[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
RE: DOT Emergency Response Phone Number
I concur with Bruce. It really makes for a bad situation when there is no contact and lots of questions about the radioactive material in the transport accident. A good contact and a quick response likely will lessen the chance of escalated problems, and can also keep the reporters at bay. On two occasions, as the contact person I responded to a transport incident, and cleared the incident just before the reporters showed up. They want a sensationalistic story. If there is nothing to photograph, there is no story.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bugg [mailto:obbugg@dmvs.ga.gov]
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 1:18 PM
To: RADSAFE (E-mail)
Subject: RE: DOT Emergency Response Phone Number
I have to heartily disagree. "All responding agencies" do not have people equipped (tools, personnel, or education) to handle the manual or the appropriate response. In rural areas, the firefighter is frequently a woodlands responder with turnout gear, and a 3,000 gallon converted military 6x6 fuel truck. Some small to medium towns may be little better off. For radioactive materials, if meters even exist, they are an old CDV-7 kit. Even in one large municipal fire agency, you really have three or four different fire departments, because you have three shifts, and each shift has a different experience in dealing with a complex incident.
I've seen several attempts at a comprehensive response manual. Moderately advanced firefighters don't like the Emergency Response Guidebook. We have the CHRIS manual, the NIOSH Pocket Guide, the AAR HazMat guide book, and a recent attempt (Mid 1990's) from the US Fire Administration, attempting to marry "Awareness" level materials with "Operations" level materials. Add in Broderick's Reactive Chemical's book, the Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference, and Condensed Chemical Dictionary.
Each is a niche product, with its own strengths and weaknesses. I have many of these, and I'm not even a responder, per se.
In the "old days" (mine date to the late 1980's) I have had the experience of standing on the side of a road at 2:00 a.m. with a hazmat shipment gone wrong and no one to contact, trying to run down someone at a company whose answering machine says "Our hours are Monday -Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday."
Putting something in the hands of a responder to deal with every possible chemical hazard and all the permutations of what can go wrong would require a rolling library in more than one 18-wheeler. Far better to have someone with experience that I can reach rapidly who can tell me whether to attempt to dike the runoff, hose it down, or run like heck.
And prior to 1974 (the first big US Hazmat Act), the world did end several times, at least someone's part of the world did. Regulations and better enforcement often derive from what we learn when good hazmat goes bad (e.g., ValuJet).
On the other hand, change for the sake of change does not please me either...
If I'm drifting off the list topic, I apologize.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Capt. Bruce Bugg
Special Projects Coordinator
Law Enforcement Division
Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety
P.O. Box 80447
Conyers, GA 30013-8047
voice: 678.413.8825
fax: 678.413.8832
e-mail: obbugg@dmvs.ga.gov
-----Original Message-----
From: Syd Levine (AnaLog) [mailto:AnaLog@logwell.com]
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 12:35
To: RADSAFE (E-mail)
Subject: Re: DOT Emergency Response Phone Number
With all due respect, it is a silly requirement. A far more practical solution would be a comprehensive response manual in the hands of all responding agencies. This is a good example of ill conceived regulation in the post-environmental hysteria era.
One is forced to ponder what kept the world from ending prior to 1970...
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/