New Technologies and Systems
for Emergency Response Management
By
Thomas Moses
President,
Spill Center®
At
no time in our country’s history has the need been greater
to plan and work diligently to make better emergency response
and remediation resources available more quickly. The lack of
a coordinated collection of emergency response capabilities at
the local, state and even national levels can seriously reduce
the effectiveness of response efforts in the event of a
hazardous materials spill, industrial accident or terrorist
activity. This situation is especially acute in the wake of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which have focused national
attention on the security of hazardous materials and other
substances that could be used as weapons of mass destruction.
DOT
Urges Stricter Security
for
Transportation of Hazmat
Hazmat
shipments in the U.S. total more than 800,000 daily, according
to the U.S. DOT, which has proposed legislation aimed at
strengthening security and safety in the transportation of the
nation’s hazardous materials. The Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration intends to visit 52,000 hazmat haulers
which carry the most hazardous materials, including anhydrous
ammonia, poisonous gases, bulk explosives and petroleum
products. The FMCSA will request that carriers implement plans
to improve personnel security, hazmat package controls and
route security.
Secretary
of Transportation Norman Mineta has indicated he believes that
all modes of transportation in the U.S. are at risk, both as
targets of terrorists and as weapons against Americans.
Calling trucks “engines of the economy,” he urged
transporters to increase security to keep them from becoming
“engines of destruction.”
He also said that tighter government security
procedures will restrict the mobility of transporters, but
that they must understand this is no longer a time of business
as usual.
The
law enforcement community has had to take on the additional
job of ensuring security on the highways and staying alert to
prevent planned destructive acts. Lt. Paul Sullivan, president
of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and a member of the
Mass. State Police, has stated that CVSA inspectors have
increased the number of Level III (driver only) inspections
for hazmat haulers. He has recommended that transporters
consider new ways to track shipments in route and establish a
hotline to notify authorities to ensure the proper response in
questionable situations. He emphasized that whatever new
procedures or security measures are introduced, they should be
uniform and the personnel implementing them should be
uniformly trained. Lt. Sullivan called upon the 10,000 CVSA-certified
inspectors as well as all program managers and safety
partners, including industry, to work together to make the
highways safe and secure.
New
Electronic System Can Save
Critical
Time During Emergencies
A
unique integrated communications system has been developed by
Spill Center, a company specializing in hazmat incident
management. The system can facilitate communication and
coordination for law enforcement officials and first
responders and enable companies having care, custody and
control of hazardous materials to make better decisions in the
management of spills. The new electronic emergency response
management system combines wireless communications, tracking
technology, and access to specialized databases via the
Internet. Response units, equipped with on-board transmitters
emitting unique, identifiable signals, can be tracked in real
time and their locations displayed on computer-generated maps.
The system can immediately locate emergency assets, assess
their capabilities, and determine which units can respond to a
particular incident in the shortest period of time. As a
result, emergency responders will arrive at the scene of
incidents faster and better prepared than ever before.
Benefits
for Spill Generators
The
electronic emergency response management system benefits
transporters of hazmat and others having care, custody and
control of hazardous materials by providing fast access to
information needed to expedite response and remediation of
hazmat spills. The system incorporates Spill Center’s
proprietary online spill management systems and information
databases as well as global positioning systems and wireless
communication technologies. Using on-board computers, vehicle
tracking and other equipment already on vehicles, this system
can provide real-time information about cargo and equipment,
the vehicle’s location and nature of the incident within
minutes. Wireless systems enable the driver to send an instant
alert via the wireless service provider in the event of a
hazmat emergency. Routed electronically, the message would be
received at Spill Center, which would alert emergency
responders, providing the exact location of the vehicle and
additional details as they become known. Vehicle tracking
technology could also be configured to determine if a hazmat
delivery has been delayed or a route changed for some
unexplained reason. Spill Center has applied for a patent on
the Electronic Emergency Response Management System.
Prototype
Systems Developed
For
Emergency Responders
Prototypical
systems for fire service and hazmat response companies have
been created, integrating satellite and cellular technologies
with extensive databases and compliance experts trained in
hazmat incident management. The systems offer centralized
access to resources and critical information associated with
hazmat release events, biological and chemical weapons of mass
destruction, and other dangerous substances not available in
any other known system.
At
the heart of the electronic emergency response management
system is an equipment/capabilities database for fire services
and other emergency responders. Each company is asked to
maintain a current inventory of equipment and response
capabilities in the database, which would be accessed through
a secure, interactive Web site (www.spillcenter.com).
Authorized personnel would be able to search that and
other specialized databases when they require assistance or
additional equipment during an emergency situation.
The
electronic emergency response management system was
demonstrated for the first time in the fall of 2001, during
the COHMED hazmat training conference conducted by the U.S.
DOT’s Research and Special Programs Administration. RSPA is
responsible for regulating hazardous material transportation
safety. Attendees at the demonstration included fleet safety
managers, emergency responders and law enforcement personnel
– all of whom were well aware of the potential of hazmat as
a weapon of mass destruction in the wrong hands.
Representatives from wireless messaging companies discussed
how satellite tracking and wireless communications
capabilities are linked electronically to a 24-hour/7-day
emergency call center via electronic message routing systems.
