Briefing on the Baltimore Briefing on the Baltimore CSX Tunnel - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Briefing on the Baltimore Briefing on the Baltimore CSX Tunnel Derailment CSX Tunnel Derailment July 18, 2001 July 18, 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

DEPARTMENT PROFI LE DEPARTMENT PROFI LE • Chief and three • Chief and three • 2 air units • 2 air units Assistant Chiefs Assistant Chiefs • 1630 employees 1630 employees • • Four Shifts Four Shifts • • 800 800 Mhz Mhz Digital Digital • • 36 Engines companies • 36 Engines companies Trunked Radios Trunked Radios 19 Ladder companies 19 Ladder companies • Baltimore City has a Baltimore City has a • 1 Heavy rescue 1 Heavy rescue population of 650,000 population of 650,000 • 22 ALS medic units • 22 ALS medic units and an area of 92 and an area of 92 square miles square miles • 6 Battalions 6 Battalions • • FY 2000 Activity FY 2000 Activity • • 3 EMS Districts 3 EMS Districts • Suppression - - 41,013 41,013 Suppression • Marine units Marine units • EMS - EMS - 115,799 115,799 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

DERAI LMENT DERAI LMENT • 1508 hours • 1508 hours - - Train Train goes into Emergency goes into Emergency • Train stops Train stops • • Crew gets out of loco • Crew gets out of loco- - motive to check motive to check • Locomotive Locomotive • disconnected from disconnected from train and removed train and removed from tunnel from tunnel 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

AFTER DERAI LMENT AFTER DERAI LMENT TRAI N SEPARATED TRAI N SEPARATED BETWEEN CAR # 45 & 46 BETWEEN CAR # 45 & 46 LEAVI NG A GAP OF APPROX LEAVI NG A GAP OF APPROX 350 FEET 350 FEET RESULTI NG I N RESULTI NG I N 45 CARS CONNECTED TO 45 CARS CONNECTED TO LOCOMOTI VES LOCOMOTI VES 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

SOUTH END OF TUNNEL SOUTH END OF TUNNEL 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

July 18, 2001 July 18, 2001 Baltimore, MD Baltimore, MD 3:15 p.m. Milepost BAK 96.4 3:15 p.m. Milepost BAK 96.4 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

NORTHEND - - MOUNT ROYAL MOUNT ROYAL NORTHEND 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

ON HOWARD ST - - OVER TUNNEL OVER TUNNEL ON HOWARD ST 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

City of Baltimore City of Baltimore Howard St. Tunnel Fire Howard St. Tunnel Fire First call from public First call from public • • received 16:00 hrs. received 16:00 hrs. caused dispatch to caused dispatch to manhole at Lombard manhole at Lombard and Howard Streets. and Howard Streets. Unit proceeded from Unit proceeded from • • manhole to south end manhole to south end due to heavy smoke. due to heavy smoke. Called for CSX to stop • Called for CSX to stop • movement. movement. 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

I nitial Operations I nitial Operations • Delayed notification • Delayed notification – CSX Call approx. 1 – CSX Call approx. 1 hr. after emergency hr. after emergency • North end crew had North end crew had • Manifest Manifest • Addition Units • Addition Units – HazMat Team – HazMat Team – SRO Teams BCFD, SRO Teams BCFD, – BCoFD BCoFD – Total 5 Alarms Total 5 Alarms – 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

I NI TI AL OPERATI ONS I NI TI AL OPERATI ONS • Information on Hazardous Materials Information on Hazardous Materials • provided to first arriving FD units provided to first arriving FD units • Analysis of BLEVE potential Analysis of BLEVE potential • • Analysis of Hazardous Materials Analysis of Hazardous Materials • • Evacuation of Camden Yards • Evacuation of Camden Yards • Public Notification Public Notification - - SIREN SYSTEM SIREN SYSTEM • • Developing Plan of Action Developing Plan of Action • 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

The Tunnel The Tunnel • Built in 1895 • Built in 1895 • 1.7 miles long 1.7 miles long • • No other openings No other openings • • From 3’ to 49’ below From 3’ to 49’ below • ground ground • 27’ wide • 27’ wide • No ventilation No ventilation • system system 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

The Cargo The Cargo • 3 Locomotives • 3 Locomotives • 60 Rail Cars 60 Rail Cars • Propylene glycol Propylene glycol Glacial acetic acid – 31 loaded 31 loaded – Glacial acetic acid – 29 empty – 29 empty Rolled Paper Rolled Paper – 11 cars derailed 11 cars derailed – Florosilic acid Florosilic acid – 4 derailed with – 4 derailed with Tripropylene hazardous materials Tripropylene hazardous materials Hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid Ethyl hexyl Ethyl hexyl phthalate – Tank car of Tank car of – phthalate tripropylene burned tripropylene burned Pulpboard Pulpboard – 9 cars with paper 9 cars with paper – and wood also and wood also caught fire caught fire 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

TRAI N PROFI LE TRAI N PROFI LE 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

The Hazmats Hazmats The • 8 Loaded tank cars 8 Loaded tank cars • – Esters, N.O.S. – Esters, N.O.S. – Acetic Acid Acetic Acid – – Fluorosilicic – Fluorosilicic Acid (2 cars) Acid (2 cars) – Tripropylene Tripropylene – – Hydrochloric Acid (2 Cars) Hydrochloric Acid (2 Cars) – – 2 2- -Bis Ethylhexyl Bis Ethylhexyl Phthalate Phthalate – 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

The Water Main Rupture The Water Main Rupture • 40 inch main • 40 inch main ruptured above the ruptured above the tunnel tunnel • Occurred 3 hours Occurred 3 hours • after derailment after derailment • Extinguished parts • Extinguished parts of the burning cars of the burning cars • Let water flow for 2 Let water flow for 2 • hours hours 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

WATER MAI N RUPTURE WATER MAI N RUPTURE • DRAMATI C CHANGE I N SMOKE DRAMATI C CHANGE I N SMOKE • FROM DEEP BLACK TO GREY THEN FROM DEEP BLACK TO GREY THEN TO WHI TE TO WHI TE • COMMAND POST RELOCATED TO COMMAND POST RELOCATED TO • SOUTH END ON CAMDEN YARDS SOUTH END ON CAMDEN YARDS PARKI NG LOT PARKI NG LOT 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

Getting to the Fire Getting to the Fire • First attempts at • First attempts at entry were on the entry were on the north end north end – Too much heat, Too much heat, – smoke and distance smoke and distance • Dual attack from • Dual attack from south end and south end and manhole proved manhole proved successful successful 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

Clearing the Tunnel Clearing the Tunnel • Wreckage prevented • Wreckage prevented access to burning access to burning cars cars • Railway had to Railway had to • repair track to repair track to remove cars remove cars • Took four days to Took four days to • clear tunnel clear tunnel 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

Handling the Chemical Cars Handling the Chemical Cars • • First units had manifest First units had manifest in 5 minutes in 5 minutes • Air sampling begun by • Air sampling begun by HazMat Team & MDE HazMat Team & MDE • Continued throughout • Continued throughout incident incident • Decon after removal of • Decon after removal of cars and equipment cars and equipment • Private contractors took • Private contractors took over monitoring & over monitoring & clean- clean -up up 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 8 August 2001 Baltimore City Fire Department Baltimore City Fire Department

Hole in Tripropylene Tripropylene tank car tank car Hole in

Corrosion hole at top of HCl HCl tank car tank car Corrosion hole at top of