[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Glocester 9-15-1994
(Ch. III, § 2, 3-02-05, of the 1991 Code). Amendments noted where
applicable.]
A.
This Hazardous Material Response Annex for the Town of
Glocester has been prepared to meet statutory planning requirements of the
federal Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA Title III),
and to provide for a higher degree of preparedness to deal with incidents
involving hazardous materials.
B.
The plan has been specifically designed to serve as an
annex to the Town's Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) and supplements that
document. Every effort has been made to integrate the Hazardous Materials
Annex with the EOP. In that regard, the plan is consistent with existing authorities,
planning assumptions, systems, and procedures.
A.
Situation. Extremely hazardous substances are being transported
through the Town of Glocester and have the potential for hazardous material
incidents. The transportation routes for these chemicals are: Route 44, Route
102, Snake Hill Road, and Chestnut Hill Road.
B.
Assumptions.
(1)
Potentially dangerous materials are transported through
the Town of Glocester. These materials do not present a threat in their controlled
environment; however, an accidental release could result in hazardous situations.
(2)
Town government along with the three Fire Districts (Harmony/Chepachet/West
Glocester) is responsible for safety measures or precautions that may be required
for public protection until a hazardous situation has been corrected and the
material is again in its controlled environment.
(3)
State and federal government is responsible for providing
needed services and resources which are unavailable to, or not within, the
capabilities of local government.
A.
Notification of procedures.
(1)
This procedure reflects the belief that state response
personnel must be immediately notified of a release.
(2)
When a hazardous materials incident occurs, notification
of the incident can be received in several ways. Most incidents will be reported
through the E-911 System to the Glocester Police Department.
(4)
The Dispatch Center shall immediately alert and inform
the local area Fire Department of the emergency notification information.
(5)
At the request of the Incident Commander, the Dispatch
Center shall immediately alert and inform the State Emergency Response Commission
(SERC) of the emergency notification information via the State Spill Hotline,
(401) 274-7745. (The State Spill Hotline is operated by the Rhode Island Emergency
Management Agency. Its purpose is to provide a statewide reporting system
for hazardous materials spills and to initiate the appropriate state response.)
B.
On-scene response operations.
(1)
The first arriving units must assess the situation for
its potential danger to the safety and health of the population in the immediate
area. The area will be restricted immediately by law enforcement agencies
until the danger or potential danger can be assessed. If evacuation of surrounding
areas is warranted, this limited evacuation procedure should be initiated.
A command post will be established. All agency representatives called to the
scene should report to this point. The Incident Commander on scene shall declare
a response level, which may be increased or decreased as more senior officers
arrive. A description of response levels follows:
(a)
Response Level 1- Controlled Emergency Condition:
(b)
Response Level 2 - Limited Emergency Condition:
[1]
Potential threat to life, health, and property;
[2]
Expanded geographic scope;
[3]
Limited evacuation of nearby residents or facilities;
involvement of more than one jurisdiction;
[4]
Specialist or technical team called to the scene;
[5]
Combined emergency operations such as fire fighting and
evacuation, or containment and emergency medical care;
[6]
Requires the establishment of a command post.
(c)
Response Level 3 - Full Emergency Condition:
[1]
Serious hazard or severe threat to life, health and property;
[2]
Large geographic impact;
[3]
Major community evacuation;
[4]
Multi-jurisdictional involvement;
[5]
State and federal involvement;
[6]
Specialists and technical teams deployed;
[7]
Extensive resource management and allocation;
[8]
Multiple emergency operations;
[9]
Requires on-scene command post and activation of the
community Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
(2)
Incident Command System:
(a)
The Senior Officer of the Fire District having jurisdiction
or his designate on scene will act as the Incident Commander (IC) and direct
the on-scene operations and coordinate the efforts of all agencies involved
in on-site emergency operations related to the incident. The IC will act through
the respective agency representatives, who will maintain control over their
respective forces.
(b)
Because of the nature of most hazardous material incidents,
a unified command structure will be used. Under a unified command structure
in the Incident Command System (ICS), the implementation of the action plan
will be done under the direction of a single individual, the operations chief.