Spill Center personnel demonstrated electronic spill reporting
systems and technologies, online contingency planning
capabilities and response management systems.
Satellite
and Cellular Technology
Provide
Critical Links
Regulators
Becoming Stricter
On
Spill Notification Rules
As
part of the nationwide effort to improve hazmat security,
local and state regulatory agencies are becoming stricter
about enforcement of spill notification requirements. Texas
requires spill generators to report incidents within one hour
of a spill. A county in Ohio has a 30-minute reporting
requirement. Transporters are advised to stay current with
changing regulations related to hazmat releases. The only
notice many spill generators ever receive is the one that
arrives by mail stating the company is in violation for
failure to file a report on the incident.
For
transporters, being prepared for a spill is the key to
handling it quickly and minimizing damage to the environment.
Contingency planning is the place to start. The contingency
plan ensures that the right people in the client organization
are notified, the right internal and external reports are
triggered, and preferred contractors are contacted. Most
important is putting that contingency plan in a place like
Spill Center, where trained people can activate it and follow
the transporter’s instructions to coordinate response
efforts and locate the resources needed to respond to the
spill as soon as possible. Spill Center associates also
complete all required hazmat incident reports on behalf of
clients. The reporting is documented to limit the spill
generator’s environmental liability and to establish a
defense against any third-part claims resulting from an
accidental release.
During
the Spill Center demonstration, participants were able to
complete and file customized spill contingency plans while
logged onto the Spill Center Web site. Spill Center launched
its Internet-based support capabilities in November 2000.
Clients and non-registered users alike can access services
through the site, which include reporting a spill, finding a
contractor, disposal options and request a call-back. Also at
the Spill Center Web site is an “Ask The Expert” feature.
It enables users to ask questions related to spills, cleanup
activities and regulations. Spill Center personnel, who
include legal, environmental, and technical specialists,
answer the questions.
Spill
Center staff are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week to
assist in incident management. That can include advising
emergency responders of the type and amount of material
spilled, the need for specialized equipment, the spill’s
proximity to any water, and other information to expedite
containment and remediation while ensuring public safety.
Specialized
Web conferencing capabilities are available through the Spill
Center Web site, enabling spill generators and responders,
alike, to log on and make informed decisions based on
information displayed in secure areas. Documents with
information important to the response are displayed and
updated in real time. Access is available to many people at
the same time, keeping everybody associated with the incident
on the same page. This capability comes through an affiliation
with Claim Negotiator, a company specializing in online
negotiation and agreement documentation, providing a
combination of claims management and virtual meetings.
The
electronic emergency response management system directly
benefits both spill generators and government regulatory
authorities requiring access to information and resources to
clear incidents.
System
Helps Resolve Rift
Between
Industry and Government
The
system helps resolve a long-standing rift between spill
generators, who want control of the incident to minimize their
costs and liability, and government regulatory authorities,
who demand access to information and resources to clear the
incident. The problem stems from confusing the government’s
interest in access to information with a desire to control the
incident or control the spill generator or the
moment-to-moment response, remediation and disposal. One side
wants control, one side wants access. Government feels that
industry has for too long denied them or has failed to provide
them with access to resources that would allow agencies to
fulfill their mandate of law enforcement and protection of
public safety, health and the environment.
With
the electronic emergency response management system, the right
tools are available to manage inventory for response and
remediation along with immediate access to critical
information, even transporters’ contingency plans that are
key to coordinating cleanup efforts. The system gives first
responders and planning agencies access to resources needed to
protect the public, while enabling industry to maintain the
control it needs to limit liability and minimize damages to
valuable equipment and cargoes. While
these technologies are not new, the integration of them into a
comprehensive system dedicated to the management of emergency
response and remediation is unique and beneficial to industry
and the public interest.
About
Tom Moses & Spill Center
Tom
Moses, an environmental attorney, former EPA toxicologist, and
Spill Center president, founded Spill Center in 1990 as a
24-hour/7-day nationwide resource for spill generators and
responders. A leading environmental claims management company,
Spill Center provides support services and incident management
for clients and non-clients who are involved in hazmat spills.
Spill generators notify Spill Center by telephone or via the
Internet through the reporting capabilities of the company’s
Web site (www.spillcenter.com).
In the event
of a hazmat or diesel fuel spill, a Spill Center compliance
associate assesses the situation and immediately begins taking
steps to help the spill-generator manage the spill to contain
costs and limit liability – even when key decision makers at
the transporter’s company are not available. That is done by
activating the client’s spill contingency plan, which is a
set of detailed claim-handling instructions, customized to
meet the client’s individual requirements. The plan
indicates which people in the client organization are to be
notified. It also triggers the right internal and external
reports and lists preferred contractors. A spill contingency
plan, which can be completed online through Spill Center’s
Web site, is kept on file for each client.
For
more information, contact Tom Moses at Spill Center, 22 Kane
Industrial Dr., Hudson MA 01749. Tel (978) 568-1922 (x222).
Fax (978) 568-1945. E-mail: tmoses@spillcenter.com.
Or visit the Web site, www.spillcenter.com.
New users can register as clients and complete spill
contingency plans online.
Back
to Press Index...
