Local Emergency Planning Committee Minutes for Meeting of November 12, 2008

Local Emergency Planning Committee Minutes for Meeting of November 12, 2008

Present:Kevin Christensen, Randy Wilde, Kevin Potter, Kathy Conrad, Michael Tueller, Susan Thompson, Dorene Schulze, Linda Bourne, Burke Nelson, James Grover, Peggy Mecham, Kimberly Giles, Ray Strong, Richard Moseley, Wayne Myers, Melissa Horiuchi, Dee Isaacson

Previous Mtg Minutes Approved:

Kevin Christensen welcomed everyone at 0905 hrs, asking for the previous minutes to be looked over. A motion was made by Ray Strong and 2nd by James Grover to accept the minutes which passed by majority vote.

Kevin Christensen asked for an update on the letter of support for our HazMat Team which was presented to the Commissioners last month. Kevin Potter said the letter with the signatures was presented along with documentation on the trip to CarbonCounty to check out their HazMat Team. With all the cutbacks going on right now, we should not expect much of a response from the CountyCommission.

Kevin Christensen noted that WeberCounty’s Peer Exchange will be on January 7, 2009. We usually skip LEPC meeting each January because of the Peer Exchange. All voted in favor of keeping that tradition. Ray Strong noted if your organization has any prizes available (hats, shirts, etc) to please consider donating them to the Peer Exchange as they give away lots of prizes every year.

The new Road Committee met this past month with lots of questions raised on the transportation of hazmat substances through our County. The committee will continue to look at issues such as objectives, money for hazmat, maps of locations, federal agency information and putting a table together with information on what is being transported.

State:

Kimberly Giles handed out the fact sheet for November. The Governor has declared November 4th through the 10th as Winter Weather Preparedness Week. Scott Alvord is the new State Agency and Higher Education Liaison.

Richard Moseley from the State Fire Marshal’s Office said there will be a Fire Chemistry 1 class this January. It is a two week course from the HazMat Institute

and it is almost full.

Health Department:

Randy Wilde noted there have been several small incidents on site at Staker Parsons. The most recent was a 50 gallon tar spill in which they cleaned up by themselves. Near Thiokol recently, a truck was seen releasing a substance on the side of the road, in the Geneva pit. It was asphalt slurry and they had permission to be dumping there.

Dispatch now has a pager tone assigned to Randy for the Health Department.

Homeland Security:

Kevin Potter said that with the Homeland Security grant money he has asked for 2 radio towers between Brigham City and Tremonton. During emergencies, these towers can broadcast messages within a 10 mile radius.

HazMat Team:

Randy has been working with Greg Martz on what needs to be ordered with the rest of the budget.

Melissa Horiuchi from Chevron Pipeline introduced herself. She said that Chevron ships its refined product north from SaltLake and as far as the state of Washington. The product does come through BoxElderCounty in two high pressure 8 inch pipelines. Melissa asked the group if we would be interested in a deployment exercise or tabletop with Chevron. The group decided it was a great idea and Melissa said she would find out more and let us know.

Kevin Christensen noted that FEMA still has used mobile trailers. You can look into it at

The US Department of Transportation launched a web portal for tracking intelligence on the movement of hazardous materials, integrating data from several agencies within DOT and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into a single online database. The Hazardous Intelligence Portal (HIP) brings together information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) at DOT as well as the US Coast Guard. This transportation includes the movement of explosive, flammable, caustic, and biological materials that pose fundamental risks to the public if they are accidentally or deliberately released. DOT estimates more than 800,000 HAZMAT shipments occur per day across the United States.

The EPA has updated two laws that the LEPC works under, CFR 355 and 370 (see attachment Federal Registry to read more).

Dorene had questions concerning our HazMat Team being called out, as far as funding and if there were guidelines set for a callout. Randy said there are no set guidelines but when the Fire District issue is solved, we will have a better idea. Dorene said it’s frustrating for the hospitals when they find out it’s a hazmat incident after the incident has already entered the emergency room.

Dee Isaacson said we could have one of the LEPC meetings at ATK this Spring and afterwards, take a tour of the facility. Also, there will be a launch on Thursday, Nov 20 and a smaller one on Thursday, Dec 4th.

Burke Nelson said he missed the first Road Committee meeting because of vacation but would like to be involved.

Mike Tueller, sitting in for Lee Perry, advised everyone to plan ahead as the cold weather is here. Tell your employees to leave sooner, pay attention to the road and be prepared. We have already had 2 severe accidents, one which was fatal, and both accidents involved cell phone usage. Even if you are hands free (on cell phone), you are still distracted. Also, in the winter, make sure you leave 3 to 4 times greater distance between you and the vehicle in front.

Kevin Christensen made a motion to have all LEPC meetings next year held at the Sheriff’s Office since there doesn’t seem to be a problem reserving the EOC each month.

Next Meeting The next LEPC Meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2008 at 9am at the Sheriff’s Office EOC room, with Susan bringing sweet rolls and Dorene bringing juice.

Adjourned:

1008 hours