The operations chief will normally be from the agency that has the greatest
jurisdictional involvement and will be assigned by the Incident Commander.
(c)
The concept of unified command simply means that all
agencies who have a jurisdictional responsibility at a multijurisdictional
incident contribute to the process of:
(f)
Under this plan, the person in charge of plant personnel
and resources will be part of the unified command structure, in an advisory
capacity.
(g)
Additional agencies may be included in the decision-making
process as their involvement in the mitigation effort increases. At that time
they will become part of the unified command staff and be co-located at the
command post (CP).
(h)
The Fire Department (Incident Commander), the Police
Department, and ranking officer of requested/required responding agencies
will be co-located at the CP with direct access to the Incident Commander.
(i)
The IC will coordinate the mitigation of the hazardous
materials incident, and the RI Department of Environmental Management shall
oversee the clean-up process.
(j)
When activities are judged by the safety officer to be
unsafe and/or to involve an imminent danger condition, the safety officer
shall immediately inform the IC of the existing condition and by mutual agreement
take appropriate action.
(k)
There will be one command post located at the incident
scene. This will be the command post (CP) in close proximity to the incident
where the initial control will be exercised by the IC. An access control point
located a safe distance from the incident at the best access point to the
scene will be controlled by the Police Department.
(l)
A staging area, if implemented, will be located a safe
distance away with good access to the incident and where equipment and personnel
can be assembled for deployment by the IC. All responding agencies will report
to the staging area where the Liaison Officer (LO) will monitor the responding
organizations and advise the Incident Commander of the availability of apparatus,
equipment, and personnel.
C.
Public warning and emergency information.
(1)
General.
(a)
The purpose of this subsection is to provide for timely,
reliable and effective warning to the public in the event of a hazardous material
emergency and to provide emergency information pertaining to the need for
protective actions and provide information on the emergency situation to the
media.
(b)
A release of a hazardous material into the environment
could quickly bring harm to the public. The public, however, can be protected
through the implementation of protective actions. In order for protective
actions to be effective, the public must be first warned, or alerted, that
an emergency exists and, secondly, instructed on what to do.
(2)
Emergency information procedures.
(a)
Door-to-door route alerting.
[1]
Altering and notifying the population by going door to
door is usually the first procedure initiated immediately after an incident.
Sometimes, especially in transportation emergencies, this procedure may be
the only means available for notifying segments of the public. However, door-to-door
route alerting can be very time consuming, a problem in rapidly developing
hazardous material incidents.
[2]
Responders who do not have the proper protective equipment
must not place themselves at risk by entering a toxic atmosphere in an attempt
to alert the population.
(b)
Area route alerting. In this method, motor vehicles equipped
with public address systems travel routes identified by the Incident Commander
to notify people of the emergency situation. The Incident Commander shall
determine the appropriate protective action (sheltering in-place evacuation)
and, in the event an evacuation is necessary, the general direction toward
which evacuees should proceed.
(c)
Emergency Broadcast System (EBS).
[1]
Normally, EBS activation will occur for Level 3 emergencies
(actual or potential) and in the event the entire Town or adjacent communities
may be affected.
[2]
In most cases, it would not be necessary to activate
the statewide EBS to notify the entire state of a hazardous material emergency.
However, the statewide EBS may be utilized to inform listeners to tune to
a particular radio station for further information. Community officials are
encouraged to and may develop an agreement with a local radio station to broadcast
local emergency information.
[3]
Activation of the EBS.
[a]
The Incident Commander shall request that the Civil Defense
Director or his alternate communicate with the RI Emergency Management Agency
(during normal office hours) or the RI State Police to contact radio station
WLKW-AM to stand by for a statewide EBS announcement.
[b]
The Incident Commander shall select the appropriate protective
action, and EBS message, and communicate this to the radio station, through
an appointed communications officer. All communications to the radio station
shall be approved by the IC.
[c]
Communications should be kept open between the radio
station and the Incident Commander at all times for further updates. During
a serious emergency that would require the use of EBS, updates might be required
frequently (at least every 10 minutes).
