Village of Akron, NY Hazardous Materials Response Plan

Set forth a course of action which will minimize hazards to life and property and adverse impacts upon the environment from the release of hazardous material.

Establish procedures to provide for a coordinated effort on the part of the Village of Akron and any outside agencies that may respond to such an emergency.

Identify emergency response organizations, equipment and other resources which can be employed during such a response.

Provide a mechanism to integrate community response procedures within each other.

It is the intent of this plan to be a reference for Village of Akron personnel and a guideline for the handling of hazardous material incidents. It must be recognized that heavy reliance must be placed on obtaining information from the outside sources.

It must also be emphasized that the handling of hazardous material cannot be paralleled to fire-fighting operations. Quick aggressive action has no place at a hazardous material incident and will only lead to unnecessary exposure. These incidents will be time-consuming and involved. All actions taken must be deliberate and planned after properly researching the materials involved.

Should a hazardous materials emergency exist within the Village of Akron, this plan shall be used in conjunction with and considered a part of Chapter 11, Disaster Preparedness Plan, of the Code of the Village of Akron, the SARA Title III Hazardous Material Emergency Plan and any other plan that may impact the outcome of the incident.

The definition of a "hazardous material" shall be any element, compound or combination thereof which is flammable, corrosive, detonable, toxic, radioactive, an oxidizer, an etiologic agent or highly reactive and which, because of handling, storage, processing or packaging, may have detrimental effects upon operating of emergency personnel, the public or the environment.

Businesses that are considered to be at high risk to the surrounding area, due to a spill or release, are targeted, and a plan is to be developed for the building and its contents.

This plan meets the requirements of OSHA 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, dated March 6, 1989.

§ 21-3 Response to suspected incident.

The response to a suspected hazardous material incident shall be as follows:

Stop and park far enough away from the incident site so as not to introduce an ignition source.

Approach the incident from an upwind direction, if possible.

Move and keep people away from the incident scene.

Do not walk into or touch any spilled material.

Avoid inhaling fumes, smoke and vapors.

Do not assume that gases or vapors are harmless because of a lack of smell.

Establish a perimeter. This area should be observed by all personnel until a tactical plan has been established.

Identify the material or materials involved.

Establish an incident command structure and relay the location to the dispatcher with any other available details.

Determine a level for the incident and follow the procedures as outlined in this manual.

Determine, from a safe distance, what material is involved by interpreting transportation placard identification numbers, shipping papers, container labels, employee or witness interviews, etc. The United States Department of Transportation Guidebook (DOT P 5800.5) is an excellent reference and is carried in all fire and police vehicles and has been issued to the Department of Public Works.

Never eat, smoke or drink in the area of possible hazardous materials release.

Without protective clothing, you may not be able to assist anyone without becoming a victim yourself. If you or anyone becomes contaminated or exposed, report this immediately to your Mayor or to emergency personnel at the site if your Mayor is not available.

Remember that common sense always prevails.

§ 21-4 Agency responsibilities.

The primary responsibilities of the first responder (fire, police, ambulance, etc.) is to determine the potential hazards to life, health, property and environment resulting from the incident. If it is determined that the incident presents a potentially hazardous situation, the responder should promptly communicate the appropriate information, through their respective bases, to the authority having jurisdiction. The first responder should then initiate the following action:

Evacuate from the incident site all nonemergency personnel.

Establish a preliminary perimeter.

Identify the material involved.

Establish an on-scene command post.

Determine if evacuation or community notification is needed and the geographical area likely to be impacted.

Isolate contaminated persons in a safe location.

Turn over command to the lead agency when they arrive, to the most qualified senior officer. The first responder should brief the Incident Command Officer regarding the extent of injuries or damage and the status of efforts to control the incident.

§ 21-5 Lead agency.

One individual must be recognized as having responsibility for overall coordination. The on-site individual having this responsibility will be designated from the lead agency and will serve as the Incident Command Officer.

