the acquisition
of said permit. At the time, I was more concerned about the
types of explosives available, as the technical data sheet
that was sent to me was in Greek.
It was
then off to Kozani, about 180 kilometers away. I had an opportunity
for the first time to see the Kozani Wheat factory. It certainly
looked different than the drawings and pictures. It must have
been all the extra silos contained in the building that were
not otherwise identified. An impressive structure nonetheless.
This
gave me an opportunity to "revise" the original
Work Plan submitted just seven days prior. I was told the
Work Plan was essential to the acquisition of the permit as
the Government has never been approached about this type of
work before. We were going to "educate" them. After
some eighteen hours of discussions with the engineer, the
Work Plan was submitted to the proper official.
The
next day it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty of building
preparation. We only had about six days before the shot to
finalize all prep work. I was deeply concerned about how to
get three different banks of silos to fall, let alone fall
inward, to the only target area available.
I then
met with Nikos, Nikos, Netz and two other laborers whose names
I couldn't pronounce. The second Nikos was an impressive fellow
from Bulgaria who had been a four-time boxing champ in that
country. I knew why he was the foreman. The other boys had
immigrated to Greece from Albania. The crew worked like mules
and I would use them anywhere to do work for me.
I think
I would probably do some more safety training though. This
is something that is being taken very seriously by the first
Nikos, who I took to calling Nickpap. Nickpap, after learning
about the importance of safety here in the US and Canada,
and wanting to become an NADC member, drilled me on how to
get information about joining the Association and its safety
program. He has since joined the NADC. He is really learning
how safety separates the men from the boys, even in Greece.
I believe, with the help of NADC and EDA, he will begin to
set new standards in Greece. He is getting tired of his less-than-safety-conscious
competitors getting some of his work.
The Greek
drilling machines took only two days to drill approximately
600 holes. It was now time for the protective measures. I
examined some chain link fence that was to inhibit the initial
fly of debris. It seems they don't make chain link fence that
light here in the US. I thought 9 gauge was 9 gauge! I found
out it was different in Greece, but Nickpap was willing to
spend the extra EUROs for the additional wraps. Their geotextile,
secondary cover resembled military toilet paper. Again, Nickpap
was willing to shell out the extra EUROs for additional wrapping.
The next
day, my wife and Nickpap went to check on the progress of
the permit. The man in charge of permitting told Nickpap and
my wife he would get to it as soon as possible, end of story,
get out!
At this
time, Nickpap expressed some serious concern about the timing
of the permit with the arrival of the explosives. I was more
concerned about the shot than the timing of the permit. We
fiddled around for the rest of the day applying the protective
measures. The next day we were scheduled to meet with the
explosives supplier and review the material I had ordered.
I
reviewed the technical data sheets (tds) provided and inquired
about timing of the detonators. Much to my dismay, the nomenclature
and timing of the detonators in Greece was VERY different
from that which had been previously discussed. I had been
referring to some of the Greek tds and some of what I assumed
was a common tds of the manufacturer. We even had detonators
specially shipped from Sweden that were supposed to meet the
criteria discussed. I then found out that a number 16 in Greece
is not the number 16 everywhere else.
I carefully
considered any alternatives. I had no choice but to use the
detonators I ordered. I now had to implement a plan that was
designed to last about nine seconds for movement and devise
a condensed plan that would last about four seconds. I had
to figure out how not to have cut off from early delays and
allow the west bank of silos to act out of the way of the
central bank first. Three seconds is a lot of time in an implosion…but
essentially, it's just a few blinks of an eye.
It was
time to look at the detonating cord that I was to use. My
options were 40 grain, 12 grain and 8 grain, or so I thought.
I thought to be on the safe side, I'll use 40 grain. It has
a little more oomph than the 12 grain and propagates well
from cord to cord. I then inquired about electric detonators.
I had a choice between A, B or F. I was told each had more
or less different strengths. So much for a blasting cap being
a blasting cap. I thought about ordering the F cap, the "weaker"
of the three and remembered how many blasters inadvertently
ordered the F and had a dud! Better get the A. I chose an
explosives product that detonates at about 6,000 meters per
second. It was called Donorit.
Back
to the job to check on the progress of the permit, Nickpap
and my wife went to the Permitting Officer and were told he
had about 1,000 Albanian visas to work on before he could
even consider our permit. Nickpap kept his cool and asked
what he could do to expedite the process. He was told nothing.
