Tabletop Exercise
Nov 14 2006
An Exercise prepared for:
THE CITY OF MEXICALI, B.C.
THE CITY OF CALEXICO, CA.
THE COUNTY OF IMPERIAL, CA.
DIRECCION ESTATAL DE PROTECCION CIVIL, B.C.
PROFEPA, MEXICO
US EPA, REGION 9
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
1
Opening Remarks
Imperial Valley FD, EPA and Baja’s Civil Protection Agency
2
Introduction,
Process and Exercise Rules
Exercise Director
David de la Peza
Assistant Director
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3
Introduction of Exercise
Participants
•Players
Observers
4
Exercise Development, Management and
Exercise Design Team
Control Team Structure
•Daniel Perez Bastidas
•Alba Perea
Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación Urbana
•Barbara Maco
EPA
•Jesus Jimenes Payan
PROFEPA
Alfredo Estrada
Imperial County Fire Department
•Raymundo Noriega
Dirección de Protección Civil
•David de la Peza
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
•Tetra Tech NUS, Inc
•SAIC
Exercise Director
David de la Peza
(U.S. Customs and
Border Protection)
Exercise Controller
U.S.
Alfredo Estrada
(I.V. Fire Department)
Exercise Controller
Mexico
Raymundo Noriega
(Proteccion Civil)
Control Staff
Control Staff
Recorder
Flavio Olivieri (SAIC)
Documentation Staff
Lead Evaluator
Richard M. Brophy
Tetra Tech NUS, Inc
Evaluators
U.S. / Mexico
5
Introduction
BORDER ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION COMMISSION
BORDER 2012 PROJECT
Binational Emergency Preparedness Exercise Program
A Binational exercise for responding to simulated chemical spills situations in
the Imperial Valley, Ca. / Mexicali, B.C, border area. This exercise is sponsored by
the United States Environmental Protection Agency as part of the
BORDER 2012 PROJECT.
BORDER SHIELD 2006 is the latest in a series of annual exercises conducted
jointly by Mexico and the United States under the BORDER 2012 PROJECT, is
designed to assist the Mexicali/Imperial Valley Task Force in understanding the
unique requirements under which their Binational Imperial County-Mexicali
Emergency Prevention and Response Plan is implemented.
6
Exercise Objectives
• Familiarize participants with agency roles and responsibilities
related to the Binational Imperial County-Mexicali
Emergency Prevention and Response Plan.
• Review plans and procedures associated with cross-border
collaboration and communication between fire departments
and other agencies in response to a chemical emergency in
the border region.
• Identify critical information needed for a competent joint crossborder response to a chemical emergency.
Some objectives will be observed both on the day of the exercise
and also in one or more interviews and or demonstrations out of
sequence
7
Exercise Rules
• Participants from each city will be required to
function as individual groups within a unified
incident command system.
• Exercise participants will meet in groups that
correspond to those formed in a real emergency
for each city EOC and Incident Command Posts
(Mexicali, Calexico and the Imperial Valley).
• The groups sequentially will review the scenario,
answer questions and log their likely actions in
response to incident events.
• During this exercise participants will need to rely
on their own resources to manage the incident.
8
Exercise Rules (cont)
• Make your best decision based on the
information that is presented.
• Respond according to your knowledge of
the plan, procedures and resources. It is
ok “not to know”.
• There may be no “pat” answer.
• It is OK to disagree. Identify the key
issues contributing to the disagreement
and agree to find solutions in the future.
9
Exercise Rules (cont)
• You are playing yourself (but you may need to think
outside your usual role).
• Assume that the information you are given is accurate.
• Each group will designate one person to perform the
following roles:
–
–
–
–
–
Emergency Operations Manager,
Incident Commander,
Liaison Officer,
Note Taker, to keep a chronological list of response activities,
Representatives of responding organizations (fire, police, health,
etc.)
• Observers may not interact with the players.
10
T
o
d
a
y’
s
A
g
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n
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a
Time
Exercise Activity
08:30–09:00
30
Participant registration.
09:00–09:15
15
Opening Remarks (Imperial Valley FD, EPA and Baja’s Civil Protection Agency).
09:15–09:35
20
Introduction of Exercise Participants (Players, Evaluators and Observers).
