MA NATURE ADDS TOUCH TO HAZARD SIMULATION

BylineDAVID ANGIER:

DELTA -- Emergency response personnel from 15 area agencies learned at least one thing Saturday morning in Delta -- even in a simulation, nothing happens exactly according to plan.

John Sachen, a fire instructor for Missouri and Cape Girardeau County, was one of the organizers of a hazardous waste spill simulation behind Delta High School. He had scripted a scenario in which an abandoned 9,000-gallon tanker truck was leaking toluene -- an industrial solvent used in gasoline and paints.

When he wrote the script he couldn't have foreseen a steady rain and swirling wind.

"This is almost real world," Sachen said as he searched for shelter.

The weather prevented emergency medical personnel from erecting a tent to treat and monitor firefighters as they came in from the simulation. The wind also made it necessary for the firefighters to use their imagination, because he script called for the wind to be blowing in the opposite direction of what Mother Nature provided.

The trucks were set up on the northeast side of the tanker -- downwind. If it had been a real chemical spill the trucks would have been positioned upwind. As it was, inadequate water pressure in the main fire truck prevented the water cannon from penetrating the wind and reaching the tanker.

Sachen said the actual specifics of the simulation, including the description of the chemical spilled or the manner in which is was spilled, were not as important as getting the big picture.

The simulation was to expose firefighters to the expectations they would be facing when fighting a hazardous material spill. More importantly, the simulation was also the first chance for many of the rescue workers to experience the command structure in which they would find themselves in an actual emergency.

The Incident Command System calls for the implementation of supervisors in 16 areas ranging from an overall commander to press information officer and inventory specialist.

The ICS system was established through OSHA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency as a way of dealing most effectively with emergency situations. The ICS, if properly followed, also shields local rescue agencies from liability should something go wrong during an emergency response.

Mike Westridge, NBC Fire District chief, was acting as the information officer during the simulation and said there have been many instances where fire departments have been sued for mishandling chemical spills.

The exercise started at 9 a.m. with the Delta and Chaffee fire departments responding to the scene first. Mutual aid firefighters and trucks were sent in next from Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, New Hamburg, Gordonville, Scott County, Advance, Sikeston, Marble Hill, Fruitland and East Cape Girardeau County.

Future emergency response simulations will be scheduled, and particpants will receive certification through the training.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's deputies cordoned off the scene and paramedics from Cape Girardeau County and North Scott County waited in the wings to monitor and treat the firefighters.

The leak was really water running from a garden hose fixed to the underside of the tanker, but rescue workers were told repeatedly to take the scenario seriously.

"It was tough to not lose sight of what our real objective was," Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Dan White said, which was suppressing the chemical spill. Overall, White said, the simulation was a success.

"These are the kinds of things that we need to be prepared for," he said. "When you get into a situation like what we were practicing on today, then you have to gear your actions around how many people you can get on the scene who have had advanced training."

Jim Bollinger, Marble Hill Fire chief, was the safety supervisor for the simulation. He said there were many instances where firefighters had not prepared themselves to react to an emergency. He said they were going to have to pay more attention to detail in future simulations.

"I know it's little things, fellas," Bollinger said to the rescue workers during a critique of the scenario. "But it's the little things that kill firefighters."