In Erie County, the Fire Department will normally be the lead agency responding to hazardous materials incidents and will designate an Incident Command Officer (Level 0 and 1).

If a crime is in progress, which may include some chemical emergencies, it may be necessary for the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to participate in a joint command operation.

In extremely serious incidents, the lead agency responsibility may escalate to the Mayor or the County Executive (Level 2 and 3).

§ 21-6 Incident Commander.

The operational official from the lead agency will, upon arrival, normally serve as the Incident Commander. Assignment of responsibilities to all other emergency response units will be coordinated by this individual.

The Incident Commander will:

Direct on-scene operations to ensure that needed objectives are identified and assignments made, including hazard assessments and debriefing of the first responder.

Coordinate actions through support agency representatives who will retain control of their respective forces under the Erie County Incident Command Systems (ICS) guidelines.

Staff the on-site command post as needed to handle the operation.

Establish the zones for the incident and define the limits of each.

Make assignments to incident command as needed, with responsibilities for:

(a)

Securing the area.

(b)

Community notification/evacuation/sheltering.

(c)

Rescue.

(d)

Fire and loss control.

(e)

Diking and neutralizing.

(f)

Re-entry and recovery.

(g)

Other areas of responsibility as may be required of the ICS, dependent on the incident's magnitude.

Establish geographic areas to serve as functional sectors to support operations. Functional sectors could include:

(a)

Resources and logistics.

(b)

Medical and health analysis.

Decontamination.

Planning.

Public information.

Staging for additional manpower and equipment.

(7)

Determine the need for notification/evacuation/sheltering of an area and, when necessary, notify proper law enforcement representative who will initiate the proper actions.

(8)

Establish an incident command system structure by activating appropriate elements as needed.

§ 21-7 Emergency response agency responsibilities.

Fire Department.

Fire Department responsibilities may include the identification of materials, bringing fires under control and containment of spills.

The Fire Department coordinates and notifies appropriate authorities to implement the safe removal of a spilled material and monitors the cleanup and site decontamination.

Law enforcement. Law enforcement duties may include securing the immediate area at the scene of the incident, rerouting traffic and limiting access to the area to emergency personnel only. If arriving as the first responder, actions should follow outline of first responder.

Emergency medical services (EMS). Emergency medical services will provide medical attention to persons injured in a hazardous material incident. Additionally, EMS agencies working with the Incident Commander will have responsibilities for:

Establishing a medical sector.

Maintaining communications with hospitals.

Triage, treatment and transport of victims.

Maintaining surveillance of response personnel for contamination, fatigue or injury.

Directing injured to the proper medical facility.

Assisting as required in the movement of mobility impaired and special populations.

Hazardous material response team.

The hazardous material response team (HMRT) will identify the hazard, its potential implications and provide information to the Incident Commander.

The HMRT operations will be in accordance with appropriate OSHA and CERCLA regulations.

The HMRT will provide overall technical assistance as required and work with qualified industrial representatives.

Facility operator/transporter. Representatives will be responsible for the reporting of a hazardous materials release greater than the reportable quantity or a condition that could result in an incident that may affect response personnel, the population or the environment. In addition, actions under § 21-4, regarding the first responder, should be followed until the emergency personnel arrive on the scene.

Office of Emergency Services. If requested by the Incident Commander, the Office of Emergency Services shall:

Provide an on-scene coordinator to act as an advisor and to facilitate off-scene logistical/technical support.

Establish the emergency operations center (EOC).

Provide coordination activities between response groups.

Provide coordination of elements in the county government, community and other private agencies.

Provide command and control on behalf of the County Executive upon an Article 2-B declaration.

Serve as the principal coordinator of state and federal agency response and information.

Erie County Health/New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Department of Health will provide overall review of the impact of a hazardous materials incident on the health of personnel and the environment. The Department of Health shall support the Incident Commander:

With assessment and evaluation services.

