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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLocal Emergency Planning Committe 10-16-1996ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Robert Boche, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Frank Ivy, Chairman COMMITTEE TITLE: Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) DATE OF MEETING: Wednesday - October 16, 1996 TIME: 1:00 P.M. LOCATION: Government Center - Emergency Government Conference Room 1101 Carmichael Road - Hudson, WI 54016 CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING December 18, 1996 ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Update on Non -Compliant Facilities 2. Report on Ag Pilot Project State Planning Meeting 3. Report on Governor's Conference 4. Report on Recent Classes Held, ICS-Law and Hazmat for Hospitals NEW BUSINESS 1. `1997 State Training and Grants 2. Close-out of 1996 Grants 3. Proposed Form for New Businesses to Fill Out 4. LEPC Advisory Committee Representation 5. Granular Pesticide Reporting 6. Public Comments ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (This agenda not necessarily presented in this order) SUBMITTED BY: Jack Colvard, Emergency Government PHONE #386-4719/386-4718 DATE: September 30, 1996 Copies to: County Board -Office Committee Members County Clerk News Media/Notice Board ST. CROIX COUNTY LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE (LEPC) MINUTES October 16, 1996 Meeting Those present included: Jack Colvard, Pam Benson, Emergency Government; John Borup, Health and Human Services; Bill Hawley, Baldwin Bulletin; Ken Weiske, Farmers Co -op -Baldwin; John Mortensen, Charles Mehls and Arthur Jacobson, County Board; Steve Schofield, Highway Department; Craig Olson, State Emergency Response Board (SERB); Lee M. Cooper, WITC; and David Hausman, DNR. The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Acting Chairman Jacobson. The agenda was approved on a Mortensen/Cooper MOTION. The 8/28/96 Minutes were approved on a Hawley/Mortensen MOTION. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Update on Non -Compliant Facilities Colvard stated that two of the remaining three non -compliant facilities are in the process of filling out their forms and will be submitting them to the State and this office shortly. A third non -compliant facility remains in St. Croix County. After discussion, a Cooper/Mehls MOTION was approved that information regarding this final non -compliant facility be turned over to the State for them to pursue compliance actions. 2. Report on Ag Pilot Proiect State Planning Meeting Colvard reported on the meeting he attended on 9/27 regarding the Ag Pilot Project. •The St. Croix County co-op participating in this project .handed out 495 brochures to farmers. 218 farmers did purchase extremely hazardous substances (EHS) from the co-op in amounts above the threshold planning quantity. None of those 218 farmers purchasing EHS chemicals returned the information requested on the brochures to this office, although self-addressed, stamped envelopes were used. Olson stated many farmers would not .be required to have a facility plan, as the chemicals purchased remain on a truck until used. Technically, only when EHS chemicals are stored on site in a building would a farmer be required to have a facility plan. Olson mentioned a fire at an Iowa farm where 5 firefighters were sent to the hospital after being overcome by fumes from pesticides that were stored in a granary. Farm emergency plans should be made for liability purposes and for the protection of families and emergency responders in the event of a disaster. No farm planning fee is required, as long as a farm has fewer than 10 employees. Per Weiske, some farmers do pre -pay for their chemicals and then the co-op stores them until they are needed. As long as farmers are not required to report the chemicals they store, most will not do so. Mortensen spoke about the importance of educating farmers about chemical safety and Hawley stated maybe a newspaper article on agricultural chemical safety would be helpful. 3. Report on Governor's Conference Jacobson reported on the Governor's Conference, which was held on 9/10 and 9/11 in Milwaukee. Most sessions held were about the St. Croix County LEPC, cont. Minutes, 10/16/96 Page 2 Weyauwega train derailment incident which occurred in March, 1996. Facts brought out at the conference were that both the fire and police chief were out of town when the incident occurred. The warmest the temperature got during the 20-day period when people were evacuated was 27 degrees. As a result, when the electricity and gas were shut off, many buildings and homes suffered broken water pipes. A main point of the sessions at the conference, per Jacobson, is that good emergency plans are a must in any community. Also, when an evacuation is ordered, the 3 p's to remember are: pills, purses/pocketbooks, and pets. 4. Report on Recent Classes Held, ICS-Law and Hazmat for Hospitals Colvard passed out sheets regarding the training held in St. Croix County over the past year. NEW BUSINESS 1. 1997 State Training and Grants For the coming FFY (Federal Fiscal Year) 1997, $8230 in State funding for training has been approved. Another $4400 in training funds has been applied for. Cooper stated that the new curriculum for entry level firefighters includes awareness level training on hazardous materials. Olson stated that the Sheriff's Department should receive awareness level training, as they may be the first on the scene after a hazardous material incident. Schofield then talked about the hazardous material training received at the Highway Department this past summer. - 2. Close-out of 1996 Grants Grant close-outs have been submitted to the State for reimbursement under the following 1996 grants: Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Grant, State Training Grant, SARA Computer Equipment Grant, Ag Pilot Project Sub -Grant, and the Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning (HMEP) Grant. The value of all training sponsored or put on by Emergency Government in FFY 1996 was $43,000. WITC in New Richmond is believed to have put on the second highest number of courses in the State during FFY 1996. 3. Proposed Form for New Business to Fill Out A sample form was designed by the Emergency Government Department and shown to the LEPC Committee. This form would identify new businesses located in the county and the hazardous chemicals they plan to have on site for heating, transporting, manufacturing, processing, storing, reselling, or other reasons. It would also identify new businesses in the area which may be required to plan for hazardous materials. After discussion and corrections, a Mehls/Mortensen MOTION to approve the form was passed by the Committee. St. Croix County LEPC, cont. Minutes, 10/16/96 Page 3 4. LEPC Advisory Committee Representation Colvard advised the Committee that he is the newly elected West Central region representative to the LEPC Advisory Committee. The West Central region consists of 13 counties, including St. Croix County. Olson stated that the State Emergency Response Board (SERB) wants all counties' concerns to be heard. Also, the LEPC Advisory Committee is working on better communication channels for sharing information between County LEPC's. 5. Granular Pesticide Reporting Colvard stated that he called the Federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Hotline number and asked about the reporting of granular pesticides. Basically, at this time the EPA is still identifying granular pesticides and their threshold planning quantities with the same potential hazard as if they were in liquid form. As a result, until the EPA reevaluates pesticides in the granular form, planning and reporting quantities will remain the same as they have in the past. Colvard has mentioned,to the SERB that the vulnerability zone for all granular pesticides is less than 1/10 of a mile and our computer software for calculating risk zones around a facility will not calculate a vulnerability zone for a granular pesticide, regardless of quantity. 6. Public Comments Colvard spoke about the new law that took effect 10/16/96 which states that no residue placards will be required on railroad cars. Thus, in a train accident or derailment, -it will have to be assumed that railroad cars are filled with the product designated on their signage. The EAS (Emergency Alert System) was discussed with the Committee. Per Olson, the EAS is a new system replacing the older EBS (Emergency Broadcast System). All radio and television stations are required to have EAS equipment by 1/1/97. The EAS provides more flexibility in warning the public and specific areas can be targeted more easily. Also,,per Olson, the State of Minnesota is adopting the EAS system, so it is important that Western Wisconsin counties install the system also. Colvard next spoke about a new DNR rule, NR 706, that raises some of the quantities spilled before they would need to be reported. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 2:36 p.m. on a Hawley/Jacobson MOTION. Respectfully submitted, Pamela R. Benson, Secretary