News

The subject of a recent hearing before the Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee was the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Company that occurred in West, Texas on April 17^th of this year. Ammonium nitrate was involved in the explosion that killed more than a dozen people, injured more than 160 and damaged or destroyed more than 150 structures.

One of the people to testify before the committee, Texas State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy, presented a briefing called Ammonium Nitrate Estimated Blast Effects. This report was prepared by Aristatek Inc. for the Williamson County Hazmat Team. The team, as well as the state, wanted a method of predicting damage with different quantities of the substance for estimating the potential dangers were it to explode.

Aristatek's brief includes a blast effects table for ammonium nitrate quantities from one ton to 300 tons. It was prepared using a combination of the company’s hazardous materials response software, PEAC-WMD, and its own in-house chemists and engineers. Aristatek is making the brief available to qualified emergency planning, response and zoning officials through the company’s web site. Information about the brief can be found here. . .

The ammonium nitrate brief should provide a resource for communities with local ammonium nitrate stockpiles to help them understand the possible consequences of storing or shipping this substance. The briefing includes an explosion calculator for open-air explosions which shows the distance that fragmentation will be thrown and calculates overpressure - blast effects that can knock down structures and severely injure individuals

According to Aristatek, “The algorithms were developed for TNT,” but Aristatek’s software  “can compute the TNT equivalent of a substance.”

Emergency Film Group’s program, Inorganic Oxidizers studies response actions for incidents involving ammonium nitrate as well as two other important oxidizers, nitric acid and calcium hypochlorite. To learn more, read here. . .

Response to ammonium nitrate incidents is also covered in Responding to Highway Incidents Involving Commercial Explosives, created for the Institute of Makers of Explosives by Emergency Film Group.

A recent survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed that some of this country’s major cities may not be prepared to handle large radiological dispersal device [RDD] and improvised nuclear device (IND) attacks. Major cities are thought to be the most likely targets of such attacks. The GAO, which is an investigative branch of Congress, recently presented the 68-page report to Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

The GAO concluded that many of these cities have received limited guidance from the federal government and emergency managers who were interviewed voiced a need for both technical and resource assistance from the federal government in order to be prepared in the event of an RDD attack.

The plans and reactions of first responders to the Boston Marathon attacks could be use as a model to follow in "dirty bomb" attacks.

Emergency managers from 27 major cities took part in the study. Most of the cities had assessed what kind of risk they were at for an RDD or IND attack and ranked that risk as being lower than other hazardous risks their municipality faced. Eleven of these cities had completed RDD response plans, and eight had completed IND response plans.  Emergency managers of cities without plans in place said they would rely on their all hazards emergency operations plan or hazard management plan in the event of an attack.

Map of major cities at risk of an attack.

Should such an event occur, the primary responsibility for early response would fall to local government. How that response is handled in those first 24 hours is critical to the impact the actual event has on the public.

Despite the concern over the need for federal government guidance and assistance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA), told the GAO that more guidance may not be needed because that agency expects cities to handle smaller attacks in the same way the currently handle hazardous materials spills, which is with as limited federal government assistance possible.

But GAO found that even for those cities that had some kind of IND attack plan in place, many could not move forward with any response activities without federal assistance. The agency concluded: “Effective response to an RDD or IND attack would require marshaling all available federal, state and local resources to save lives and limit economic damage.”

Their recommendation: “FEMA develop guidance to clarify the early response capabilities needed by cities” for both RDD and IND attacks.

Emergency Film Group’s Terrorism: Radiological Weapons DVD training video is part of the WMD Response Series. This program demonstrates a credible scenario in the use of a dirty bomb, consisting of explosives and radioactive materials. To learn more, read here. . .

Another program in EFG’s library, Radiation Monitoring, teaches emergency personnel in mission specific Operations Level competencies regarding monitoring for radiation at WMD events as well as natural disasters and industrial accidents. More information on this DVD can be found here. . .

There may be secret oil and gas transfer points in your community.

Storage tanks and loading racks for products like heating oil, gasoline and propane cost big money. The siting process can be complicated and time consuming. The construction itself is subject to state and local regulations and national standards. The facilities require extensive security, fire protection features and emergency response plans.