[d]
Sample EBS messages have been prepared to assist Incident
Commanders. The pertinent details are to be filled in to deal with the actual
situation. See Attachment 2 to this annex.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Attachment 2 is included at the end of this chapter.
D.
Protective actions.
(1)
General: to implement actions that would reduce or eliminate
public and emergency worker exposure to hazardous materials release into the
environment. A release of a hazardous material into the environment could
quickly bring harm to public health and can immediately pose life-threatening
dangers to emergency workers. In-place sheltering and evacuation are protective
actions that the public could take to reduce or eliminate its exposure to
a hazardous material.
(2)
Implementing public protective action. The Incident Commander
shall be responsible for ordering initial protective actions. In a large-scale
protective action, representatives of the Town Council shall be notified.
To be effective, protective actions must be started as soon as the hazard
is recognized by the Incident Commander. Windborne chemical plumes travel
the speed of the wind. For example, if a light breeze of five miles per hour
is blowing, the plume will travel approximately five miles in one hour or
one mile in 12 minutes.
(a)
In-place sheltering. Evacuation during incidents involving
chemicals is sometimes, but by no means always, necessary. Airborne toxicants
can be released and move downwind so rapidly that there would be no time to
evacuate residents. For short-term releases, often the most prudent course
of action for the protection of the nearby residents would be to remain inside
with the doors and windows and the heating and air conditioning systems shut
off. An airborne release will frequently move past quickly. Additionally,
vulnerable populations, such as the sick and elderly, may sustain more injury
during evacuation than they would by staying inside and putting simple countermeasures
into effect.
(b)
Evacuation. Accidental releases of hazardous materials
may require the evacuation of the population. These areas can include those
directly affected by toxic fumes and those that may be potentially affected
during the course of the incident. Evacuation is a complex undertaking. The
considerations to the evacuation plan include:
[1]
The specific area to evacuate;
[2]
Protective gear to be worn to conduct evacuation/alert;
[3]
Instructions to be given to evacuees;
[4]
Transportation of evacuees who are without private transportation;
[5]
Assistance to special populations;
[6]
Shelter locations;
[7]
Security for evacuated areas;
[8]
Traffic and pedestrian control;
[9]
Communication procedures.
(3)
Terminating protective actions. The Incident Commander
shall authorize persons to reenter affected or threatened areas when the RI
Department of Health and/or RI Department of Environmental Management advises
that reentry is safe.
A.
The Town Council President.
(1)
The Town Council President serves as the spokesperson
for the Town of Glocester. The Town Council President shall inform the public
of what has happened and what the Town is doing about it. The Town Council
President is also the spokesperson on behalf of the Town of Glocester to the
Governor, congressional and statehouse representatives.
(2)
The Town Council President is responsible for making
emergency policy decisions, and has the authority to:
(a)
Declare a state of emergency for the Town of Glocester;
(b)
Compel the evacuation of all or part of the Town of Glocester;
(c)
Suspend rules and regulations;
(d)
Additional powers may be found in R.I.G.L. Chapter 30-15.
(e)
If the incident is severe, the Town Council President
will summon department heads to the Town Hall, to review and develop an appropriate
plan of action.
B.
C.
The Town Solicitor.
(1)
During a major emergency, the Town Solicitor shall be
represented at the Town Hall and provide guidance on formulating emergency
policy decisions.
(2)
Keeping the Town's future legal interests in mind,
the Glocester Town Solicitor shall ensure that actions taken by the Town Council
are based upon adequate legal foundations.
(3)
The Town Solicitor shall assist in the writing of emergency
executive orders.
D.
Fire service. Upon response to a hazardous material incident,
the officer in charge shall determine the incident category and ensure that
dispatch makes the appropriate notifications.
(1)
Determine or verify the type of material involved and,
if possible, the nature of the hazard. Keep up wind, up-grade, and at a safe
distance.
(2)
Give the fire dispatch center a situation report describing
in brief terms what they see, what information they have been given, and what
action they are taking. The situation report should be updated every 15 minutes
or if the situation changes dramatically. The amount of product involved or
the department's ability to handle the situation does not alter the fact
that a hazardous material incident exits. When there is any doubt about the
identity of a product it shall be considered hazardous until it has been identified
and proven to be otherwise.