With informing the public of potential or actual health impact upon the population.

With review of any aspects of environmental impact in coordination with other responsible agencies, including but not limited to public water supplies, sewage and waste disposal, commercial and recreational facilities.

By providing medical examiner support, as required.

With coordinating medical services with responsible agencies and medical facilities.

Emergency Medical Service Coordinator. The Emergency Medical Service Coordinator (EMS) acts as the representative of the County Health Director in advising and assisting the Incident Commander (IC) on the treatment of injured persons. The EMS will respond upon request of the IC and provide:

Assistance in the immediate care and welfare of victims.

Coordination with responding ambulance services for providing the full range of EMS services.

Recommendations on emergency vehicle routes and corridors for response and transport of personnel to and from treatment facilities.

Other county and village agencies. Depending upon the incident, other governmental agencies may be required to support the containment, control and recovery. These requirements could include: transportation, public works equipment and manpower, specialized personnel, materials and communications. The Incident Commander may request such support directly or via the emergency operations center (EOC).

State and federal agencies.

State and federal laws may require the notification of other governmental agencies. Such notification is generally activated upon a declaration of a Level 3 incident or at the request of the Incident Commander, through the EOC. In accordance with state and federal laws, the facility-transporter is responsible for the notification if the material spilled or released is of a reportable quantity.

Generally, the primary role of these agencies will be to assist the local emergency response agencies and ensure that the parties responsible for the incident provide adequate cleanup. In most cases, state and federal personnel will only be dispatched to the scene of major incident.

Red Cross. Congress has established the American Red Cross as the principal organization to undertake relief activities during times of disaster. The Erie Chapter Red Cross services include:

Identifying and staffing emergency shelters.

Providing food to victims and emergency workers.

Assisting with evacuation and distribution of emergency supplies.

Training personnel in self-support for facility evacuation.

Conducting a local damage assessment to provide support from regional and national Red Cross. The Red Cross is designated lead agency for coordination of volunteer relief agencies in disaster operations.

Akron Central School District.

The Akron Central School District, in cooperation with the Village of Akron Disaster Planning Committee, has developed procedures that will assist the Incident Commander in the decisionmaking process for the residents and students of Akron. The Akron Central Plan includes:

(a)

Emergency closing procedures.

(b)

District data of inventories, vehicles and phone numbers.

(c)

General procedures with action plans.

(d)

Environmental problems.

Akron Central will be the first agency notified within the Village of Akron for transportation and sheltering of evacuees. The IC will coordinate this activity with a representative of the Akron Central School District. (See Village of Akron Disaster Plan Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Resource Directory).

§ 21-8 Level 0 incident.

Level 0 is an incident or threat of a release that can be controlled by the first response agency. It will not require an evacuation of other than the involved structure. The incident is confined to a small area and does not pose an immediate threat to life, property or the environment.

Personal protection will be turnout gear or a Level C splash suit. It will also be an incident that will not require additional support personnel, nor will it compromise the safety of personnel working the incident. It will also form a backup team of at least two people at all times. Command personnel will follow the criteria for a "small incident," as defined in 1910.120, page 9335, paragraph 6.

All Fire Department members will be trained to a first responders operations level. Police, ambulance and Department of Public Works personnel will be trained to a first responders awareness level. These training levels are defined in 1910.120(Q)(6)(i) and 1910.120(O)(6)(ii).

§ 21-9 Level 1 incident.

Level 1 is an incident or threat of a release which can be controlled by the first response agencies and does not require evacuation of other than the involved structure or the immediate outdoor area. The incident is confined to a small area and does not pose an immediate threat to life or property.

Response Level 1	Criteria
Controlled emergency condition	Incident controlled by primary first response agencies of a local jurisdiction
	Single jurisdiction and limited agency involvement
	Does not require evacuation, except for the structure or affected facility
	Confined geographic area
	No immediate threat to life, health or property
Dispatch	Local Haz-Mat Team response New York State Police Erie County Sheriff
Announce	Wind speed and direction

At this level of activation, the dispatcher will make the necessary notifications to agencies that are required to be notified automatically.

