Tabletop Exercise Nov 14 2006

1. Tabletop ExerciseNov 14 2006 An Exercise prepared for: THE CITY OF MEXICALI, B.C. THE CITY OF CALEXICO, CA. THE COUNTY OF IMPERIAL, CA. DIRECCION ESTATAL DE PROTECCION CIVIL, B.C. PROFEPA, MEXICO US EPA, REGION 9 U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

2. Opening Remarks Imperial Valley FD, EPA and Baja’s Civil Protection Agency

3. Introduction, Process and Exercise Rules Exercise Director David de la Peza Assistant Director U.S. Customs and Border Protection U.S. Department of Homeland Security

4. Introduction of Exercise Participants • PlayersObservers

5. Exercise Director David de la Peza (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) Exercise Controller U.S. Alfredo Estrada (I.V. Fire Department) Exercise Controller Mexico Raymundo Noriega (Proteccion Civil) Recorder Flavio Olivieri (SAIC) Lead Evaluator Richard M. Brophy Tetra Tech NUS, Inc Control Staff Control Staff Documentation Staff Evaluators U.S. / Mexico Exercise Development, Management and Control Team Structure Exercise Design Team • Daniel Perez Bastidas • Alba Perea • Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación Urbana • Barbara Maco • EPA • Jesus Jimenes Payan • PROFEPA • Alfredo Estrada • Imperial County Fire Department • Raymundo Noriega • Dirección de Protección Civil • David de la Peza • U.S. Customs and Border Protection • Tetra Tech NUS, Inc • SAIC

6. Introduction BORDER ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION COMMISSIONBORDER 2012 PROJECTBinational Emergency Preparedness Exercise Program A Binational exercise for responding to simulated chemical spills situations in the Imperial Valley, Ca. / Mexicali, B.C, border area. This exercise is sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as part of the BORDER 2012 PROJECT. BORDER SHIELD 2006 is the latest in a series of annual exercises conducted jointly by Mexico and the United States under the BORDER 2012 PROJECT, is designed to assist the Mexicali/Imperial Valley Task Force in understanding the unique requirements under which their Binational Imperial County-Mexicali Emergency Prevention and Response Plan is implemented.

7. Exercise Objectives • Familiarize participants with agency roles and responsibilities related to the Binational Imperial County-Mexicali Emergency Prevention and Response Plan. • Review plans and procedures associated with cross-border collaboration and communication between fire departments and other agencies in response to a chemical emergency in the border region. • Identify critical information needed for a competent joint cross-border response to a chemical emergency. Some objectives will be observed both on the day of the exercise and also in one or more interviews and or demonstrations out of sequence

8. Exercise Rules • Participants from each city will be required to function as individual groups within a unified incident command system. • Exercise participants will meet in groups that correspond to those formed in a real emergency for each city EOC and Incident Command Posts (Mexicali, Calexico and the Imperial Valley). • The groups sequentially will review the scenario, answer questions and log their likely actions in response to incident events. • During this exercise participants will need to rely on their own resources to manage the incident.

9. Exercise Rules (cont) • Make your best decision based on the information that is presented. • Respond according to your knowledge of the plan, procedures and resources. It is ok “not to know”. • There may be no “pat” answer. • It is OK to disagree. Identify the key issues contributing to the disagreement and agree to find solutions in the future.

10. Exercise Rules (cont) • You are playing yourself (but you may need to think outside your usual role). • Assume that the information you are given is accurate. • Each group will designate one person to perform the following roles: • Emergency Operations Manager, • Incident Commander, • Liaison Officer, • Note Taker, to keep a chronological list of response activities, • Representatives of responding organizations (fire, police, health, etc.) • Observers may not interact with the players.

11. Today’sAgenda

12. Questions before we begin?

13. Begin Exercise

14. Tabletop Exercise Instructions Exercise Controllers Raymundo Noriega Coordinator Dirección de Protección Civil Gobierno del Estado de Baja California Alfredo Estrada Assistant Fire Chief Imperial County Fire Department

15. Instructions • Two totally different scenarios and situational statements will be used to generate discussion of probable EOC, ICP or joint response actions and activities. • Participants will provide situational responses based on established and actual procedures, plans and resources. • All ideas and input are welcome. • Open dialogue strongly encouraged. • Only one person speaks at a time.

