Guidebook for Conducting Local Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies (2011)

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The first step of an HMCFS involves selecting the project’s leadership, setting objectives, and defining data requirements based on the project’s objectives. A flow chart of the HMCFS process focusing on HMCFS leadership, objectives, and data requirements is shown in Figure 2-1. 2.1 Select Leadership The leadership of the HMCFS project consists of two groups. One group is the core team, which is responsible for “the big picture” with respect to the HMCFS project. Another group is the project team, which is responsible for coordinating and managing the HMCFS project. 2.1.1 HMCFS Core Team The first step in conducting an HMCFS is identifying the core team. The responsibilities of the HMCFS core team include the following: • Oversight of the HMCFS project, • Identification of HMCFS project objectives, • Review of HMCFS results, and • Implementation of HMCFS results. Selecting the core team is an opportunity to involve major hazmat transportation, responder, and community stakeholders in the project. The core team may involve the same individuals who participate in core planning for a jurisdiction’s emergency plan. Some or all of the following individuals, agencies, or sectors may be included: • LEPC executive members; • Elected officials; • Emergency management; • Fire services; • Hazmat response teams; • Law enforcement; • Emergency medical services; • Public health, hospitals, and health care facilities; • Transportation, public works, or utilities; • Social services and environmental protection; • Private sector (industry, hazmat carriers, etc.); • Local planning agencies and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs); and • Non-government offices or economic, environmental, or social advocacy groups. 17 C H A P T E R 2 Select Leadership, Set Objectives, and Define Data Requirements

Involvement of the core team is directly relevant to the direction of the HMCFS project through objectives setting. It is also important for reviewing project information, implementing it into the broader context of emergency planning, and building local support of public officials, the private sector, and general public. 2.1.2 HMCFS Project Team The HMCFS project team will be responsible for coordinating and managing the HMCFS project, based on the objectives identified by the HMCFS core team. These responsibilities may include the following: 18 Guidebook for Conducting Local Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies Figure 2-1. The HMCFS leadership, objectives and data require- ments process.

• Identifying data requirements for the HMCFS project, based on the objectives; • Identifying volunteers and other resources available for collect- ing HMCFS data; • Scoping and scheduling the HMCFS project tasks; • Coordinating volunteer and other data collection activities; • Compiling and reviewing baseline and existing HMCFS data; • Compiling and validating new HMCFS data; • Analyzing HMCFS data; • Documenting HMCFS results; and • Presenting HMCFS results to the HMCFS core team. The HMCFS project team should be identified at the same time as, or soon after, the core team is identified. The project team may include some or all of the core planning team members, as well as other individuals who have time, interest, and capability for a lead- ing role in the HMCFS project. An LEPC or TERC might assign HMCFS project leadership to a transportation- or hazmat-focused subcommittee. A local government agency might assign HMCFS project leadership to a planner or planning group. To the degree that consultants, university faculty, and state or federal agency of- ficials are involved in the project, they may be included in, or even lead, the HMCFS project team. 2.2 Set Objectives The goal of the HMCFS should be to inform emergency and community plans so that they are adequate, feasible, acceptable, complete, and in compliance with guidance and doctrine. Setting specific objectives for the HMCFS project helps LEPCs, TERCs, and other local entities meet this goal. The core team is responsible for setting the objectives of the HMCFS project. This is one of the most important steps of the HMCFS process, and helps answer the question of why to conduct an HMCFS. Local entities may misdirect or misallocate resources and fail to achieve desired results by not understanding the infor- mation that is needed to support the project’s objectives. Local entities conduct an HMCFS for a variety of reasons to sup- port strategic, tactical, and operational planning for emergency re- sponse, transportation, and broader community planning applica- tions. HMCFS information can be applied to scenario-, function-, and capabilities-based planning as well. Different HMCFS objec- tives can be used in the frameworks of prevention, protection, re- sponse, and/or recovery in emergency planning. The following sec- tions describe the objectives categories in further detail in order of their complexity (from least to most): awareness, minimum scenar- ios definition, maximum scenarios definition, emergency planning, comprehensive planning, equipment needs, resource scheduling, hazmat route designation, and legal takings. Other HMCFS appli- cations may coincide with these categories. These objectives categories are used throughout this guidebook as they apply to the HMCFS process. Note that this guidebook Select Leadership, Set Objectives, and Define Data Requirements 19 Many LEPCs obtain professional assistance for conducting their HMCFS. Victoria County, Texas, LEPC members worked with state agency staff to conduct their HMCFS project in 2009. LEPC executive staff from Victoria City and County Emergency Management and the Victoria Citizens Medical Center identified project objectives and local resources, and co- ordinated data collection by volunteer partici- pants from local industry, hospitals, the fire department, and other groups. State agency staff processed and evaluated the data and prepared the project report. Over 330 hours of truck traffic data were collected for the major roadway segments around and through Victoria, Texas. HMCFS can provide information to support a wide range of emergency planning and train- ing applications. Peninsula LEPC in Virginia used the information for emergency planning by different local governments in the area. Vermont’s LEPC #3 wanted to identify possi- ble traffic disruptions and environmental risks to area watersheds. Lewis/Upshur Counties LEPC focused on prevention and mitigation of hazmat incidents. A regional HMCFS in Arizona was used for resource allocation and informing agencies about risks. Cambria County LEPC in Pennsylvania focused on iden- tifying response needs as well as enhancing education and awareness of hazmat risks. Victoria County LEPC in Texas was interested in changes in hazmat transport patterns and considering the need for hazmat route desig- nations. How would you use HMCFS informa- tion in your community?

