Theresa Rounseville

Theresa Rounseville's interest in the Kingman BLEVE came full circle when she took a job as a Refinery Operator in 2017. As a condition of employment, she was required to be a member of the fire crew and receive basic fire fighting training. Members of her training class had no idea how catastrophic a BLEVE can be. Theresa knew. She grew up in Kingman, Arizona. The youngest of nine children, her father, Dr. Eugene Rounseville was the medical examiner for Mohave County for over 25 years. Her brother Chris Rounseville was near the hot zone when the BLEVE occurred. Chris sustained burns on his arms from the blast.

Theresa has firsthand experience responding to a propane leak. In January of 2020, a leak was detected on a propane pipeline in a processing unit called Alkylation. The response was quick, and the fire crew was able to secure the line and allow the propane to bleed off safely.

Theresa became interested in writing a screenplay about the Kingman BLEVE because of her experience working in the refinery. She wants to honor the firefighters for their sacrifice, but she also wants to tell the human story of the citizens of Kingman.

Taking on the task of writing a screenplay took Theresa down a path into creativity that she never knew existed within her. Seeing the vision in her head and putting that to paper was an accomplishment itself. Her next step is to see if her vision can become a reality. She does so with thoughtful consideration to the families and to Kingman. She wants to tell a story that will make them proud.