How prepared are central Ohio first responders for dangerous hazmat situations?

More than 1 million hazardous material shipments travel through small towns, major cities and rural expanses across the U.S. every day.

Most arrive without incident. But some, like the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, can be serious, sending chemicals into the air and nearby waterways, causing evacuations, and disrupting communities.

A USA TODAY analysis of federal data on hazmat incidents in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan found that those Midwest states made up more than 20% of all of the country’s hazmat incidents since 2013.

The East Palestine derailment and subsequent public scrutiny exposed gaps in hazmat safety practices and emergency response procedures. It also brought to light the challenges faced by communities and first responders as high volumes of dangerous materials move across the country every day.

How prepared are central Ohio first responders for dangerous hazmat situations?

"We're fortunate," said Jeff Young, Franklin County Emergency Management director. "We have exceptionally, professionally well-trained and well-managed first-responders.”

There are two designated hazardous materials response teams based in Franklin County, Young said, and most firefighters in the area have some level of hazmat training.

But preparedness for potential hazmat incidents can vary greatly between urban communities and rural areas, said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon.

Larger cities like Columbus have a designated hazardous materials team ready to respond every day to a potential hazmat situation. But away from urban areas, it’s much more likely for communities to have volunteer fire departments with less familiarity and training for hazmat scenarios, Reardon said.

“Where we get away from the urban areas and into rural Ohio, that’s where there’s a gap,” he said. “There's a big difference in the training for career professional firefighters and volunteer firefighters."

Whether it's a seasoned, trained hazardous materials team or volunteer firefighters responding to a hazmat situation, the training and preparation can only take you so far, Young said.

“Obviously, the scope of the incident is something we have to react to, much like weather disasters,” Young said. “You can prepare all year long for tornadoes, but you can't prevent them, so you're reacting to them. And depending on the severity, that defines or drives the impacts on your local community.”

What hazmat incidents are most common in Ohio?

Trucks accounted for 93% of the hazmat incidents in the Midwest, according to the USA TODAY analysis.

Hazardous materials traveling by roadway can be easier to prepare for and respond to, Reardon said.

“The things that most commonly go down the highways, not just in Ohio, but in every state, are gasoline (and) diesel fuel. Those are the most common, because we use those in such large quantities,” Reardon said. "Knowing that, communities can take (steps) and prepare for those fairly easily, fairly simply."

While highway hazmat transportation occurs every day, when something goes wrong, it’s often easier for crews to respond and manage the incident before it turns catastrophic, Reardon said.

“They're on the highway — that means we have access,” he said. “The sooner we can get to an incident, the sooner we can respond and hopefully mitigate it.”

Hazmat challenges facing central Ohio first responders

Although transportation of hazardous materials comes with a host of safety protocols, first responders don’t always have the time or ability to take advantage of those measures.

"One of the challenging items is just always information flow," Young said.

That was the case in February when the Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine and responders couldn’t safely read the placards on the train cars that identified the hazardous materials inside.

“(In East Palestine), you had multiple cars on their sides, flipped on end. You had fire, you had a lot of things that didn't give a quick visual clue to responders on what was there,” Reardon said. “So, they had to rely on the shipping papers that the engineer or the conductor have.

“Obviously, (with) East Palestine, because of the quantities involved, coupled with the fact that you had fire and the potential for an explosion, makes it exceptionally challenging from a safety and public safety standpoint,” he said.

As growth and development surges in Columbus, hazmat response grows more complicated

Officials have worked to mitigate hazardous materials risks near the Columbus interstate core for years by making the I-270 outerbelt the designated hazmat route for shipments that do not have a Columbus destination but are traveling through the area.

Sometimes, though, drivers don't follow those rules.

And the area around I-270 has changed dramatically since the outerbelt was designated as a hazmat route in 1985. That was nearly 40 years ago, and long before development booms in perimeter communities like Dublin, Hilliard, Grove City and the Easton area in Columbus.

“Growth and growth patterns are one of those concerns, because we have facilities that used to be not proximate ... to residential living areas. And then next thing you know, you’ve got maybe a petroleum tank facility that has neighborhoods popping up around it,” Young said.

More: A second outerbelt? Intel growth forcing Ohio transportation execs to think big

First responders and emergency management personnel have to take those changes into consideration when thinking about hazmat scenarios today.

“None of the growth is going to stop, so how do you manage it, how do you plan for it and try to make sure you’ve got resources appropriately identified, or at least you know what your hazards are, which the makes it easier for you to respond and mitigate the circumstances,” he said.

What can be improved?

More awareness and hazardous materials training, especially for volunteers, would give first responders a better edge when reacting to incidents like a tanker spill or train derailment, Reardon said.

“The best protection for responders is training," he said.

“How we train volunteers and get them to that level where they can be better protected will help them protect their communities better,” Reardon said.  “A lot of things could go wrong at these incidents, and a lot of things can go right. But you've got to be prepared for both. And unfortunately, that starts with training. It all starts with training.”

Another challenge that the East Palestine derailment highlighted is knowing — or not knowing — what's coming through your community.

"When you're talking about hazardous materials, being shipped either by rail, by train, air pipeline, etc., you don't want to put up a billboard, to say, ‘Hey, community, next Wednesday, these chemicals are coming through your community on a train, plane, whatever,’” Reardon said. “You don't want to put it on a billboard for obvious homeland security reasons."

But Reardon says there have been more conversations since the East Palestine derailment about the need for better advanced notifications to fire chiefs, law enforcement, emergency management and other local leaders when hazardous materials are being shipped through their community.

“There's a list of over 230-some odd (substances) that have that designation of being a hazardous chemical. It's hard for any community to be prepared for an incident involving 200-plus different materials,” Reardon said.  “So I think that the interesting issue now, is, how can we make that notification better? While we certainly don't have an answer, a lot of folks are looking at that.”

jsmola@dispatch.com

@jennsmola

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: After East Palestine, how ready are hazmat first responders here?