(3)
Take appropriate action to mitigate the hazards, stabilize
the situation, rescue any injured or trapped persons (without exposing first
responders to hazardous chemicals) or evacuate the area.
(4)
Ensure that the following agencies are notified: Glocester
Police Department, RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the
State Emergency Response Commission (SERC); request additional support agencies
as needed.
(5)
Provide Incident Commander to coordinate initial response
and take action to stabilize the situation. Set up unified command with Police
Department, EMS, DEM, and EMA. At a fixed site, the Incident Commander will
coordinate the emergency services efforts and work jointly with the Facility
Emergency Coordinator.
(6)
Establish a command post, staging area, agency response
area, security perimeter, hot zone. The location of these areas will be passed
on to other responding agencies.
(7)
Provide a Liaison Officer (LO) to set up the agency response
area.
(8)
Provide a Public Information Officer (PIO) or appoint
a person to coordinate the press and electronic media at the scene.
(9)
Standby scene as long as situation exists.
(10)
Conduct decontamination as required upon the advice of
the state Department of Environmental Management or Health Department.
(11)
When the situation is stabilized, transfer the situation
over to the State Department Of Environmental Management for clean-up operations.
Fire Service personnel will standby and assist as required.
E.
Dispatch Center.
(1)
Dispatch the appropriate department based upon the information
received.
(2)
As soon as it has been determined that a hazardous material
incident exists, contact the State Spill Hotline at 274-7745 to initiate the
appropriate state response when authorized by the Incident Commander.
(3)
Take necessary steps to warn municipalities and the public
in the area affected when directed to do so by the Incident Commander.
(4)
Have on hand an up-to-date evacuation plan and list of
shelters and special populations for facilities with extremely hazardous substances.
F.
Police.
(1)
In coordination with IC, establish perimeter around incident,
allowing no unauthorized persons into area.
(2)
In coordination with IC, establish access coordination
point for all to enter and exit.
(3)
As necessary or as direct by the IC, conduct evacuations
of the area at risk. Law enforcement officers will not be used in areas where
the atmosphere is contaminated. They do not have the protective clothing and
equipment to operate safely in these areas.
(4)
Provide a person to the command post who can commit personnel
to the situation and make decisions toward mitigation of the incident.
(5)
Develop traffic flows for area and provide this information
to the Liaison Officer.
G.
Planning Department (Town Planner or his designee).
(1)
Serve on the LEPC.
(2)
Collect information necessary for the development of
site-specific contingency plans, such as population demographics, sensitive
environmental data, and topography.
(3)
Provide maps, aerial photographs, and demographics to
the Incident Commander for use in decision making during an actual emergency.
H.
Department of Public Works.
(1)
Determine and evaluate the effects of the incident on
public properties and roads.
(2)
When required, provide a person to represent Public Works
and act as a link to the IC during the incident.
(3)
Coordinate the containment effort by damming, diking,
ditching or other means necessary to prevent spread of contamination, as directed
by the IC.
(4)
Assist in the decontamination of personnel, equipment,
and the environment as required.
(5)
Provide barricades for traffic control.
(6)
Transport fuel for emergency vehicles at the scene of
a long-term incident.
I.
Glocester Emergency Management Agency (Civil Defense).
(1)
Identify special needs people within the community that
might require special assistance during an emergency.
(2)
Staff the emergency operations center (EOC), and ensure
staffing by other appropriate agencies.
(3)
Obtain resources as requested by the Incident Commander.
(4)
General situation reports for the Chief Executive Officer
(Town Council President), or state or federal authorities.
(5)
Maintain close coordination with the Red Cross and/or
shelter managers regarding shelter operations; assist with the procurement
of shelter resources.
(6)
Prior to an emergency, identify disabled citizens that
might require special assistance during an emergency.
(7)
Ensure that the community's emergency operating
plan is reviewed and updated annually.
J.
School Department.
(1)
Upon request and in conjunction with the Red Cross/and/or
IC, open congregate-care shelters for evacuees when required.
