Study to focus on hazardous materials passing through Luzerne County
Apr. 13—Luzerne County is updating a study that tracks hazardous chemicals passing through the county by highway, rail, air and pipelines.
Known as a "hazardous materials commodity flow study," the assessment must be completed periodically to identify unique hazmat transportation hazards that may be present in a community and prepare emergency responders, said county Emergency Management Agency Act 165 Coordinator Ronald Smith.
Hellerton, Pennsylvania-based Emergency Management Consulting LLC completed the county's last 436-page study in 2019.
The county is seeking proposals from qualified companies to prepare the next study, with submissions due April 25, according to the solicitation on the purchasing page at luzernecounty.org.
After the report is completed, the county will hold special training sessions to brief municipal emergency responders on the findings, said county Deputy Director of Emergency Services David Elmore.
Local fire departments and emergency responders must use the report to prepare training, equipment and plans for each potential hazardous material, Smith said.
The county also stocks containment materials, dry absorbents and other resources that are available upon request from municipalities in an emergency, Smith said. If the county runs out, it would seek supplies from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and then the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.
Separate from hazardous materials on the move, Smith also enforces a requirement for all facilities with hazardous materials on site to file an emergency operations plan. He has hundreds of facilities on his list with information on company contacts, the materials, where they are stored inside and the mitigation measures necessary to address them if a problem arises.
"It's information to basically keep emergency responders alive. The first thing a firefighter is going to want to know is what's in the building and whether there are materials that are explosive and toxic," Smith said. "Going in blind could be fatal."
The new countywide flow study will be available for public inspection at the EMA building on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, Smith said.
In the last report from 2019, Emergency Management Consulting highlighted the "constant potential" for hazardous materials incidents due to "extremely heavy truck traffic" on state roadways and highways cutting through the county, including Interstates 80 and 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The top municipalities with hazardous materials, according to the 2019 report: Hazle Township, Wright Township, West Hazleton, Pittston Township and Plains Township.
Sulfuric acid was identified as the top hazardous material present within the county, followed by diesel, gasoline, fuel oil, propane, kerosene and chlorine.
"With the construction of new highways, changes in the composition of local industry and the enactment of new federal, state and local laws, there may be a change in the flow of hazardous shipments through the County of Luzerne," the 2019 report said.
Elmore said his agency has been reaching out to all municipal emergency officials to ensure they are aware of the latest data. Proactivity is necessary due to the network of transportation infrastructure and types of facilities housed in the county, he said.
"We have quite a lot to worry about and stay focused on," Elmore said.
Another report required every five years is underway: a hazard mitigation plan that reassesses natural and man-made threats to residents and possible ways to reduce the risks.
Philadelphia-based Michael Baker International Inc. was retained to update this plan, which should come before county council for adoption later this year.
The general hazards in this report will include earthquakes, flooding, ice jams, hurricanes, tropical storms, Nor'easters, landslides, infectious disease, mine subsidence and sinkholes, tornadoes, wildfires, cyber-terrorism, levee and dam failure and hazardous materials releases.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
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