09:35–09:45
10
Introduction and Exercise Rules (Exercise Director).
09:45–09:55
10
Overview of exercise objectives (Controllers).
09:55–10:00
5
Scenario 1 (Initial Situation Briefing).
10:00–10:05
5
Caucus Period (each virtual EOC and for all participants).
10:05–10:35
30
Facilitated Discussion.
10:35–10:40
5
10:40–10:45
5
Caucus Period (each virtual EOC and for all players).
10:45–11:15
30
Facilitated Discussion.
11:15–11:25
10
Break.
11:25–11:30
5
Scenario 2 (Initial Situation Briefing).
11:30–11:35
5
Caucus Period (each virtual EOC and for all players).
11:35–12:05
30
Facilitated Discussion
12:05–12:10
5
12:10–12:15
5
Caucus Period (each virtual EOC and for all players).
12:15–12:35
20
Facilitated Discussion.
12:35–12:40
5
12:40–12:45
5
Caucus Period (each virtual EOC and for all players).
12:45–13:05
20
Facilitated Discussion.
13:05–13:30
25
Exercise Evaluation and Final Discussion (Exercise Director and all participants).
13:30–13:40
10
Final Remarks and closure comments (Imperial Valley FD, EPA and Baja’s Civil Protection
Agency).
Inject 1 (Situation Update).
Inject 1.
Inject 2.
11
Questions before we begin?
12
Begin Exercise
13
Tabletop Exercise
Instructions
Exercise Controllers
Alfredo Estrada
Assistant Fire Chief
Imperial County Fire
Department
Raymundo Noriega
Coordinator
Dirección de Protección Civil
Gobierno del Estado de Baja
California
14
Instructions
• Two totally different scenarios and situational
statements will be used to generate discussion
of probable EOC, ICP or joint response actions
and activities.
• Participants will provide situational responses
based on established and actual procedures,
plans and resources.
• All ideas and input are welcome.
• Open dialogue strongly encouraged.
• Only one person speaks at a time.
15
EXERCISE SCENARIO A
AMMONIA LEAK FROM
TRAIN CAR
16
SCENARIO A Scenario Background
At approximately 09:55 a.m., today, Ferrocarriles Nacionales train was being prepared for
departure in the Calexico’s West Port Of Entry, on its way to the northeast to deliver its
cargo. As part of this process, it was traveling at about 2.9 miles per hour when an
emergency brake application occurred and the train movement stopped. Five loaded tank
cars had suffered a derailment, one of them containing anhydrous ammonia and 4 of them
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), just between both the U.S. and Mexico’s port of entry
facilities. Two of the derailed tank cars were overturned and the anhydrous ammonia rail
car suffered a fissure in one of the control device elements. This leak resulted in the
immediate evacuation of the employees and users of both customs facilities. There are still
some personnel inside the installations and some of the persons are still in their cars on
their way to cross the border, citizens are reporting strange odors and other related health
problems by the anhydrous ammonia vapors from 1 block from the derailment, reports are
being received by the Calexico’s 911 dispatch center from businesses near the Port of
Entry, and by C4 dispatch center in Mexicali, from civilians near the scenario. The train has
already crossed into US territory, and the ammonia tank car is located just between the
border boundaries.
The crew consisted of an engineer and a conductor; both were employees of Ferrocarriles
Nacionales. The crew survived the collision, receiving relatively minor crash injuries. They
exited their locomotive as the escaping anhydrous ammonia from the breached tank car
was filling the derailment area with the poisonous anhydrous ammonia gas.
17
SCENARIO A Scenario Background
The train includes 5 tank cars and 2 box cars:
•4 tank cars of LPG (UN 1075, Class 2.1),
•1 tank car of anhydrous ammonia (UN 1005, Class 2.4), has a capacity of
33,500 gallons.
•2 box cars.
Current weather conditions:
•Temperature: 73.9 °F / 23.3 °C
•Light winds 3.5 mph / 5.6 km/h
•Wind direction: NNW
•Humidity: 38%
18
Exercise A: Initial Scenario Setting
U.S. Customs Facilities
Mexico Customs Facilities
19
Exercise A: Initial Scenario Setting
CALEXICO
CALEXICO
Ne
w
Riv
e
r
Incident
MEXICALI
MEXICALI
Border
Railroad
Track
N
20
Caucus Period
21
INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS
•
Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP)
1. Which agency will assume Incident Command in your jurisdiction?
2. What are the incidents command priorities?
3. Are responding units equipped with appropriate personal protective
equipment to handle the situation?