focuses on collecting and evaluating HMCFS information to support these objectives, not on processes for achieving those individual objectives per se. Promising practices that have been identified for conducting HMCFS are provided as a re- source in Appendix D. These practices were identified in extensive research that was conducted for this guidebook, including a survey of LEPCs about how they conducted HMCFS and detailed examinations of HMCFS case studies. Appendix D.1 includes the first of these promising prac- tices, an HMCFS Objectives Checklist. 2.2.1 Awareness A frequent concern for LEPCs and local planners is that local officials and the general public “don’t know and don’t care” about hazmat transport risks in their community, except when it “becomes a crisis.” Documenting hazmat risks, such as through an HMCFS, can highlight needs for attention to hazmat transport emergency planning and preparedness. This does not have to be extremely complex. Identifying that hazardous material is present can help draw attention to the potential impacts of hazmat transport on a community and the need to plan, staff, equip, and train accordingly. 2.2.2 Minimum Scenarios Definition Scenarios definition is focused on training for the safety of emergency responders and their abil- ity to provide effective response. This is grounded in part on knowing what operational require- ments are anticipated. At a minimum, identifying that hazardous materials are transported in the community can guide definition of training scenarios and incident preplanning, although scenar- ios that are developed with less specific information also may be less likely to reflect actual opera- tional conditions should they occur. 2.2.3 Maximum Scenarios Definition As additional information about hazmat transport becomes available, the ability to define op- erational scenarios and conduct incident preplanning based on traffic patterns, specific com- modities, and specific locations and conditions becomes enhanced. Training can be focused on specific risks—for example, intersections/choke points, time of day/year, and certain materials or vehicle types. By using HMCFS information to identify specific hazard scenarios, emergency planners can describe either the most likely and/or most hazardous conditions of operating en- vironments that may be expected in a community, enhancing both community protection and incident response capabilities. 2.2.4 Emergency Planning Understanding hazmat transport risks is important for all aspects of emergency planning— prevention, protection, response, and recovery. Although planning for hazmat transport incidents can be done with any level of knowledge, effective use of resources requires sufficient knowledge to avoid misdirected efforts. As certainty increases about the hazards that may be faced, emergency planning can become more focused and specific. Strategic response goals include identifying pub- lic safety requirements, potential casualties, fatalities, property damage, business and financial losses, transportation delays, environmental harm, and community disruption associated with var- ious incidents and response strategies. HMCFS information can be used for designing emergency warning and notification systems, shelter-in-place or evacuation procedures, and necessary tech- nologies and supplies. The HMCFS can also inform tactical planning to identify where and how hazmat incidents may be most effectively handled and help assure that the resources for effective 20 Guidebook for Conducting Local Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies

response (i.e., appropriately trained personnel and equipment) are available at the time and place they are needed. An HMCFS also can help a local agency understand whether mutual aid or other types of assistance will be required from outside agencies and provide information regarding spe- cific resource needs of that assistance. 2.2.5 Comprehensive Planning Comprehensive community plans use a broad range of information to identify, prioritize, and plan for community needs. Local and regional planners may focus on land use, development, zoning, transport corridor development, and environmental planning but fail to account for hazmat transport risks in these plans. In addition, HMCFS information—for example, truck traffic levels and patterns or truck type information—also may be useful for other community planning applications. These include local, state, or federal requirements to address hazards due to effects of hazmat transport incidents on infrastructure and environmental protection (e.g., municipal or storm water pollution prevention requirements). Since comprehensive planning can be controversial, HMCFS information should be as specific and detailed as practicable to maximize usability and prevent criticism or dismissal of its value. 2.2.6 Equipment Needs Equipment used to respond to, and recover from, hazmat incidents can include not only reusable tools and materials but also expendable supplies. These may include the following: • Personal protective equipment; • Chemical detection sensors; • Equipment for spill confinement and containment (e.g., tractors, dozers); • Equipment for neutralization, extinguishing, and dilution (e.g., hoses, pumps, nozzles, tanks, apparatus); • Decontamination and cleanup equipment (e.g., showers, storage bags); • Supplies for spill confinement and containment (e.g., tarps, soil, drums, plugs/patches); • Neutralization, extinguishing, and dilution agents (e.g., foam, bases); and • Decontamination and cleanup supplies (e.g., brushes, soaps). Stocking and maintaining adequate levels of equipment for supporting emergency re- sponse capabilities for hazmat transport incidents can be greatly enhanced by knowing how much of what type of hazardous material is being transported in a community. Locating re- sources also is dependent on where those resources are needed. Expenditure of public funds for procurement of equipment and supplies affects the ability to adequately protect respon- ders, property, the general public, and the environment. An HMCFS also can provide infor- mation to support requests for needed equipment and supplies through budgetary and grants funding processes. 2.2.7 Resource Scheduling Risks of hazmat incidents may be particularly high at certain times of the day, days of the week, or seasons of the year. These patterns often vary from location to location within a jurisdiction. Scheduling resources (e.g., personnel, apparatus, equipment, supplies, etc.) to support emergency response capabilities for potential incidents provides a greater level of community protection. Ad- justing resource levels according to risk can save scarce budget dollars but requires detailed infor- mation to ensure that the risk/resource level is consistently applied. Understanding of resource needs also will assist logistics personnel with incident response, should an incident occur. Select Leadership, Set Objectives, and Define Data Requirements 21

