12-08-1986 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Public Service Conducted By Michael R. Riley, KX 1 B 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, KABQAY, 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, WABVIW, who was bicycle mobile, and sent him to the scene of the derailment, and K8ZQQ set off the emergency-cotnmuni- cations pagers. By 4:58 PM, Lou Lang, W8KOO, was set up at the Miamisburg Police Department. Harold Honious, WBRJY, had assumed net -control station (NCS-1) 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 o" the city. By 9:30 PM, the danger sectors had been evacuated, and several sectors had been covered twice. The WBDYY emergency net continued to operate, and K8ZQQ began to put the emergency plan into full effect. When he contacted Ron Moorefield, WSILC, 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, KBND, and Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator, Larry Solak, WDBMPV, to apprise them of the situation. The Dayton Amateur Radio Association, W8BI, was contacted for assistance. The W8BI van coordinators, John Kovacs, WBBEOL, David Morris, NBEEK, and James Orihood, WDBJCI, reported to the emer- gency net and were assigned to set up a net INCS-2) on the secondary MARA repeater to take 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. Thew operators were also scheduled and assigned by W8BI. White phosphorous clouds rise from the burning railroad tanker car. The Kettering Medical Center Amateur Radio Club EC, Bill White, W114LAl, estab- lished a net -control station (NCS-3) on their repeater to assist in recruiting amateurs to assist in relief duty. June Stith, WBBUUH, assigned to Kettering 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 Association's repeater was assigned to Frank Warnock, KBNLM, 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 could not communicate with the Miamisburg Police Department, thus the amateur network was able to provide this valuable communication link. The 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 SOW evacuees. Radio amateurs provided needed cummumcanons between the Red Cross Chapters Director and the Red Cross vehicles handling supplies. It was often neces- sary to evacuate one shelter to another that was safe (runt the phosphorous plume, which Steve Gibson, NBDNG (left), and Louie Merrill, WABSPN, maintain contact with others at the scene of the train derailment and chemical spill. (Curtis Cobbler photos) changed direction with each wind change. Mike Carter, WDBBS), stationed at the command post, was often asked to ri ie with the Ohio State Highway Patrol helic..,)ter to provide a reliable communications link to the Environmental Protection Agency and other key officials regarding the size and density of the phosphorous plume. Constant radio con- tact was also set up with WBBCQK at the National Weather 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 minutes from the Monsanto Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) direct to the emergency net. This information was quickly passed on November 1986 69