At this level, outside agencies are only being notified, with the exception of the County Health Department, which is being dispatched.

§ 21-10 Level 2 incident.

Level 2 is an incident involving a greater hazard or larger area which poses a potential threat to life or property and which may require a limited evacuation of the surrounding area.

Response Level 2	Criteria
Limited emergency condition	Potential threat to life, health or property
	Expanded geographic scope
	Limited evacuation of nearby residents or facilities
	Involvement of two or more jurisdictions; limited participation from agencies that do not routinely respond to emergency incidents in our area
	Specialist or technical personnel called to scene
	Combined emergency operations, such as fire fighting and evacuation, or containment and emergency medical operations
Dispatch	Local Haz-Mat Team Erie County Haz-Mat Team New York State Police Erie County Sheriff County Emergency Medical Service DEC Representative
Notify	The Incident Commander will contact the Mayor at this level

At this level of activation, the dispatcher will make the necessary notifications to agencies that are required to be notified and respond. They will be responding to either the OEP or the incident command post.

The incident will be managed by an Akron Command Team, and a joint command will be established to work with other agencies.

§ 21-11 Level 3 incident.

Level 3 is an incident involving a severe hazard or a large area which poses an extreme threat to life and property and will probably require large scale evacuation or an incident requiring the expertise or resources of county, state, federal or private agencies/organizations.

Response Level 3	Criteria
Full emergency condition	Serious hazard or severe threat to life, health or the environment
	Large geographic impact
	Major community evacuation or sheltering
	Multijurisdictional involvement
	Possibility of state and federal involvement
	Specialist and technical teams may be used
	Extensive resource management and allocation
	Multiemergency operations
Dispatch	Local Haz-Mat Team
	Erie County Haz-Mat Team
	New York State Police
	Erie County Sheriff
	Mayor
	County Emergency Medical
	Service
	State Emergency Medical
	Service
	DEC Representative

At this level of activation, the dispatcher will make the necessary notifications to agencies that are required to be notified and respond, and they will be directed to either the OEP or the incident command post.

§ 21-12 Public notification.

In the event of a disaster situation, the responding fire officer may receive additional information from either the Amherst Fire Control dispatch or from 911.

The declaration of an event or a hazardous materials incident will normally be made by the first unit on the scene.

A hazardous materials declaration by the IC will require the IC to determine the level, based on the criteria as outlined in the Erie County Hazardous Materials Emergency Plan.

In the event of any other disaster, the IC will direct the dispatch to notify those people and agencies as deemed necessary to the incident.

Alert will be done either by activation of the Emergency Broadcast Network or by calling the television and radio stations to request their assistance.

The primary means of alerting, at this time, is the writing of an announcement and giving it to police and fire vehicles with public address systems aboard. The system will be a five-second siren, followed by the announcement, twice. The unit will continue on and follow the same steps at the next stop, estimated to be approximately 250 feet from the prior stop. Notification may also be made by going door to door. This will be time-consuming, and it is most likely that this procedure will not be as productive, due to the time.

The announcement used for sheltering or evacuation notification should be specific as to proper sheltering procedures or instructions for transportation, locations of shelters or staging areas for evacuees.

Plans for those with special needs will be addressed by the command team and relayed to those who will be charged with notification or evacuation of these people.

§ 21-13 Evacuation and shelters.

In the event of an emergency which mandates evacuation, or at the direction of the Incident Commander, village residents will be evacuated to locations within the village whenever possible or feasible.

The Akron Central School Emergency Plan addresses school evacuations when school is in session; school administrators are directed to work with incident command.

Incident command and village officials have the option to use any Akron public school facility for an evacuation center. Notification to the Akron Central School Emergency contacts may be made on a twenty-four-hour basis, 365 days per year.