An elderly man must have overheard the conversation and offered,
for 100 EUROs, to help the process along. Nickpap gave him
the money and hoped for the best.
By this
time, the hoopla about an implosion was everywhere. The owner
of the property, who owns the largest supermarket chain in
Greece, stopped by the job to check on the progress. He was
told about the delay in the permit and the less-than-cooperative
Permitting Officer. A funny thing then happened after he took
about 10 minutes for phone calls. The Permitting Officer called
and stated the permit would be ready that afternoon at about
1:00pm. My wife stated that when they went to pick up the
permit, the Officer was being reamed by the Mayor and seemed
very willing to help from that point on. Nickpap never saw
his 100 EUROs though.
The next
day, two days before the shot, the explosives arrived. They
arrived in the back of an open pickup truck with no placards.
They must not have wanted to advertise their presence to any
terrorists. I found out that 40 grain detonating cord was
40 GRAM detonating cord. It looked like the material used
to sever wellheads in the oilfields. I knew from my gut feeling
that I would rock the neighborhood if I used this material
as designed. Time to re-evaluate. I didn't have much connecting
wire to initiate the shot but had to stretch what I had for
about 900 feet.
Loading
went very well with our crew and it took true dedication for
the workers not to smoke, especially in Europe, during this
phase of operation. I was amazed at the motivational fortitude
people will show to have a cigarette. The hook-up time went
well and we were finally ready for an implosion the next day.
We than
sat down at the site to discuss any remaining safety concerns.
Concerned about the intrusion of people, I asked Nickpap about
tort laws in Greece and he stated that "if you get hit
by a car you better pray that someone will help you get to
the hospital."
NADC-member
Protec Documentation Services from Rancocas, NJ arrived the
evening before to execute the pre-blast surveys and begin
installing seismographs for vibration monitoring.
That
evening I sat down with Nickpap and Pascale to discuss particulars
about the shot. You know…concrete strength, etc. Pascale
stated that his firm has demolished a lot of concrete structures.
The methods used are to pour acid on the concrete and dissolve
it! My curiosity stirred up and I asked why. He stated that
the asbestos dissolves very easy with acid. They use a lot
of asbestos in their concrete. I gathered from that, and the
transite siding contained in some of the demo'd structures,
that asbestos is not a major concern there! I will make the
drillers wear respirators next time when drilling the columns
though!
The big
day had come. We were about to perform the first building
implosion in Greece. 125 kilograms of Donorit sequenced over
four seconds was the final determination for dropping three
banks of silos contained in the 5-9 story structures. I ran
out the final detonating cord and hooked up the initiators.
Things were going smooth so far.
The
team had the opportunity to set aside some time to discuss
final details, Protec had two representatives who were ready
to monitor at four different locations as well as perform
all the necessary photographic and video documentation. All
pre-blast surveys were conducted with no substantial concerns
with the existing conditions. I felt relaxed because all buildings,
including the nearby residences, were constructed of reinforced
concrete.
Vehicular
traffic was ordered to stop at 11:45 AM and it was right on
schedule. The siren sequence went very well. The local Mayor
was very excited about pushing the button and our interpreter
communicated his basic responsibilities…"Push the
fire button when he hears the word fire!" Pretty straightforward.
The countdown
began and all the thoughts of every implosion I've done passed
through my mind. Fire! The detonating cord had more "Pop"
than I expected. What lasted for four seconds seemed like
an eternity. Nickpap was yelping so loud I could barely hear
the delays going off. I watched as the central portion collapsed
gently into designated "no-mans-land" while the
remaining structure fell as well. I watched the small cloud
of "dust" dissipate to the west and all were content
with the results.
Demolition
in Greece is still somewhat backward. They cherish keeping
people busy more than doing a lot of volume. That's why they
continue to tear most buildings down by hand.
I saw
the visions of the future that Nickpap had through his new
affiliation with the NADC. He was very proud to be a member
of both the NADC and EDA, factors that will play a significant
role in adding credibility to his company and the acquisition
of work in Greece.
For my
twenty plus years of being an NADC member, I never truly thought
about my NADC affiliation simply because most criteria for
doing work in the US gives zero consideration to such affiliations;
doctors have to be board certified, lawyers need credentials
and licenses, etc. Wouldn't it be great if being a member
of the NADC would give us consideration for our bid on a job?
Food for thought.
