A Pima County interim report on the multiagency response found significant communication gaps between agencies in the emergency response to a dangerous spill and collision on Interstate 10 in February. It was revealed.
Part of Interstate 10 in Tucson is closed on the afternoon of February 14 after a commercial tanker owned by Landstar Inway carrying a box trailer overturned on the median and began leaking nitric acid. was done.
The Tucson Fire Department tweeted that the hazardous material was nitric acid, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described as a highly corrosive substance that irritates skin, eyes and mucous membranes upon contact.
Five emergency alerts were issued to inform residents in Pima County of the incident, to take shelter in place and to avoid the area.
After the crash, the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the public complained that information about what was happening had not been made public.
Pima County Emergency Management Agency has compiled preliminary county information ex-post report He highlighted how bad weather made it difficult to contain the accident, and the lessons learned and shared among agencies.
Problems with response and information flow
Problems that surfaced during the incident related to lack of communication to the public and clear direction to aid agencies.
According to reports, the command of the incident was not identified until very late, and there was no point of contact with government agencies to direct them or check on the situation.
The report found that some government agencies were not notified immediately after the accident. Limited information was received by the Pima County Department of Transportation and was not notified to the Pima County Health Department until the following day.
“For the sake of situational awareness and readiness to assist, the Pima County Crisis Management Department is encouraged to initiate an emergency assistance function coordination call upon notification of a significant incident and inform aid agencies,” the report recommended. ing.
The report also noted how three different transportation sectors are developing their jurisdiction’s transportation plans. However, these departments did not inform other departments of their plans.
“This caused community stress as there was no unified diversion product,” the report said.
To compound the problem, the Arizona Department of Transportation website directed questions to the county transit agency, which was unable to answer due to a lack of information sharing.
The hospital was not notified of the incident and the county public health department was notified the following day. This meant no time wasted in getting an effective message from the Ministry of Health and hospitals had no time to wait if they needed to, the report said.
The truck driver was killed, but there were no reports of injuries or direct effects on the public or responders from the crash or hazardous material spill.
The incident also demonstrated the need to launch a joint information system in which spokespeople would create unified messaging.
“Lessons highlight the need to revitalize the JIS (Joint Information System) to reduce conflicting messages and provide clear information to the media and the public,” the report said.
DPS criticized:Pima County Accuses State Officials of Delaying Emergency Information in Hazardous Material Collision
The lack of unified messaging was manifested by inconsistencies in published maps of the evacuation area and lack of information among spokespersons. The lack of communication made it difficult for Tucson’s Department of Communications officials to answer questions from the public.
The report also identified disruptions in communications between government agencies via radio. Local agencies were able to communicate easily using the Pima County Wireless Integration Network, but the lead agency, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, did not use the network, according to the report. This was due to the fact that some of his DPS radios did not have proper cord plugs and responders were unaware of the potential for integration into this system.
Additionally, there was a problem with the radio channel used by the Arizona Interagency Radio System, which hampered communications and was abandoned early in the response.
Recommendations made to improve future emergency response
The report makes recommendations ranging from establishing command post locations and clear communications in the event of an incident to increasing training of personnel.
Suggested improvements include:
- Create a status report.
- Improve the flow of information between spokespeople.
- Strengthen networking and information sharing between transportation sectors.
- Strengthen training of spokespeople.
- Train responders in the use of wireless devices.
The report also revealed that the Emergency Management Department was notified of the hazardous materials incident by the Tucson Fire Department, but not by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
“Since the incident, the DPS has made significant efforts to build relationships and increase understanding of the role of assistance that[Pima County Emergency Management Authority]can provide,” the report said.
The county emergency management agency deploys support personnel, including public relations personnel, to assist in the collection of ingestion data, provide scripts to personnel, answer telephone calls, and analyze information to share with the joint information system and the public. researching strategies to better inform people.
County regulators await final report from state
Pima County Superintendent Steve Christie, who had previously been vocal about lack of communication between response agencies and county administration, was satisfied with the interim report, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety issued the final report. said it expects to announce It’s as honest and comprehensive as the county’s interim report.
“The main problem is that when something like this happens on an interstate, there’s so much bureaucracy and so many departments involved,” Christie said. “There is no clear line on who is the lead agency to disseminate information, the chain of command or the point of contact for information.”
He said he was waiting for the final report to be issued by the Ministry of Public Security, which he said was in the final stages of compilation.
Here’s where to contact reporters: sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.
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