2.2.8 Hazmat Route Designation Designating routes over which hazardous material may not be transported can help prevent incidents from impacting local populations or sensitive environmental areas, and federal law au- thorizes states to designate highway routes over which the transport of hazardous materials may be permitted or prohibited. The requirements for route designation, restriction, or prohibition for transport of non-radioactive hazardous materials (NRHM) are defined in 49 CFR, Part 397, et seq. Local communities and states may have additional requirements for hazmat route desig- nation. As with comprehensive planning, hazmat route designation can be a very controversial topic for a community. HMCFS information should be sufficiently detailed and specified to maximize usability and prevent criticism or dismissal. FHWA’s Highway Routing of Hazardous Materials: Guidelines for Applying Criteria (13) is one source of guidance for conducting a haz- mat route assessment. The information collected for an HMCFS can directly support many of the most important routing analysis considerations, including type of roadway, accident history, type and quantity of hazardous material, and amount of through routing. Other information that may be included in an HMCFS consists of population densities, locations of special popu- lations, and locations of critical infrastructures. Further risk analyses can identify relative impact zones and risks for different hazardous materials. 2.2.9 Legal Takings As local entities seek to prevent hazmat incidents from occurring in populated areas or im- plement comprehensive plans, properties may be restricted to uses compatible with those plans. Current owners may suffer a loss in opportunity costs. These legal takings (eminent domain), although very rare, can end in serious proceedings that can be controversial and quite costly. HMCFS data that may be used to support such limitations are likely to require a high level of detail and precision to maximize utility, prevent criticism, and hold up in legal proceedings. 2.3 Define Data Requirements The project team defines the data requirements of the HMCFS project based on the objec- tives set by the core team. The data requirements include sampling (where, when, and how often data are collected) and precision (characterization of hazmat flows and flow mechanisms by type and quantity). As the data requirements increase according to the level of HMCFS ob- jectives, the number of applicable data sources decreases. This is because many data sources, such as national-level flow estimates, are collected using techniques that are not appropriately matched to the sampling or precision required to support the objectives at the local level. These data should only be used to develop very general ideas about the nature and patterns of what might be travelling through a local jurisdiction such as a city or county. Other data provide enough information to understand the local nature and patterns of hazmat transport in a jurisdiction, but not for specific times, locations, or individual hazmat commodities. At the highest level, data are very locally detailed and can be used to identify the particular nature and patterns of what has been observed in a jurisdiction, even for a specific network location, time of day, or hazmat commodity. Sampling and precision requirements for HMCFS data are discussed in Chapter 5. Appendix D.2, Let HMCFS Objectives Guide Sampling, suggests some guidelines for sampling hazmat transport data (that is, where, when, and how often data should be collected) according to proj- ect objectives. Appendix E provides further information about sampling frameworks. 22 Guidebook for Conducting Local Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Studies

The level of precision used to conduct HMCFS can vary in terms of describing how much (quantity) and what kind (characterization) of hazardous materials are transported. Because achieving higher levels of data precision usually requires more effort, Appendix D.3, Let HMCFS Objectives Guide Precision suggests a classification system that helps determine when the addi- tional precision is warranted. It can be used to define data collection requirements for hazmat quantity (e.g., hazmat presence, relative hazmat quantity—small, medium, or large quantities— or specific hazmat quantity such as number of gallons or pounds transported) and hazmat clas- sification (e.g., whether or not it is hazardous material, chemical/material class/division, UN/NA placard ID, or specific chemical/material name). 2.4 HMCFS Objectives and Public Protection Goals Local entities are often overwhelmed when trying to provide the best possible protection with extremely limited resources. Trying to plan for every possible risk is not only impossible, but also may limit the usefulness of any efforts that are attempted. Appendix D.4, Match Protection Level with HMCFS Objectives, is provided for local entities that are interested in a better understand- ing of public protection goals and how HMCFS objectives are related to those goals. Select Leadership, Set Objectives, and Define Data Requirements 23