On Friday, the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management held a functional exercise at the Philadelphia Fire Academy, which simulated an accidental train derailment with overturned tanker cars containing crude oil.

The simulated derailment occurred on the Schuylkill Arsenal Bridge that connects University City with Grays Ferry. The derailment impacted the Schuylkill River, I-76 and other surrounding infrastructure, as well.

The exercise provided critical first responders and key stakeholders the opportunity to train together, discuss, and gain a clearer understanding of various agencies’ activities, their roles and responsibilities, during the immediate response phase of the incident up through eight hours into the incident.

“The increase in crude oil shipments travelling through Philadelphia have emphasized the need for local first responders to test their capabilities and learned about best practices for any potential incidents in Philadelphia,” said Emergency Management Director Samantha Phillips. “As with any type of hazard that can impact Philadelphia, pre-disaster planning, exercising, evaluating and improving are critical to the effective response to any type of emergency.”

Approximately 70 representatives from various local, State, and federal agencies, as well as the private sector participated in the exercise.

These agencies included the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, Police and Fire departments, Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Air Management, Philadelphia Water Department, Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, Amtrak, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Hospital of the University Pennsylvania, Veolia Energy, Philadelphia Energy Solutions and CSX.

The overall objectives of the exercise included:

— Enhancing first responders’ knowledge about crude oil, including possible hazards and best practices for response;

— Providing an opportunity to develop interagency coordination among responding agencies from multiple levels of government and the private sector during the immediate response phase; and

— Establishing the relationship between initial incident command and Unified Command.

In addition, the exercise provided the agencies with the opportunity to practice establishing a unified command post and command team, evaluating the risk of exposures, determining protective actions, and evaluating evacuating and sheltering in place strategies.

Participants also learned about containment and control strategies for crude oil, and establishing control measures, safety and control zones. They also discussed strategies to notify the public and keep them updated, especially those impacted during the simulated incident.

Since 2007, the City of Philadelphia has been taking a critical look at its emergency response activities in an effort to determine opportunities for improving and strengthening these activities. The City’s efforts were driven by witnessing the myriad of challenges brought about in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to this exercise, the Office of Emergency Management is building upon the lessons learned from a series of emergency planning activities and exercises. These progressive exercises are designed to test critical elements of the city’s preparedness capabilities. Exercises incorporate lessons learned from previous exercises and actual responses.

Some of these exercises have included Mass Casualty, Mass Care and Sheltering, Mass Fatality, and Family Reunification and Family Assistance Centers.

In addition to ongoing efforts by local, State, and federal agencies, as well as those from the private sector, these exercises continue to explore and test best practices for responding to and managing emergencies in a major metropolitan area, with a vast network of critical infrastructure, such as Philadelphia.

NewsClips:

First Responders In Philadelphia Prepare For Oil Train Accidents

Trains Move 1M Gallons Of Crude Oil Thru Pittsburgh Each Week

Editorial: Pittsburgh’s Oil Train Volume Is Risky Business

10/20/2014