Cincinnati Fire, Hamilton Co. EMA talk disaster response after East Palestine derailment
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - On Feb. 3, a train carrying toxic materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate. Local 12 spoke with Cincinnati area safety experts to find out how first responders deal with such massive emergencies.
Cincinnati Fire District Chief Michael Cayse heads the Special Operations Bureau.
"Our hazardous materials technicians go through extensive amount of training. We have training in railcars and in over-the-road vehicles and fixed facilities," Cayse said.
He says Cincinnati Fire works with Norfolk Southern and CSX to help train for a disaster like what happened in East Palestine.
Local 12 asked Cayse how critical finding out what's in the cargo is when dealing with an incident like that one.
It's absolutely very critical. In fact, one of the first things we want to know is what's in there," he said. "So, as soon as we're done figuring out if any lives are in peril, or are in danger, we're immediately trying to figure out then exactly what materials are involved.
Cayse says, in the case of a train derailment like East Palestine's, crews on scene would contact Hamilton County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency to help coordinate the response.
Local 12 asked Hamilton County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency director Nick Crossley what a response would look like from Hamilton County EMA.
"For a hazard materials incident, we basically take the chemical, we evaluate what the protective measures are. They're listed in our emergency response guide. We then model that with the current weather forecast and the wind direction and things like that," Crossley said.
From there, he says, they would draw up a map and start warning the public to either shelter in place or to stay away. They do that through reverse 911, emergency alert messages, social media, and through local news agencies.
Emergency crews aren't notified when hazardous materials are coming through town, but using a special first responder app, they can look up the cargo in a train.
They can even find what an individual railcar is carrying. However, they need to have the unique ID number for that car.
If a fire has broken out or crews can't get close enough, they may not be able to get that number, and from there, they would have to go off whatever the train could be carrying.
Local 12 asked Crossley how quickly people would be notified if an incident were to happen.
"Generally, it takes a few minutes to figure out what's happened, for responders to get on scene, for them to determine that there's a threat to the area. So, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour," said Crossley.
Those minutes matter, and so does the training.
Local 12 asked Cayse if Cincinnati Fire is ready and capable to respond to a disaster like what happened in East Palestine.
"I am absolutely confident that Cincinnati Fire Department can handle this same situation that occurred and developed right here in Cincinnati," he said.
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