(2)
Establish feeding for evacuees in conjunction with congregate-care
shelters.
(3)
Establish procedures within every school to rapidly implement
sheltering in place protective actions.
K.
Bus Transportation Company.
(1)
When requested by the Incident Commander, provide school
bus transportation for evacuees.
L.
Community Emergency Coordinator. SARA Title III Section
303 requires the appointment of a Emergency Coordinator. The Community Emergency
Coordinator shall:
M.
Red Cross.
(1)
Open and operate shelter(s) for evacuees should residents
in the community need to be evacuated.
(2)
Upon request, provide canteen service for on-scene working
personnel should incident be of long duration.
(3)
Upon request, provide individual with radio to Incident
Commander to represent and act as a link to Red Cross during the incident.
N.
RI Department of Environmental Management. A representative
of this agency is part of the unified command at hazardous material incidents.
(1)
Determine degree of hazard to personnel and environment;
provide this information to the IC.
(2)
Determine degree and evaluate short- and long-term hazards
to surrounding community, personnel, and the environment.
(3)
When notified by the Fire Department that the incident
is stabilized, approve the clean-up, salvage, decontamination and/or disposal
operations.
(4)
Ensure that the local, state, and federal law, codes,
and regulations have been complied with prior to and during the incident.
(5)
Determine and evaluate the airborne hazards caused by
the incident.
O.
RI Emergency Management Agency.
(1)
Provide technical expertise.
(2)
Provide wind speed and direction to the Incident Commander.
(3)
Operate the state's mobile hazardous material response
vehicle; provide communications and coordination among adjacent jurisdictions.
(4)
Provide evacuation recommendations based upon computer
air modeling programs and chemical reference library.
(5)
Coordinate response from other state and federal agencies,
such as the State Police, National Weather Service, FEMA, EPA.
(6)
Request assistance from the Federal Regional Response
Team when incident exceeds capabilities of state and local resources.
(7)
The RI EMA can provide an extensive library of technical
information from on-board books and computer databases, cellular computer
modem linkages, and receipt of cellular fax from manufacturers.
P.
Industry.
(1)
Facilities storing any of the 360 extremely hazardous
substances above the threshold planning quantity must name an employee as
a "facility emergency coordinator."
(2)
The facility emergency coordinator must participate in
the community's planning process.
(3)
Under Sections 311 and 312 of SARA Title III, facilities
must submit chemical inventory information annually, to the State and Local
Emergency Planning Committees, and the local Fire Department.
(4)
Facilities that do not have any extremely hazardous substance
on site as defined by SARA Title III, but may present a risk to the community
if there is a release of some other hazardous material, are requested to participate
in the community planning process.
(5)
A facility that is not involved in an incident may, at
the request of state or local government, provide assistance or advice in
mitigating the effects of an actual or threatened release of a hazardous material
(i.e., equipment or technical knowledge). The hazardous waste cleanup good
Samaritan act (R.I.G.L. § 23-19.8) provides that any person or facility
that provides such assistance shall not be subject to civil liabilities or
penalties of any type.
Q.
Wastewater (Glocester Public Works Department).
(1)
Determine and evaluate the effect the incident will have
on sewer and drainage systems and best methods to prevent contamination or
damage to sewer systems.
(2)
Take necessary steps to ensure that sewer and drainage
systems are not contaminated and, if contamination occurs, prevent contamination
or damage to sewer systems.
(3)
Take necessary steps to ensure that drainage systems
are not contaminated and, if contamination occurs, to oversee decontamination
and cleanup.
(4)
Assist in evaluation of potential impact on public health
and safety of any sewer or storm system.
(5)
Serve as a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
(6)
Ensure that local laws, codes, and regulations with regard
to hazardous materials and environment have been complied with prior to and
during an incident.
Logistics is the function that acquires and maintains the necessary
resources to resources to support the overall incident management. The Town
of Glocester should use those resources under its control prior to accessing
outside supplies. State agencies will provide logistical support to responding
agencies within the capabilities of their resources. For major incidents,
the RI EMA may activate the state's disaster response mechanism (i.e.,
the state emergency operations center) to address resource shortfalls.
