Little-known agency in charge if disaster strikes in Boone County | Across Indiana

Most people have never heard of the Boone County Local Emergency Planning Committee, but that’s who calls the shots when a large-scale disaster occurs.

Members of the committee include police and fire chiefs, health care providers, Boone County Health Department officials and all other first responders and community representatives.

The group met at the Lebanon fire station this week for a tabletop exercise where they worked through the logistics of a simulated chlorine leak in Lebanon.

The state requires an annual tabletop exercise, but the local team opted for the mock threat type, committee Chairman Mike Martin said. Martin is also the director of emergency management for Boone County. He and Deputy Director Russell Dulin led the exercise.

Martin drew on real experiences in Boone County to determine the threat. Three train cars carrying anhydrous ammonia derailed in Lebanon without causing a leak. And in Lebanon there were two chlorine leaks, one at Lebanon High School and one at the Witham YMCA, Martin said.

Therefore, it made sense to expand on the knowledge gained during these experiences.

Thursday’s scenario involved agricultural equipment using an auger in the area of ​​County Road 250 South and John Shaw Road to knock the top off a stopped rail car containing chlorine gas.

Sheriff’s deputies would initially observe the cloud from a distance using binoculars, Sheriff Tony Harris said. They would attempt to determine the substance spilled using a sign placed in the train cars to identify the chemicals contained within.

Firefighters would confirm the information and call the Boone County Dispatch Center to request the establishment of a joint command post. Harris would send his department’s command bus, where leaders of multiple agencies can work together to orchestrate a joint response to a complex emergency.

Martin and the EMA on site would approach the situation from a bird’s eye view and work with government agencies if necessary. Local law enforcement, firefighters and medical providers would assist residents and travelers and report to the command center. A chlorine disaster would likely overwhelm all of its departments and agencies outside the county would be called in to help, the group agreed.

The mock accident site is not a densely populated area, but The Waters of Lebanon rehabilitation and nursing facility is in the path of the greenish-yellow chlorine cloud.

Two of The Waters’ administrators attended the exercise and said it was best to house residents on-site. But because winds can shift and chlorine is particularly corrosive to people with respiratory problems, the group also planned a way to evacuate the facility using buses from Boone County Senior Services or Lebanon Community Schools.

The scenario occurred on an April afternoon when schools were on vacation. The group planned to reroute buses and close Interstate 65 so people couldn’t drive through the cloud. But a highway closure would trigger a traffic nightmare in Lebanon.

The plume from such a leak in this area may also impact the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds and any events held there. And it could flood the Boone County Jail. The sheriff’s administration can work from the command bus and move it around at will, Harris said. Martin also has a command trailer available.

Security

“We can repair the valve under safe conditions,” Martin said of the rail car.

But we don’t have the personal protective equipment to do this in a chlorine cloud, said LFD Battalion Chief Jason Lee.

As a result, the county would call a hazmat team from Hamilton County, and it could take up to two hours for that team to prepare and approach the rail car.

Meanwhile, first responders would help those caught gardening or watching TV in their homes evacuate or find safe shelter.

Martin said his agency could distribute evacuation orders through local media, as well as police and health department radio stations, social media and other means.

“Self-evacuation will be key,” said Lebanon Fire Chief Chuck Batts. “We need a plan for where they can go and off-site decontamination for them.”

Chlorine causes burns and is corrosive to eyes, lungs and skin. It can corrode metals in seconds. But water will wash it away from people. “It really is that simple,” Batts said.

Water can also slow the spread of a chlorine cloud, Batts said. It drizzled during one of Lebanon’s previous chlorine leaks, and the rain helped a lot, he said. Additionally, his department can dump one tanker at a time into a cloud of chlorine while they wait for the Hamilton County hazardous materials team.

Martin would also seek help from CSX Railroad.

The Boone County Health Department would monitor leaks into the surrounding soil and water. And the Salvation Army of Boone County would set up a cafeteria to serve displaced residents and emergency responders during the duration of such an event, said co-coordinator Kristen Linton.