16. EXERCISE SCENARIO A AMMONIA LEAK FROM TRAIN CAR

17. SCENARIO A Scenario Background At approximately 09:55 a.m., today, Ferrocarriles Nacionales train was being prepared for departure in the Calexico’s West Port Of Entry, on its way to the northeast to deliver its cargo. As part of this process, it was traveling at about 2.9 miles per hour when an emergency brake application occurred and the train movement stopped. Five loaded tank cars had suffered a derailment, one of them containing anhydrous ammonia and 4 of them liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), just between both the U.S. and Mexico’s port of entry facilities. Two of the derailed tank cars were overturned and the anhydrous ammonia rail car suffered a fissure in one of the control device elements. This leak resulted in the immediate evacuation of the employees and users of both customs facilities. There are still some personnel inside the installations and some of the persons are still in their cars on their way to cross the border, citizens are reporting strange odors and other related health problems by the anhydrous ammonia vapors from 1 block from the derailment, reports are being received by the Calexico’s 911 dispatch center from businesses near the Port of Entry, and by C4 dispatch center in Mexicali, from civilians near the scenario. The train has already crossed into US territory, and the ammonia tank car is located just between the border boundaries. The crew consisted of an engineer and a conductor; both were employees of Ferrocarriles Nacionales. The crew survived the collision, receiving relatively minor crash injuries. They exited their locomotive as the escaping anhydrous ammonia from the breached tank car was filling the derailment area with the poisonous anhydrous ammonia gas.

18. SCENARIO A Scenario Background • The train includes 5 tank cars and 2 box cars: • 4 tank cars of LPG (UN 1075, Class 2.1), • 1 tank car of anhydrous ammonia (UN 1005, Class 2.4), has a capacity of 33,500 gallons. • 2 box cars. • Current weather conditions: • Temperature: 73.9 °F / 23.3 °C • Light winds 3.5 mph / 5.6 km/h • Wind direction: NNW • Humidity: 38%

19. U.S. Customs Facilities Mexico Customs Facilities Exercise A: Initial Scenario Setting

20. Exercise A: Initial Scenario Setting

21. Caucus Period

22. INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS • Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP) • Which agency will assume Incident Command in your jurisdiction? • What are the incidents command priorities? • Are responding units equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment to handle the situation? • What physical resources do you expect to have on scene from local resources? • Will these resources come through normal in place run card or preplans or do you need a special call? • How many personnel will you expect to respond initially, how many personnel do you expect to actually need where will they come from if not available from normal sources? • What existing local plans or procedures are available to assist you with this response? • What additional response resources should be requested? • What needs to be done about the bystanders & people staying in their cars in and around the incident? And how this will be done? • What should be done about the residents and bystanders downwind of the chemical plume?

23. INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS • Imperial Valley EOC • At what point the county will be notified about this incident? • It will respond to the scene? Why? When? • Mexicali and Calexico’s Dispatch Centers • How does dispatch ensures that appropriate administrative personnel and city officials are notified of the incident, according to the Binational Plan and local protocols? • The preparation of the dispatch personnel includes appropriate referrals to the Binational Plan or other current response protocols? • Are the dispatch centers prepared to handle calls from people that speak other language? • All players • Your jurisdiction has a railroad emergency response plan? • The communication protocol included in the Binational Plan is appropriate for this incident? • What pertinent data needs to be collected to facilitate the response from the other country counterpart’s agencies? • Describe how communications are maintained between the various response elements (police, fire, EMS, etc.) in a local emergency and how will be maintained in a binational emergency. • The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) procedures are consistent with plans, procedures, and protocols? Are local or mutual plans sufficient for response to a complex chemical incident?

24. INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS • All players • Does the Emergency Manager from your jurisdiction have authority to use necessary resources to mitigate the emergency and coordinate additional elements? How will the EOC manager perform these duties? • How will the Incident Commander (IC) coordinate with the local EOC, to analyze information and available data to formulate mitigation and protective actions? How will the local information be shared with the counterpart authorities? • The first response agencies (Fire, EMS, Police, etc.) have protocols for responding to chemical emergencies? Is yes, are both communities protocols provide to the establishment of a Unified Command Post or Joint Response Operations? • The EOC personnel maintain an account of incident events? How was this done? • The representatives from the participating agencies considered in the Binational Plan, have decision-making authority for their respective agencies? If not, who has this authority?

25. EXERCISE SCENARIO A, INJECT No. 1

26. SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1 20 minutes have pass from the first arrival of the responders, an emergency responder from the Calexico Fire Department has discovered a frost ring on the bottom center of tank car, which contains 140,377 pounds (29,054 gallons) of a LPG Gas and. The leak from the ammonia continues at the same magnitude. Many additional resources have been required to handle the situation by both communities’ emergency management agencies. The businesses located near the spill are concerned about the economic impact of this incident. The hospitals and clinics are receiving many calls and visits from patients complaining of throat irritation, shortness of breath and chest pain, no injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of the failure of the ammonia tank car. The media is trying to obtain information on this incident and are approaching the scene. Various government and private organizations involved in the response are freelancing and putting out conflicting information. Many people are showing up at the scene and want to know about loved ones that they speculate were in the area at the time of the accident. The direction of the wind has changed to WNW and the speed has increased to 13.8 mph / 22.2 km/h. A Mexicali police officer reports to the C4 center that some of the vegetation on the new river is getting brownish and found some dead birds near the river. People outside of the immediate evacuation area are now calling the C4 center to report a gas breathing related problems. Response personnel from EPA, National Transportation Safety Board, United States Department of Transportation, and Federal Railroad Administration will be arriving at the scene around 6 p.m. and each one wants to speak with the Incident Commander in charge of the accident. The leak is proving to be a real challenge and projections are that it is going to take several hours before there is significant change in the scene. It will take about 3 hours for the railroad company response team to arrive. Hospitals are reporting that they cannot take any more patients. Calexico and Mexicali officials want to know if it is time to request a Disaster Declaration.

27. Caucus Period

28. SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1 QUESTIONS • Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP) • What are response priorities at this time? • Would the IC activate his jurisdiction EOC, if not what would it take to make you want to activate the EOC? • Which agency will have the Incident Command and the overall Emergency management of the incident? • Your jurisdiction has an operational EOC? Whit fully communications and notification capabilities? • Can the leak be blocked with local resources? • How much time do you estimate that leak can be contained? • What is being done about the accident and when do you expect the problem to be resolved? • Your jurisdiction has rail car leak containment equipment? The surrounding jurisdictions? • Your response personnel have rail car hazardous materials response training? • What other health and public safety issues do you have at this time? • At this time a County or State of Emergency will be summon? • How would you notify Binational emergency management agencies of this developing situation?

29. SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1 QUESTIONS • Imperial Valley EOC • What will be the expected status of response of the County at this time? • If requested by the Mexicali officials, the hazmat unit will respond in Mexicali? • What will be the constraints of working another jurisdiction hazmat team or with the Mexicali Hazmat Team? • All players • Who is responsible for the overall incident command and control? • How can a shared understanding of what each of the response efforts can be accomplish? • Who will decide the common goal of a joint response? • In what other areas and projects do we be to start to collaborate? • How can our respective local and state responsibilities and authorities be used to improve communications interoperability? • What are the limitations of our respective local and regional authorities to respond to a complex chemical emergency? • Is there a possibility for unintentional consequences of responding to a Binational chemical emergency without coordinating? • What benefits will make coordination valuable to our respective agencies?

30. SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1 QUESTIONS • All players • How will we justify the effort and resources expended on coordination between our agencies? • What resources do we have available to share and maximize their use? • What resources do each of us need, but do not have readily available? • How will a joint protective action decision be made in a timely manner, based on the risks posed and the area to be impacted? • Can the geographic extent of the incident be determined? • Should an evacuation be ordered? • If so, how will the order be disseminated and carried out? Can it be a joint decision to evacuate? How can in be done? • Where evacuees from other jurisdictions will be sent? • Who will be in charge of solving the problem caused by the derailment? • Does your Hazmat team has appropriate level of PPE and are properly trained to use the equipment, for the scenario emergency? • Does your Hazmat team is equipped with appropriate monitoring devices to handle the situation? • What resources might be necessary to carry out these functions? People, equipment, training?

31. Break

32. EXERCISE SCENARIO B MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH SPILL

33. SCENARIO B Scenario Background It is 11:25 a.m. today, the temperature is 84 degrees, and the humidity is 85 percent. The weather forecast calls for thunderstorms developing from the west. Several trucks are traveling from both sides at the East Border Crossing Facilities. A tractor trailer has just exited the Commercial East Port of Entry on his way south to Mexicali; the truck is carrying 30 (55 gallon) closed head steel drums of liquid acetone. The driver of the vehicle hears what appears to be a tire blow out that result on a tire fire at the rear of the vehicle; the truck veers to the right and slams into the bridge abutment; just in the middle of the bridge over the American Canal. The driver of another tractor trailer traveling behind, transporting 25 (200 liter) drums of corrosive liquids, took evasive action and tried to avoid the truck, the drums brushed against each other and the vehicle taking evasive action ended crashing the trailer from behind, resulting in 8 of the drums falling from the vehicle, seven of the plastic drums developed a leak as a result of the impact and corrosive liquid started to spill out on the road. After attempts to extinguish the fire failed the driver abandoned the vehicle, a passing truck took him to the U.S. Customs Authorities, from where the 911 dispatch center were alerted to the problem. The driver of the second vehicle and his companion remain in the truck and both appear to be unconscious.

34. SCENARIO B Scenario Background • The first tractor trailer is carrying: • 30 (55-gallon) closed head steel drums of liquid acetone. • No initial spill, fire in the cargo area. • : The second tractor trailer involved is carrying: • 25 (200 liter) drums of corrosive liquids. • Eight of the drums fall down from the vehicle; seven of the plastic drums developed a leak. • Current weather conditions: • Temperature: 82.9 °F / 28.3 °C • Light winds 3.5 mph / 5.6 km/h • Wind direction: N • Humidity: 19%

35. Exercise B: Initial Scenario Setting

36. Exercise B: Initial Scenario Setting

37. Caucus Period

38. INITIAL SCENARIO B QUESTIONS • Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP) • What agency will be in command of the reported incident (Fire, Police, EMS, Customs, etc)? • What are the incidents command priorities? • Is there a resource you think you might need which is not available locally? How will you access these resources? • What plans or procedures are available to assist you with this response? • Would you activate the town EOC, if not what would it take to make you want to activate the EOC? • What safety concerns do you have based on this scenario? • How long can you personnel work without a break? What factors will drive your decision to have personnel relieved? • Are there any issues not addressed by the questions provided if so list them and discuss. • Imperial Valley EOC • What will be the status of response of the county? When will be notified and by whom? Can the U.S. Customs Authorities can ask for assistance, what kind of assistance can be provided if the officials from Mexicali ask for support? • Can the Imperial Valley Hazmat Response Team work in a similar scenario?

39. INITIAL SCENARIO B QUESTIONS • All players • What involvement with this incident would each of your institutions expect to have at this time? • How might your institution become aware of this incident? • What preparations might you make once you became aware of the situation? • Is there any resource you might need that you don’t currently possess? • Who would you call in the counterpart jurisdiction to discuss the incident with? • What procedure or policies do you follow in situations such as this? • What if any complications to your ongoing response does the latest problem present? • Are there any issues not addressed by the questions provided if so list them and discuss • Is there any critical infrastructure (hospitals, port of entry facility, airport, etc.) response plan or protocols in your jurisdiction? Where can you find a copy of the plans?