4. What physical resources do you expect to have on scene from local
resources?
5. Will these resources come through normal in place run card or preplans
or do you need a special call?
6. How many personnel will you expect to respond initially, how many
personnel do you expect to actually need where will they come from if
not available from normal sources?
7. What existing local plans or procedures are available to assist you with
this response?
8. What additional response resources should be requested?
9. What needs to be done about the bystanders & people staying in their
cars in and around the incident? And how this will be done?
10. What should be done about the residents and bystanders downwind of
the chemical plume?
22
INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS
•
Imperial Valley EOC
1. At what point the county will be notified about this incident?
2. It will respond to the scene? Why? When?
•
Mexicali and Calexico’s Dispatch Centers
1. How does dispatch ensures that appropriate administrative personnel and city
officials are notified of the incident, according to the Binational Plan and local
protocols?
2. The preparation of the dispatch personnel includes appropriate referrals to the
Binational Plan or other current response protocols?
3. Are the dispatch centers prepared to handle calls from people that speak other
language?
•
All players
1. Your jurisdiction has a railroad emergency response plan?
2. The communication protocol included in the Binational Plan is appropriate for
this incident?
3. What pertinent data needs to be collected to facilitate the response from the
other country counterpart’s agencies?
4. Describe how communications are maintained between the various response
elements (police, fire, EMS, etc.) in a local emergency and how will be
maintained in a binational emergency.
5. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) procedures are consistent with plans,
procedures, and protocols? Are local or mutual plans sufficient for response to a
complex chemical incident?
23
INITIAL SCENARIO A QUESTIONS
•
All players
6. Does the Emergency Manager from your jurisdiction have authority to use
necessary resources to mitigate the emergency and coordinate additional
elements? How will the EOC manager perform these duties?
7. How will the Incident Commander (IC) coordinate with the local EOC, to analyze
information and available data to formulate mitigation and protective actions?
How will the local information be shared with the counterpart authorities?
8. The first response agencies (Fire, EMS, Police, etc.) have protocols for
responding to chemical emergencies? Is yes, are both communities protocols
provide to the establishment of a Unified Command Post or Joint Response
Operations?
9. The EOC personnel maintain an account of incident events? How was this
done?
10. The representatives from the participating agencies considered in the Binational
Plan, have decision-making authority for their respective agencies? If not, who
has this authority?
24
EXERCISE SCENARIO A,
INJECT No. 1
25
SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1
20 minutes have pass from the first arrival of the responders, an emergency responder from the
Calexico Fire Department has discovered a frost ring on the bottom center of tank car, which contains
140,377 pounds (29,054 gallons) of a LPG Gas and. The leak from the ammonia continues at the same
magnitude. Many additional resources have been required to handle the situation by both communities’
emergency management agencies. The businesses located near the spill are concerned about the
economic impact of this incident. The hospitals and clinics are receiving many calls and visits from
patients complaining of throat irritation, shortness of breath and chest pain, no injuries or fatalities have
been reported as a result of the failure of the ammonia tank car.
The media is trying to obtain information on this incident and are approaching the scene. Various
government and private organizations involved in the response are freelancing and putting out
conflicting information. Many people are showing up at the scene and want to know about loved ones
that they speculate were in the area at the time of the accident.
The direction of the wind has changed to WNW and the speed has increased to 13.8 mph / 22.2 km/h. A
Mexicali police officer reports to the C4 center that some of the vegetation on the new river is getting
brownish and found some dead birds near the river. People outside of the immediate evacuation area
are now calling the C4 center to report a gas breathing related problems.
Response personnel from EPA, National Transportation Safety Board, United States Department of
Transportation, and Federal Railroad Administration will be arriving at the scene around 6 p.m. and each
one wants to speak with the Incident Commander in charge of the accident.
The leak is proving to be a real challenge and projections are that it is going to take several hours before
there is significant change in the scene.
It will take about 3 hours for the railroad company response team to arrive.
