Air Quality Cell: Coordinating Data During Major Incidents

1. East Midlands 5 Pack + 1 Programme Public HealthThe Air Quality Cell (AQC) 24th February 2011 Alec Dobney Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist

2. Overview • The need for air quality data during major incidents • Command structures • The public health response • Follow-up – Recovery Co-ordination Group

3. Why we need AQC The Buncefield Fire: an incident with wider implications • Two main issues were identified following Buncefield (in December ’05) regarding obtaining air quality information and health advice: • the need to co-ordinate the provision of air quality information to Gold Command; and • the need to improve air quality monitoring capability

6. Figure 1: Fires by type / facility responded to by HPA (CRCE) in England and Wales, between 01/01/07 and 07/10/09

7. Environmental monitoring: who does it? • The Fire and Rescue Services ?? • The Environment Agency ?? • Local Authorities ?? • The HPA ?? • During past incidents, multi-agency responders agreed that environmental monitoring would be useful… • …however, no single agency had overall responsibility

8. Post Buncefield:New responsibilities for the EA • Defra gave new responsibilities (and funding) to the Environment Agency (EA) for coordinating & undertaking air quality monitoring during major incidents • New resources include: • Rapid response teams (8 x 2 person mobile teams) with hand-held monitoring equipment • Vehicle-based real-time monitoring (2 mobile laboratories) • The EA became the lead agency for the new Air Quality Cell (AQC) arrangements

9. Location of AQ Monitoring Teams

10. Monitoring during incidents • General principles: • Carrying out environmental monitoring (sampling) during acute chemical incidents can aid in refining the public health risk assessment • Monitoring provides a measure of the environmental concentrations of selected chemicals over time • Monitoring is most useful when carried out at receptor locations (i.e. places where people are) • Some environmental concentrations can be compared to health-based exposure standards • Monitoring can provide reassurance

11. The Air Quality Cell (AQC):What is it? • A virtual multi-agency advisory group which can be convened (within 2 hours) during a major incident to co-ordinate air monitoring and modelling • Partners include EA, HPA, Met Office, HSL, FSA + others • It aims to provide timely (interpreted) air quality and air modelling information to the Science and Technical Advice Cell (if formed), or to a multi-agency group.

12. Command and Control Structures • When a major incident is declared a multi-agency SILVER (tactical) and/or GOLD (strategic) Command may be called • The police usually chair the multi-agency response to an incident • The HPA may be represented at SILVER and/or GOLD • A Science and Technical Advice Cell (STAC) may be formed if there is a GOLD • The STAC is usually chaired by the local Director of Public Health or a senior HPA staff member • In some cases a multi-agency health group may be formed to co-ordinate efforts when a Silver and/or Gold is called

13. AQC arrangements Science and Technical Advice Cell (STAC) or Multi-Agency Group FRS and other responders Health Protection Agency Air modelling data Air monitoring data Air Quality Cell (AQC) Met Office, HSL and others Environment Agency

14. The Air Quality Cell:What is the scope? • Called for major incidents in England or Wales, which affect air quality: a release of hazardous substances to air with the potential to cause significant harm to the public and the environment: • Includes: • All types of incident site • Fires – toxic combustion products • Offshore – where plume can reach the mainland • Excludes: • Radiological, nuclear or biological incidents • Acts of terrorism involving chemical warfare agents

15. The Air Quality Cell:What does it do? • Decide the nature and scale of the monitoring and modelling response • Plan and deliver the monitoring strategy • Plan and deliver the modelling strategy • Interpret real-time data • Provide considered and timely advice on air quality information via HPA representative at STAC or multi-agency meeting where STAC is not formed. • Respond to questions and direction from STAC or multi-agency meeting

16. AQC Trigger Criteria:Calling an AQC • Either STAC (if formed) or multi-agency meeting calls for an AQC • OR (more typically) the EA in consultation with HPA CRCE • Factors influencing whether an AQC is called include: • Source toxicity: scale of hazard • Sensitive receptors: risk to human health • Predicted duration of incident and aftermath (6 hours or more) • Scale of multi-agency resources already deployed

17. CRCE AIR QUALITY CELL AQC CHAIR AQC SUPPORT CRCE MET OFFICE FSA HEALTH AND SAFETY LABORATORY OTHER AQC Activation Process Incident FRS? EA Alerted “NAQTA” HPU

