It’s nice to see the media pay attention to an after-action report at all, much less a hazmat event.
- Ralph
Response to nitric-acid spill had strengths, weaknesses: Report
Tucson hospitals and county health officials weren’t immediately notified about a nitric acid spill on Interstate 10 in February, among communication missteps in a mostly strong and effective emergency response, says a new report.
The after-action report by the Pima County Emergency Management Office, released to the public on Friday, assessed strengths and weaknesses in agencies’ response to the hazardous material spill.
On Feb. 14, truck driver Ricky Immel, 54, was driving near Kolb Road on I-10 when he slowly veered off the road and onto the median, where the uneven ground caused the truck to roll onto its left side. Containers carrying about 18,200 kilograms of nitric acid ruptured in the crash, causing the Arizona Department of Public Safety to shut down both directions of the interstate and tell residents and other people in the area to shelter in place.
Immel died in the crash. He had a blood alcohol level nearly eight times above the state’s legal limit, the county medical examiner found.
With the help of the Tucson Fire Department and DPS, the county Emergency Management Office conducted a survey and held two debriefing sessions to discuss what went well and what could have gone better. The first session was for first responders, and the second session included community stakeholders and support agencies, the report said.
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