National Clothesline

New York cleaners will undoubtedly have plenty of things to do this summer, but they shouldn’t overlook the educational offerings available at the National Cleaners Association’s drycleaning school located at 252 W. 29th St.

Over the next few months, a variety of topics will be covered on the premises — in both Korean and English — so cleaners won’t really have an excuse not to update their drycleaning skills.

On Sunday, June 12, NCA will host an eight-hour course on “Inspecting and Packaging” that will run from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The cost will be $250 for members and $275 for non-members.

In the following month, a five-day Intensive Drycleaning/Stain Removal course will be taught in Korean starting on June 11. The class will meet every day that week from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Course fees are $750 for members and $995 for non-members.

The same course will be repeated in English beginning on August 15. The class tuition is the same.

Two days of Department of Environmental Conservation certification classes are planned in Korean on consecutive Sundays in July. Class hours are from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on July 17 and 24. Members must pay $509 each and non-members must pay $975 each to attend.

English-speaking cleaners can attend the same certification classes during the following month on August 7 and 14.

Also coming up is a five-day course entitled “Managing For the Millennium” that will meet from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Aug. 22-26. Plant owners and managers can expect to pay $750 each if they are NCA members and $995 each if they are not.

For more information on upcoming NCA classes, visit them online at www.nca-i.com or call (212) 967-3002.

Three people were injured — two suffered from serious burns — when a steam tank exploded recently at Modern Tech Cleaners, located in the Bronx, NY.

Fire officials said that an over-pressurized steam tank exploded while the industrial drycleaning business’s chief mechanic and his assistant were cleaning it.

The two employees received second-degree burns on 70-80% of their bodies and were taken immediately to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment. A third person received minor injuries but refused medical attention.

Early reports had falsely indicated that a fourth person had died in the blast. However, over 50 other employees were evacuated from the building while fire officials investigated.

FDNY officials noted that the damage was limited because the steam tank was located in a boiler room isolated off from the rest of the building.

“There was no fire, just an explosion and the tank failed throwing metal and we have some structural damage to the building,” said FDNY Battalion Chief Brian Sheehan.

At the time of the investigation, fire officials were still unclear of why the tank exploded.

Once his employees were treated for the injuries, plant manager Gabe Blau focussed on opening the doors for business again.

He told NY1 News. “We don’t need that room. We can operate without it; we’re worried about our customers.”