11-17-1986 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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i I .■ Public Service Conducted By Michael R. Riley, KXIB Public Service Manager. ARRL Amateurs Lead Miamisburg through the Thick of Phosphorous Fog The emergency plan that emerged from the Monsanto Amateur Radio Association (MARA) was put to a test on a sweltering, hot summer day when a toxic, white phos phorous cloud drifted over the city. That was a day that residents of Miamisburg, Ohio, and surrounding communities will not soon forget. At 4:38 PM on July 8,1986, a train derailed on the west-side tracks of Miamisburg, Ohio. Among the derailed cars was a tanker car containing 12,000 gallons of toxic, white phosphorous. The tanker car was dragged close to a full mile, coming to rest south of the Bear Creek bridge and in the process was punctured. As the white phosphorous vapor and oxygen in the air met, it ignited spon taneously, which sent white phosphorous clouds rising up to 15,000 feet into the air over the city. MARA President Dennis McNeil, KA8QAY, was told of the derailment at 4:48 PM. He alerted Junior Hart, K8ZQQ, the Emergency Coordinator (EC) for the MARA club. Junior Hart contacted Sam Capper, WA8V1W, who was bicycle mobile, and sent him to the scene of the derailment, and K8ZQQ set off the emergency-communi cations pagers. By 4:58 PM, Lou Lang. W8KOO, was set up at the Miamisburg Police Department. Harold Honious. W8RJY, iuid assumed net-control station (NCS-I) and began to dispatch radio amateurs to posts as requested by the police and fire departments. In short order, 40 of 42 (95%) MARA Amateur Radio operators had checked into the emergency net and were soon on their way to assigned posts or to the Police Department Central Dispatch Office to assist the police in evacuation of certain sectors of the city. By 9:30 PM, the danger sectors had been evacuated, and several sectors had been covered twice. The W8DYY emergency net continued to operate, and K8ZQQ began to put the emergency plan into full effect. When he contacted Ron Moorefield, W81LC, District Emergency Coordinator. Ron was asked to set in motion a possible large area emergency for relief operators. Ron. in turn, contacted Ohio Section Manager Jeffery Maass, K8ND, and Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator, Larry Solak, WD8MPV, to apprise them of the situation. The Dayton Amateur Radio Association. W8B1, was contacted for assistance. The W8BI van coordinators. John Kovacs. WU8EOL, David Morris, N81-EK, and James Orihood, WD8JCI, reported to the cmer- lency net and were assigned to set up a net INCS-2) on the secondary MARA repeater to lake check-ins for relief shifts. They also handled the task of supplying operators for toad blocks and other outposts. Radio amateurs coordinated food delivery to emergency-service personnel and volunteers. These operators were also scheduled and assigned by W8B1. • 'i z A ' White phosphorous clouds rise from the burning railroad tanker car. 4 The Kettering Medical Center Amateur Radio Club EC, Bill White, WB4LAI, estab lished a net-control station (NCS-3) on their repeater to a 1st in recruiting amateurs to assist in rcl... duty. June Stith, WB8UUH, assigned to Ke».ering Medical Center Emer gency Room, kept the amateurs stationed at the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tournament in Kettering advised of the plume’s course. The Miami Valley FM Associations’s repeater was assigned to Frank Warnock, K8NLM, to operate NCS-4 between the Red Cross and all shelters. A second and larger flare-up of the tanker car on Wednesday evening caused the Miamisburg Police Department to call for additional cruisers from the Dayton Police Department, the Kettering Police Depart ment, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and police departments of nearby communities. The call included a request for 50 Amateur Radio operators. The patrolmen were not familiar with the streets of Miamisburg and required assistance. A radio amateur was dispatched with each patrolman to assist him in locating his particular sector to evacuate. The Dayton patrolmen c< jid not communicate with the Miamisburg Police Department, thus the amateur network was able to provide this valuable communications link. 1 he second evacuation went as smoothly as the first, although it covered more of the city. Shelters were set up at the Miamisburg High School, Germantown High School, Jefferson Township High School, University of Dayton Arena and the Dayton Convention Center, to mention a few. It was estimated that the Red Cross shelters managed over 7000 evacuees. Radio amateurs provided needed communications between the Red Cross Chapters Director and the Red Cross vehicles handlitig supplies. It was often neces sary to evacuate one shelter to another that was safe Iroin the phosphorous plume, which t ... MkkMit iv.» r 1 I » f - At Steve Gibson. N6DNQ (left), and Louie Merrill, WA8SPN, maintain contact with others at the scene of the train derailment and chemical spill. (Curtis Cobbler photos) changed direction with each wind change. Mike Caricr, WD8BSj, stationed at the command post, was often asked to ride with the Ohio I'tate Highway Patrol helicopter to provide a rc'iable communications Fnk to the Environment.'! Protection Agency md other key officials regarding the size and density of the phosphorous nluine. Constant radio con tact was also set up with WB8CQK at the National W'cather Service in Vandalia. This proved to be a very vital key in assisting the city officials in planning the evacuations, location of shelters and location of the command post. In addition, wind direction and wind speed were also received every 15 ininutes from the Moiis;mlo Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) direct to the emcrgenc) net. This information was quickly passed oi. November 1986 4