But it seems that some clever operators have found a way around all this by storing products and loading trucks on rural rail sidings - possibly near you. Hazmat teams have begun to catch on to the scheme.

Here’s how it works:  Let’s say you can buy a lot of propane at a very good price during the summer months. If you can hold on to it until winter when prices rise you can make a tidy profit. But costs for storage and trans-loading can cut into the profit. So why not just leave it in the tank car and park it on a quiet siding. When it comes time to bring the product to market, just roll up some pumping equipment and you are ready to load trucks.

No more permits. No inspections. No expensive fencing. No fire protection equipment. No emergency response plans. And the terrorists will never find it. It’s a pretty sweet deal - unless something goes wrong.

And in many states and communities it may well be illegal.

So the takeaway here is to check out the rail sidings in your response area. What’s parked there? How long does it stay there? Do trans-shipment operations take place there? Do you have a response plan for a spill or a fire there? And finally, are the regulatory authorities in your state aware of this activity? If you are not sure who the authority is, start with your state fire marshal.

A railroad siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line.

Emergency Film Group's Hazmat Operations Series is a five-part DVD series that provides OSHA Hazwoper training. With five training videos, it instructs responders on competencies at the Operations Level for responding to a hazardous material incident. This series is also valuable for annual refresher training. For a limited time, EFG is offering the series at almost 40 percent off the regular price. To learn more, read here. . .

A train derailment in Louisiana Sunday night spewed hazardous and highly flammable materials, forcing the evacuation of 100 nearby homes. Police said at least 26 of the 76-car Union Pacific train went off the tracks in the town of Lawtell which is located approximately 60 miles west of Baton Rouge.

According to a Union Pacific spokesperson, one of the cars was leaking a highly corrosive substance known as sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide can cause chemical burns to the skin or lead to permanent blindness if it touches the eyes. A second car was leaking lubricant oil. A third car carrying vinyl chloride was damaged, but was not leaking.

One of the cars in La. train derailment was leaking sodium hydroxide.

Investigators are working to determine what caused the train to derail. The area of track where the incident occurred had just been inspected three hours before the accident.  Workers began replacing the 1800 feed of damaged track the day after the accident. The Governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency in the area of the accident.  US Route 190 was also shut down, but was reopened this morning, with westbound traffic limited to one lane.

Evacuees are being allowed to return to their homes today, escorted by Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) employees, who will monitor the air in each of the homes to ensure readings are normal.

Emergency Film Group’s Sodium Hydroxide & Potassium Hydroxide, a training film about two of the most important caustics used in industry, is part of the HazChem Series of safety training videos. Caustics are strong alkaline chemicals, corrosive to many materials including human tissue. These caustics have also been used in the illegal manufacture of homemade bottle bombs. To learn more, read here. . .

A series of explosions which spawned a 20-by-20 foot fireball at a central Florida propane plant has left nine people injured, with at least five of them in critical condition. The massive explosions happened late Monday night at the Blue Rhino propane exchange plant located in the central Florida town of Tavares.

Preliminary statements from Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith identified either human error or equipment malfunction as the possible cause for the blast and said sabotage is not suspected. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation, as has the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office.

Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Herrell said at a news conference that there were about 53,000 20-gallon tanks - more than a million pounds in all - at the plant.  At the time of the explosion, there were 24 to 26 workers at the plant for an overnight shift.

The explosions could be felt for miles. Firefighters immediately set up a half-mile evacuation area around the plant. Residents were allowed to return to their homes early Tuesday morning. There were reports of trucks parked at the plant going up in “fireballs” as the cylinders they were carrying exploded.

A series of propane tank explosions set of a huge fire in Tavares, FL.

In an interview with Fox News, Tavares Battalion Commander Eric Wages said five workers walked up to a command center firefighters set up near the plant Monday night with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces. He said their arms were outstretched and they were in complete shock.

Gene Williams, a third-shift maintenance worker at the plant, is being credited with rescuing a forklift operator who was engulfed in flames. Williams found the victim on the loading dock area and put the man into a van, just as cylinders began exploding and raining back down to the ground. He quickly got the man to the hospital.

