Hazardous Materials: Who Is in Charge?
The Editor’s Opinion Page
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A hazardous material can be described as anything that can blow up, burn fiercely, realize a cloud of deadly gas, or dust or liquid or what have you, all of which can cause injury or death.
And anyone who watches TV, or reads the local papers, should know by now that hazardous materials incidents are increasing in number and scope, and apparently with no end in sight.
Most of these incidents involve a railroad wreck and with few exceptions occur in rural areas. Although human error plays a part, most of the blame seems to fall on the aging tracks and roadbeds of our rickety railroad system, and some of the system’s poorly designed cars and equipment.
Some incidents, however, involve spills—often from a gasoline tanker that releases its hazardous cargo not only into the atmosphere but to sewers or streams that can carry fiery destruction to locations remote from the spill.
No matter what the hazardous material incident, it always calls for a response. And guess who is invariably first in—the fire chief and his men, of course. Logically the fire chief is in charge and legally so in some states, and if the incident is small, he will remain in charge.
But if the incident is large, especially one that brings large-scale destruction and death, the experts will start arriving—the feds, state officials, EPA people, industry and others. Who is in charge, then, becomes a different matter. As one chief recently put it, “I can envision 60 people at a command post.”
The chief, of course, was being facetious, but he pointed out a problem that must be solved—who is in charge? No chief, whether big city or small town, has the knowledge or experience or the equipment to handle a major hazardous materials incident. He will have to use the knowledge and skills of non-fire personnel and he must summon them quickly. These could include a chemist, a petroleum expert, railroad workers who can bring their skills and equipment to the scene, and many others.
These specialists can assist the chief with advice and equipment. But the chief should have the responsibility for supervising the entire operation.
This responsibility should be formalized and put in writing for all to see.