Sheltering can be facilitated by the Erie County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the Red Cross. Multijurisdictional evacuations or incidents will be coordinated through OES with incident command approval.

§ 21-14 Staging/shelter sites.

In most situations, mass sheltering can be facilitated by the Erie County Office of Emergency Services and the Red Cross. The occasion may arise where an Incident Commander must make an immediate decision to evacuate an area when, in the judgment of the IC, there is not time to activate the normal resources. The Erie County Office of Emergency Services and the Red Cross developed a list of staging areas and shelter sites for the use of Incident Commanders in such situations. When it is necessary to use a listed site in an extreme emergency, it is essential that the Erie County Office of Emergency Services and Red Cross be notified as soon as possible.

Movement to the listed sites will also affect the immediate availability of:

Staging areas where vehicles can be sent.

Shelter sites where evacuees can be made comfortable.

Akron Central School. (See Village of Akron Disaster Plan Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Resource Directory. The list contains primary sites within the township, Akron Central School, 47 Bloomingdale Avenue, Akron, New York 14001.)

§ 21-15 Minor fuel spill incident (Level 0).

This category is meant for the common, routine, minor fuel spill incidents which usually involve a motor vehicle leaking fuel. This category was formally referred to as a "flush job."

Level 0 refers to a hazardous materials circumstance or incident which does not significantly impact or threaten life, property or the environment.

Dispatch: Fire Department.

Notify: New York State Police.

It is the policy of the Fire Departments, in accordance with the New York State DEC and the Erie County Health Department, that we will not flush a petroleum product unless there is an imminent fire danger or it is deemed to be the only means available to mitigate a dangerous situation.

The following are the guidelines established by the Erie County Health Department and the New York State DEC:

Notify the Erie County Health Department on all spills, regardless of quantity.

Never flush petroleum or other hazardous materials into the ground.

Never flush petroleum products or other hazardous materials that are pooled.

Before flushing into a sewer system, call the Village of Akron Sewer Department, depending on the system you will be flushing into.

Do not flush any quantity into a separate storm sewer.

If it is necessary, use a minimum of 300 gallons of water for up to 25 gallons of product.

Reportable quantity 10 gallons — DEC.

Remember, the order of priorities is: life, property, then the environment.

§ 21-16 Fumes incident (Level 0).

This category is meant for the common, routine fumes incidents which occur in a building or outside. It includes natural gas fumes or leaks, sewer fumes and other unknown or nonspecified odors.

Level 0 refers to a hazardous materials circumstance or incident which does not significantly impact or threaten life, property or the environment.

Dispatch: Fire Department.

If natural gas fumes, dispatch National Fuel, 24 hours, 1-800-444-3130.

Notify: Erie County Health Department, Division of Public Health Engineering, 24 hours, 898-4225

If the fumes are the result of a spill, and the fumes might enter the sewer system, notify the Village of Akron Sewer Department, phone number: 542-2812.

If the fumes are the result of a spill, and there is a possibility of an explosion in the Sewer Plant, notify Village of Akron, Department of Public Works, 24 hours, phone number: 542-2680.

Note: Dispatch local Haz-Mat Team if unknown to assist in identification and location (metering, etc.).

§ 21-17 Decontamination.

This is an area of primary importance that must be addressed early in the incident. Decontamination procedures are a necessity if a person has been exposed to hazardous materials through contact. This contact may be on the clothing, skin or in the air of an affected area. Persons must be decontaminated prior to an ambulance transporting, and it is the Fire Department's responsibility.

Decontamination, as it applies to a Fire Department's operation, is routinely limited to a washdown with a soap and water solution. The response personnel and the exposed victims need to be taken care of prior to leaving the scene. If more involved decontamination is required, dispatch local Haz-Mat Team.

Containment of water, if possible, is desired by the DEC and County Health Department.

