The owners/shippers of the materials should be notified to request information on the properties of the hazardous materials involved.

The appropriate State Agencies should be advise of the situation using the Hazardous Material Incident Report Form, Attachment 3, to ensure that all necessary information is gathered and reported. Request assistance if the situation is beyond local and/or mutual aid capabilities.

The Madison (or Pierce, Stanton or Wayne, as the case may be) County Emergency Management Director will alert volunteer and charitable organizations that may provide assistance to evacuees.

Initial Response

The incident commander, upon determination that a release of a hazardous substances has occurred, or is likely to occur, will identify the area to be isolated by a controlled perimeter, the area of population likely to be affected by such release, and report this information to the dispatch center to relay to other responding agencies.

Determine the nature of the material from either the placard, label, or shipping papers from the shipper/owner.

Contact CHEMTREC (1-800-424-9300) for information to determine the most effective handling of the incident.

Identify, evaluate, and assess the problem and its potential. Consider that some effects of the incident may not be noticeable for some time.

The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) may be requested through the Nebraska State Patrol to aid the responding units. NSP will dispatch the closest members of the team to the scene to provide guidance and technical assistance to the Incident Commander.

Emergency Public Information

It is important to provide accurate information to the public so they know what to do immediately to protect themselves.

The Public Information Officer will coordinate the dissemination of information concerning the incident with the Chief Executive Officer and The Madison (or Pierce, Stanton or Wayne, as the case may be) County Emergency Management Director as defined in Annex D.

Because information will be needed quickly, radio and television are the best media to release data on health hazards, precautions for personal protection, and evacuation routes away from the hazard area.

Evacuation

The on-scene commander will make the decision to evacuate the hazard area based on the recommendations of CHEMTREC, the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook, the manufacturer, and/or state or federal agency advisors. Policy and procedures defined in Annex E will be followed.

Movement, reception, and care of evacuees will be as defined in Annexes H and I.

Containment and Cleanup

Determine what can be done, based on training and equipment available, to remove the threat, i.e., contain and/or counteract, decontaminate, or remove, etc. Remember, by law it is the spiller's responsibility to contain or confine any threat associated with the cargo in their possession.

Cleanup, and disposal should be accomplished by the responsible party as specified by publications and agencies depending on the material involved.

The manufacturer is a source of advice and information for a chemical decontamination team.

The Regional Response Team (RRT), composed of representatives of Federal Agencies may be convened by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator to provide advise or recommendations during a response to a major hazardous materials incident.

Health and Safety

Federal law requires the presence of a safety officer on every hazardous materials site. The safety officer will:

Security

The defined hazard area will be isolated and cordoned, permitting only lifesaving and response operations, if the responders are properly trained and equipped.

Explosive Handling

Only trained specialists should attempt to remove or defuse an explosive device when found.