Hospitals are reporting that they cannot take any more patients.
Calexico and Mexicali officials want to know if it is time to request a Disaster Declaration.
26
Caucus Period
27
SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1
QUESTIONS
•
Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP)
1. What are response priorities at this time?
2. Would the IC activate his jurisdiction EOC, if not what would it take to make you
want to activate the EOC?
3. Which agency will have the Incident Command and the overall Emergency
management of the incident?
4. Your jurisdiction has an operational EOC? Whit fully communications and
notification capabilities?
5. Can the leak be blocked with local resources?
6. How much time do you estimate that leak can be contained?
7. What is being done about the accident and when do you expect the problem to
be resolved?
8. Your jurisdiction has rail car leak containment equipment? The surrounding
jurisdictions?
9. Your response personnel have rail car hazardous materials response training?
10. What other health and public safety issues do you have at this time?
11. At this time a County or State of Emergency will be summon?
12. How would you notify Binational emergency management agencies of this
developing situation?
28
SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1
QUESTIONS
•
Imperial Valley EOC
1. What will be the expected status of response of the County at this time?
2. If requested by the Mexicali officials, the hazmat unit will respond in Mexicali?
3. What will be the constraints of working another jurisdiction hazmat team or with
the Mexicali Hazmat Team?
•
All players
1. Who is responsible for the overall incident command and control?
2. How can a shared understanding of what each of the response efforts can be
accomplish?
3. Who will decide the common goal of a joint response?
4. In what other areas and projects do we be to start to collaborate?
5. How can our respective local and state responsibilities and authorities be used
to improve communications interoperability?
6. What are the limitations of our respective local and regional authorities to
respond to a complex chemical emergency?
7. Is there a possibility for unintentional consequences of responding to a
Binational chemical emergency without coordinating?
8. What benefits will make coordination valuable to our respective agencies?
29
SCENARIO A INJECT No. 1
QUESTIONS
•
All players
9. How will we justify the effort and resources expended on coordination between
our agencies?
10. What resources do we have available to share and maximize their use?
11. What resources do each of us need, but do not have readily available?
12. How will a joint protective action decision be made in a timely manner, based on
the risks posed and the area to be impacted?
13. Can the geographic extent of the incident be determined?
14. Should an evacuation be ordered?
15. If so, how will the order be disseminated and carried out? Can it be a joint
decision to evacuate? How can in be done?
16. Where evacuees from other jurisdictions will be sent?
17. Who will be in charge of solving the problem caused by the derailment?
18. Does your Hazmat team has appropriate level of PPE and are properly trained
to use the equipment, for the scenario emergency?
19. Does your Hazmat team is equipped with appropriate monitoring devices to
handle the situation?
20. What resources might be necessary to carry out these functions? People,
equipment, training?
30
Break
31
EXERCISE SCENARIO B
MOTOR VEHICLE
ACCIDENT WITH SPILL
32
SCENARIO B Scenario Background
It is 11:25 a.m. today, the temperature is 84 degrees, and the humidity is 85 percent. The
weather forecast calls for thunderstorms developing from the west. Several trucks are
traveling from both sides at the East Border Crossing Facilities.
A tractor trailer has just exited the Commercial East Port of Entry on his way south to
Mexicali; the truck is carrying 30 (55 gallon) closed head steel drums of liquid acetone. The
driver of the vehicle hears what appears to be a tire blow out that result on a tire fire at the
rear of the vehicle; the truck veers to the right and slams into the bridge abutment; just in
the middle of the bridge over the American Canal.
The driver of another tractor trailer traveling behind, transporting 25 (200 liter) drums of
corrosive liquids, took evasive action and tried to avoid the truck, the drums brushed
against each other and the vehicle taking evasive action ended crashing the trailer from
behind, resulting in 8 of the drums falling from the vehicle, seven of the plastic drums
developed a leak as a result of the impact and corrosive liquid started to spill out on the
road.
After attempts to extinguish the fire failed the driver abandoned the vehicle, a passing truck
took him to the U.S. Customs Authorities, from where the 911 dispatch center were alerted
to the problem. The driver of the second vehicle and his companion remain in the truck and
both appear to be unconscious.