40. EXERCISE SCENARIO B, INJECT No. 1

41. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1 20 minutes have pass from the first arrival of the responders, both communities response units have arrived and initiated the recognition of the incident, the Calexico Fire Department arrived at scene and a unified incident command was established with the U.S. Customs authorities and other response agencies. Mutual aid was requested from the county and the I.C., requires for a representative from the Mexicali authorities to be at the command post to make combined operational decisions. The cargo area of the truck that was transporting the liquid acetone has caught fire. The 911 dispatch center receives a call is from an off duty police officer traveling in a private vehicle westbound near the American Canal about 500 meters down stream from the accident scene, the police officer reports that a oil spot can be seen over the water. The officer will call back with updated information. The weather is changing drastically; it has started to rain and winds increased to 20 mph, the wind direction shifted to the SW.

42. Caucus Period

43. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1 QUESTIONS • Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP) • Based on the current scenario would you expect the EOC to be activated? • Is there a need for the Emergency Operations Center to be activated or will a unified Incident Command Structure be sufficient? Why or why not? • What information do you need from outside the EOC? If not received how you will obtain it? What type of limitations do you find as an EOC manager to interact with the ICP? • How will each community EOC interact? Does your Emergency Management Agency have provisions for this? When was the last time when your EOC was activated and why? Do you keep records of EOC activities? • Has record information shared with the counterpart Emergency Management Agency to find the limitations and address solution issues such as procedures and activation processes? • How will you warn the public to stay away from the crash site? • How will you obtain the heavy equipment to assist with the clearing of roadway debris and rescue operations? • How will the victims be treated and transported to hospitals? • If the driver and his companion are dead, where will the corps be taken? • Who and what agencies will disseminate official information to the public?

44. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1 QUESTIONS • All players • What are the priorities at this phase of the response? • What additional response resources should be requested? • What information would be given to the public about the contamination of the canal? • When should other environmental health agencies be notified? • As the scenario unfolds, how would the news releases change? • Explain how to conduct a survey of a suspected contamination of the canal? • Which local, county, state and federal agencies would be notified of the survey results? • What specific information would be reported? • How will emergency information concerning the storm and response actions be disseminated? And to whom? • Identify other tactical considerations. • Identify four incident command issues.

45. EXERCISE SCENARIO B, INJECT No. 2

46. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2 Responders extinguished both vehicle fires, the IC command wants to know if the chemicals that spilled on the canal represent a danger for the community and who will be responsible for the clean up at the accident scene. The accident blocked the commercial truck crossing on both ways, at least 100 vehicles are in line to cross from the U.S. to Mexico and 150 in the other direction and vehicles are still arriving, CANACINTRA and private sector representatives want to know where the traffic will be re-routed or what instructions to give to the truck drivers because most of the cargo have to arrive in time to their destination or it will derivate in a significant economical loss for a lot of companies or maybe in other accidents. A reporter from the local television station is asking questions regarding the condition of the victims and driver. The reporter wants to know who is at fault and who will be in charge of the cleanup operations.

47. Caucus Period

48. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2 QUESTIONS • All players • What actions should have taken early in order to reduce the number of tractor trailers becoming stuck? • When planning purchases of response equipment and PPE, have you worked with other local and binational agencies to ensure your equipment is interoperable? • Is there a forum where information about plans or interoperability planning questions can be posted and collaboratively discussed? Can the Mexicali/Imperial Valley Task Force provide for this discussion? • Is there a current inventory of the interoperable capabilities shared both communities? • Who will be in charge of the cleanup operations and expenses? • Are there regular meetings to discuss the use of communications, emergency response resources and capabilities in public safety operations from day to day activities to catastrophic events?

49. SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2 QUESTIONS • All players • Have representatives from the local Emergency Management Agency developed incident response plans that include procedures for the use of interoperable communications resources and capabilities? • What improvements, that haven’t been discussed before, can be made to the Binational Plan concerning alert, notification, dispatch and operational tasks, conducted in accordance with established procedures? • Were the current protocols for emergency response adequate for the emergencies used on both of the scenarios? • Were Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operations consistent with a Binational emergency response? • Were the actions taken during this exercise based on existing plans and operating procedures? • Does your jurisdiction have a current Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Plan for chemical substances?

50. Congratulations !!!! • No one actually died. • No environmental damage occurred. • Everyone survived…….