According to Williams, the forklift driver told him, “I did what they told me to do, I did what they told me to do, and then this happened,” indicating to Williams that the cause of the explosion may be a “combination of human error and bad practices, possibly. I don't want to speculate any further, that's

In 2011, OSHA fined Blue Rhino in 2011 over a “serious” safety violation involving tools and equipment. The violation was due to an air nozzle at the facility that had a missing component.

Emergency Film Group’s Propane, Butane & Propylene is part of the HazChem Series of safety training videos. This program focuses on propane, butane and propylene are the most common liquefied petroleum gases. Highly flammable, their containers can fail with explosive force. To learn more, read here. . .

A recent one month investigation by the Associated Press (AP) found that fears of terrorism has made it extremely difficult for the public to find out what type of hazardous materials are being stored in their neighborhoods. In many communities, both the public and emergency workers have no idea that potentially explosive chemicals are being stored there.

The explosion at the West, TX fertilizer plant that occurred in April is a perfect example of this issue. After a fire broke out at the plant, there was a tremendous explosion, caused by ammonium nitrate, which was stored at the plant. Despite the known dangers of the chemical, the majority of the people in West, including the town’s EMS director, had no idea that ammonium nitrate was being stored at that facility.

Aftermath of West, TX fertilizer plant explosion.

But as the AP reports, there are hundreds of facilities, just like the West Fertilizer Co., sitting in the midst of schools, businesses, hospitals and residential neighborhoods. How many is unknown. When the AP made nationwide inquiries, 28 states responded, providing a count of over 120 facilities that are located in areas that put the public at serious risk. The other 22 states refused to provide the information.

Anyone located within a quarter to a half mile of a facility where an explosion occurs is at risk. Debris from the West explosion was found almost two miles away. Based on the information that was provided, more than 600,000 people who live within a quarter-mile of a facility, are living in a potential blast zone if as little as 190 tons of ammonium nitrate is detonated.

Some of the states that refused to provide the requested information cited the risk of terrorist attacks and their interpretations of federal law as the reason why. Ohio, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho and South Carolina were included in that group. West Virginia told the news organization they could either review the paper records in person, or request the records individually.

Statistically, however, Americans are more likely to be hurt from chemical or industrial accidents, such as the explosion in West, than from terrorist attacks, such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

Emergency Film Group’s Protective Actions: Evacuation/Shelter in Place DVD teaches organization how to organize and carry out an emergency evacuation plan. This informative training video training program is for emergency response personnel - incident commanders, police officers, emergency management personnel, National Guard troops, hazmat teams, firefighters, security personnel, dispatchers, emergency operations center personnel - and others who might be involved in ordering or carrying out protective actions. To learn more, read here. . .

The federal government offers no clear guidelines for chemical exposure from oil spills, leaving protection of the public in the hands of state and/or local officials when an accident does occur. There have been at least three oil spills from ruptured pipelines in the past three years, but each community handled each situation differently.

In June, 2010, 33,000 gallons of medium grade crude oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline into a Salt Lake City, Utah neighborhood. The oil leaked into Red Butte Creek and all through residential neighborhoods. There were no evacuations done. Many of the homes had windows opened, allowing fumes to seep into homes. These fumes can cause drowsiness and lethargy in people when exposed and many of the residents reported sleeping until noon that day.

A month later, in Marshall, Mich., a million gallons of heavy Canadian crude spilled into the Kalamazoo River. Four days later, officials finally issued a voluntary evacuation of residents.

In March of this year, 22 families were evacuated from their homes when 200,000 gallons of heavy crude leaked from a broken pipeline in Mayflower, Ark. However, residents who lived just blocks away in the same subdivision weren’t evacuated. The oil flowed and ended up in a lakeside community, where it is still being cleaned up. None of those residents were ever asked to evacuate.

Spilled crude oil is seen in a drainage ditch near evacuated homes in Mayflower, Arkansas.

Also at issue is the lack of studies to determine the long term health dangers from exposure to oil fumes. Many people who were exposed complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory problems after the incidents, and medical experts don’t know what long-term effects may appear years later.