18. AQC trigger criteria:EA considerations • Is the incident a chemical release, fire or explosion? • Is a Silver or Gold established? • OR at least ONE of the following: • public exposed to potential or known health risk and advised to remain indoors/ close windows? properties are being evacuated? • OR deployment of at least ONE of the following: • 4 or more fire appliances/pumps (6 in London) • HAZMAT Officer • FRS Detection, Identification and Monitoring (DIM) vehicle • If so, the EA will contact HPA CRCE to discuss the need for an AQC

19. Timeline for AQC 0 - 30 min 30 min-2 h 2 - 6 h 6 - 12 h 3-5 days Air modelling Met Office CHEMET FIREMET Source term and Met Office modelling Updated Met Office model results Bespoke modelling by experts Air monitoring FRS DIM (detection only) Hand held equipment results Real time air conc AURN Laboratory results Technical advice AQC advice AQC advice AQC advice AQC advice

20. The role of the Environment Agency • Act as co-ordinator of the AQC • Organise and chair the teleconferences • Administrate AQC documentation • Provide monitoring resources • Liaise with monitoring teams • Fund AQC activities

21. The role of the HPA • To provide public health advice – both within the AQC and within any STAC or multi-agency meeting • Within the AQC, the HPA are the EA’s ‘primary customer’ and CRCE staff will be members of the AQC • HPA CRCE are responsible for providing the AQC’s advice to the HPA representative at STAC or multi-agency meeting – this will usually be a member of the Heath Protection Unit

22. HPA Actions • Discuss AQC activation with EA • Advise on monitoring team locations and substances to be modelled and monitored • Identify population at risk (from GIS maps and discussions with HPU) • Interpret AQC data and model outputs • Communicate AQC advice to relevant command structures and answer questions • Alert and liaise with health agencies (PCT, NHS Direct, GPs) • Warn and inform the public (in partnership with other stakeholders)

23. AQC partners • Health and Safety Laboratory – advanced modelling capability, chemical reactivity advice and enhanced monitoring • Food Standards Agency – food uptake and contamination • Met Office – weather forecast and basic/advanced modelling capability • Local Authorities – local air quality data and AQC handover to recovery group • Other organisations/individuals – specific expertise as required

24. Standing down the AQC • The AQC will operate for up to 5 days or until the acute phase of the incident is over – whichever is the shortest • The AQC Chair (EA staff member) decides, in consultation with HPA, when to stand down • When the emergency phase of an incident is over the AQC will handover to the Local Authority (Recovery Co-ordination Group) • e.g. after the point when the emergency services hand control of the incident to the Local Authority or another appointed organisation

25. What the AQC wont do • Will not provide raw data to stakeholders outside of the AQC • Will not tell STAC or multi-agency meeting what to do. AQC will provide reasoned options for discussion. • Will not organise monitoring within emergency services’ cordons or within enclosed spaces • Will not deal with health and safety or occupational health queries from either the emergency services or businesses affected by an incident • Will not undertake monitoring throughout protracted incidents (>5 days) • Cannot monitor for asbestos • Cannot advise on issues other than air quality issue (including deposition)

26. Summary • Improvements to air monitoring capability to provide a 24/7 response • Improvements to modelling capability with a 24/7 response from external experts • Fire and Rescue Service most likely to alert EA • EA and CRCE discuss the need for an AQC • Multi-agency AQC will co-ordinate provision of interpreted air quality data • AQC will link to STAC or Multi-agency group via the HPA • HPA link to incident command • AQC chair and HPA decide when the Cell stands down

27. Experiences to date (1) • It is very important to ensure that the AQC and STAC or multi-agency groups “battle rhythms” are discussed early in the incident and synchronised • It takes time (hours) before the AQC is able to provide interpreted data • The AQC operates 24/7 – but monitoring data may not always be supplied 24/7 due to health and safety considerations of monitoring teams • The AQC is not a substitute for multi-agency liaison – it remains important to talk during an incident • AQC information will help refine the public health risk assessment, not replace it • AQC outputs may not always change public health actions but will provide greater confidence in the risk assessment

28. Experiences to date (2) • AQC data can be used to inform on-site fire-fighting strategies as well as shelter/evacuate decisions • The AQC arrangements are still quite new to the AQC attendees and the AQC stakeholders • It is important to manage multi-agency expectations at STAC or multi-agency groups about what the AQC can and can’t do • Many Local Authorities aren’t familiar with the AQC arrangements – particularly the arrangements for handover from the AQC • Data and outputs from the AQC are owned by the AQC chair

29. Thank you for listening • Any questions…?