Councilmember Marcia Martin pulled a resolution from the consent agenda last week in response to elevated community concern with the topic following the derailment of a train in East Palestine, Ohio, that spilled toxic chemicals and has raised concerns about health issues in its aftermath.
Staff presents an emergency preparedness plan to city council on a three-year cycle, outlining the city’s plan for large-scale emergencies and disasters, both natural and human-caused. The plan, prepared by Longmont’s Office of Emergency Management, lays out high level roles and responsibilities, legal requirements and authorities, and establishes the structure of the response.
While there were not significant changes made to the plan this year, Martin did have a few questions about Longmont’s response to hazardous materials in light of the disaster in Ohio.
According to the plan, trucks transporting hazardous materials in Longmont are restricted to designated routes, while noting that the BNSF Railway also transports hazardous materials through the city. Martin specifically asked if the railroad company tells Longmont when it's moving hazardous materials through the city.
“They do have communication with the fire department,” Public Safety Chief Deon Pfenning said. “I don’t know if they communicate with every single trainload, but there is a partnership and communication that happens.”
BNSF did not respond to an interview request from the Longmont Leader.
Public Safety Chief Zach Ardis also explained that Longmont is part of a regional hazardous response team, with trucks housed in the city.
“We have a very robust program, a great training program,” he said, adding that all new hires in the fire department received the highest level of training for dealing with hazardous materials and hazardous spills.
While the fire department would handle the hazardous material itself, the Office of Emergency Management would come in to support evacuations that may be required depending on the type of hazardous material spilled.
When it comes to what emergencies Longmont plans for, Ardis explained its based on the top hazards the community could face. Longmont’s Emergency Operations Plan identifies common natural hazards for the city — flooding, severe weather, tornadoes, drought and fires — along with other potential hazards like dam failure, terrorism, pandemics, cyber attacks and hazardous materials.
The plans for any disaster are prioritized by the most likely to hit Longmont, but Ardis explained that other emergencies would still follow a similar framework.
“What we do is look at what will directly affect our community,” he said.
After the discussion, the emergency operations plan was adopted unanimously by council.