Crude oil contains over 1,000 chemicals, many of which have been classified as hazardous to humans. One of the most dangerous is benzene. Increased exposure to benzene has been shown to cause leukemia and neurological problems. None of the federal guidelines about benzene exposure covers exposure from oil spills.

Despite plans to expand the pipelines by more than 10,000 miles - many of those miles in populated neighborhoods -  there are still no plans for the government to set chemical guidelines at oil spills. Nor are there any plans to conduct studies of long-term health effects on those that have already been exposed.

Emergency Film Group’s Site Management & Control is part one of the Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident series. The film includes information on preplanning to set up a systematic, coordinated approach to a hazmat accident; procedures for establishing command; guidelines for safe approach and positioning at a hazmat incident; establishing the perimeter and hazard control zones; and procedures for carrying out protective actions. To learn more, read here. . .

Authorities are investigating what caused a massive explosion at a Louisiana chemical plant that killed one person and has left over 75 people injured, some critically, with burns, heart and breathing problems, blunt trauma and other injuries.

The blast occurred at the Williams Olefins plant in Geismar, located along the Mississippi River. It is only one of 12 plants along a 10-mile stretch of the river. According to the company website, the Williams Olefins facility produces 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of propylene, highly flammable gasses used in the production of petrochemicals, per year.

Hundreds of employees were working inside the plant when the explosion occurred. Witnesses described the scene as “mass hysteria” with workers running and climbing over gates, trying to escape the fire that erupted after the explosion, shooting flames as high as 200 feet into the air.

Massive explosion rocks Louisiana petrochemical plant.

Several employees remained behind in a blast-proof control room, where they managed to shut down critical areas and prevented the disaster from spreading throughout the plant.

Authorities confirmed that 29 year old Zachary Green, from Hammond, was killed in the blast. His body was found by hazmat crews who were inspecting the site. Of the dozens of other victims who were treated at area hospitals, three still remain in critical condition.

Investigators still don’t know what caused the explosion, but did say it was the propylene and not the ethylene which had caught fire in the explosion. Louisiana Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials were at the scene monitoring the air quality following the blast.

Ethylene can affect the nervous system, causing shakiness or dizziness, and can irritate eyes and sinuses. Propylene can be a potential carcinogen and can cause difficulty breathing when inhaled.

Emergency Film Group’s Propane, Butane & Propylene is part of The HazChem Series of safety training videos. This program focuses on propane, butane and propylene, the most common liquefied petroleum gases. Highly flammable, their containers can fail with explosive force. To learn more, read here . . .

An 11 year old boy is dead and his mother seriously injured, both the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Jeffrey Williams and his mother, 49 year old Janine Williams, both from Rock Hill S.C., were staying in the same Best Western Hotel room where a Washington couple was found dead in April.

According to Boone, N.C. police, emergency workers responded to a call from the hotel for Room 225 and found the boy dead and his mother in a deep state of asphyxia. During that response, a presumptive test indicated an elevated level of carbon monoxide in the room. Janine Williams was rushed to the Watauga Medical Center where she is listed in stable condition.

Emergency crews responding to Best Western found an 11 year old boy dead.

The Watauga County Health Department announced that preliminary indications are that Jeffrey died from asphyxia. Final results are pending for toxicology samples that have been sent to the N.C. Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

On April 16, Daryl Dean Jenkins, 73, and Shirley Mae Jenkins, 72, both of Longview, Washington,  who family members describe as being in “good health”, were also found dead in Room 225. Initial autopsy reports were inconclusive as to the cause of death and samples were also sent to the Chief Medical Examiner. Just two days after Jeffrey was found dead, new toxicology tests confirmed the couple also died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The room is situated directly above an equipment room with a natural gas heater for the enclosed indoor pool. On March 6^th, a Watauga Health inspector ordered the Best Western to fix ventilation problems immediately, writing in his report, “Chemical/Equipment room is required to have natural cross ventilation or forced air ventilation. This must be corrected ASAP.” There is no record that the hotel ever fixed the problem.

Emergency Film Group’s CO: Response to Carbon Monoxide Incidents DVD training program provides training to firefighters, industrial fire teams, EMTs, police, poison control center personnel, plant safety personnel and others who may be called upon to respond to an incident involving carbon monoxide. To learn more, read here. . .