Decontamination will be at the direction of the Incident Commander and will be accomplished utilizing procedures as outlined within the Erie County Hazardous Materials Response Plan.

§ 21-18 Critique of response and follow-up.

At a time agreed upon by the Incident Commander and the lead persons of each agency responding to an incident, there will be a critique of the event to discuss how to respond to similar incidents more safely and efficiently through the experience gained from the incident being addressed. The critique will also address how to prevent the current incident from recurring and any details that may need to be followed up.

§ 21-19 General policies.

The Village of Akron and the Fire Departments, as primary response agencies to incidents involving the release of hazardous substances, shall not accept responsibility for spilled or released hazardous materials beyond preventing loss of life and or property and preventing contamination of unaffected areas. The Incident Commander shall identify the source of the spill or release and the responsible party as soon as possible. Responsibility for the spilled or released hazardous materials shall remain with the spiller, facility or owner of the material.

Life safety shall be of prime concern at the scene of a hazardous materials incident and shall take precedence over prevention of further environmental contamination. Rescue of persons immediately involved in the incident shall be attempted only if there is a reasonable chance for success without risking the well-being of the rescuer(s). In the event of life-safety concerns, the Incident Commander shall take whatever actions are deemed necessary to prevent death or injury. The Incident Commander shall order evacuation of the area affected by the release if it is determined that the conditions present are immediately dangerous to life and health or beyond the response capability of the Fire Departments.

The Fire Departments will not clean up spilled material beyond bagging small amounts of speedy dry used to pick up material, such as motor fuels. Maximum quantity of material (including product and cleanup materials) produced as a result of mitigation activities shall not exceed 100 kilograms (220 lb). Where possible, disposal of all waste produced as a result of mitigation activities shall be the responsibility of the spiller. In cases where the spiller or owner of the material has not been identified, the Incident Commander shall request the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for assistance with procedures for disposal of hazardous waste material.

§ 21-20 Working through the incident.

As the lead agency in an emergency which involves hazardous materials, the officers and fire fighters of a department assume a role that is unique to the traditional fire, EMS service. Hazardous material emergencies is a field that has governmental regulations attached as to how they are handled and managed. They carry with them the possibility of persons being displaced from their homes for extended periods of time, major environmental consequences, the threat of danger to those we are entrusted to protect, as well as a significant threat to the health and well-being of those responding to such an incident. It is with these thoughts in mind that this guide was written to assist you in determining a course of action that will limit liability and at the same time give you the leverage to objectively handle an incident that is of confirmed limited consequence to the public or the fire fighter.

The first step of the process must come from the person taking the call. This person should ask questions that will provide the responder with the information needed prior to arrival at the scene.

If a dispatcher receives a report of an incident which involves hazardous materials, he should get the following information from the caller:

The material that is spilled or leaking.

The quantity of material.

The name of the material (proper spelling).

Shipper's name.

Type of container, i.e., drum, tank, box, bottle, etc.

This information should be made available to the responder prior to arrival so that proper tactics may be initiated upon arrival.

The first unit on the scene should:

Approach cautiously; resist the urge to rush in.

Secure the area.

Make contact with the driver or facility representative.

Gather information on the product and stand by.

The first officer on the scene should:

Make contact with the first unit on the scene and evaluate the information at hand.

Establish perimeters.

Determine level of incident.

Determine a course of action that will minimize exposure to the fire fighter and the general public.

It is at this point when you should evaluate your information and decide what your course of action will be. Remember: a problem well-defined is half-solved.

There is a process used at the national level that is appropriate for those first on the scene to use; it is called the D.E.C.I.D.E.

Detect the presence of a hazardous material.

Estimate the likely harm without intervention.

Choose response objectives.

Identify action options.

Do the best option.

Evaluate the progress.

Options are limited:

You may decide that you will set your perimeters, remove people in the immediate area and wait. This is a very real option that must be considered, depending on the material, the size of the release or spill and the number of personnel you have available that are trained to handle the problem.