33
SCENARIO B Scenario Background
The first tractor trailer is carrying:
 30 (55-gallon) closed head steel drums of liquid acetone.
o No initial spill, fire in the cargo area.
: The second tractor trailer involved is carrying:
 25 (200 liter) drums of corrosive liquids.
o Eight of the drums fall down from the vehicle; seven of the plastic drums
developed a leak.
Current weather conditions:
 Temperature: 82.9 °F / 28.3 °C
 Light winds 3.5 mph / 5.6 km/h
 Wind direction: N
 Humidity: 19%
34
Exercise B: Initial Scenario Setting
35
Exercise B: Initial Scenario Setting
36
Caucus Period
37
INITIAL SCENARIO B QUESTIONS
•
Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP)
1. What agency will be in command of the reported incident (Fire, Police, EMS,
Customs, etc)?
2. What are the incidents command priorities?
3. Is there a resource you think you might need which is not available locally? How
will you access these resources?
4. What plans or procedures are available to assist you with this response?
5. Would you activate the town EOC, if not what would it take to make you want to
activate the EOC?
6. What safety concerns do you have based on this scenario?
7. How long can you personnel work without a break? What factors will drive your
decision to have personnel relieved?
8. Are there any issues not addressed by the questions provided if so list them and
discuss.
•
Imperial Valley EOC
1. What will be the status of response of the county? When will be notified and by
whom? Can the U.S. Customs Authorities can ask for assistance, what kind of
assistance can be provided if the officials from Mexicali ask for support?
2. Can the Imperial Valley Hazmat Response Team work in a similar scenario?
38
INITIAL SCENARIO B QUESTIONS
•
All players
1. What involvement with this incident would each of your institutions expect to
have at this time?
2. How might your institution become aware of this incident?
3. What preparations might you make once you became aware of the situation?
4. Is there any resource you might need that you don’t currently possess?
5. Who would you call in the counterpart jurisdiction to discuss the incident with?
6. What procedure or policies do you follow in situations such as this?
7. What if any complications to your ongoing response does the latest problem
present?
8. Are there any issues not addressed by the questions provided if so list them and
discuss
9. Is there any critical infrastructure (hospitals, port of entry facility, airport, etc.)
response plan or protocols in your jurisdiction? Where can you find a copy of the
plans?
39
EXERCISE SCENARIO B,
INJECT No. 1
40
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1
20 minutes have pass from the first arrival of the responders, both communities response units have
arrived and initiated the recognition of the incident, the Calexico Fire Department arrived at scene and a
unified incident command was established with the U.S. Customs authorities and other response
agencies. Mutual aid was requested from the county and the I.C., requires for a representative from the
Mexicali authorities to be at the command post to make combined operational decisions.
The cargo area of the truck that was transporting the liquid acetone has caught fire.
The 911 dispatch center receives a call is from an off duty police officer traveling in a private vehicle
westbound near the American Canal about 500 meters down stream from the accident scene, the police
officer reports that a oil spot can be seen over the water. The officer will call back with updated
information. The weather is changing drastically; it has started to rain and winds increased to 20 mph,
the wind direction shifted to the SW.
41
Caucus Period
42
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1
QUESTIONS
•
Mexicali and Calexico (EOC and ICP)
1. Based on the current scenario would you expect the EOC to be activated?
2. Is there a need for the Emergency Operations Center to be activated or will a
unified Incident Command Structure be sufficient? Why or why not?
3. What information do you need from outside the EOC? If not received how you
will obtain it? What type of limitations do you find as an EOC manager to interact
with the ICP?
4. How will each community EOC interact? Does your Emergency Management
Agency have provisions for this? When was the last time when your EOC was
activated and why? Do you keep records of EOC activities?
5. Has record information shared with the counterpart Emergency Management
Agency to find the limitations and address solution issues such as procedures
and activation processes?
6. How will you warn the public to stay away from the crash site?
7. How will you obtain the heavy equipment to assist with the clearing of roadway
debris and rescue operations?
8. How will the victims be treated and transported to hospitals?
9. If the driver and his companion are dead, where will the corps be taken?
10. Who and what agencies will disseminate official information to the public?
43
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 1
QUESTIONS
•
All players
1. What are the priorities at this phase of the response?
2. What additional response resources should be requested?
3. What information would be given to the public about the contamination of the
canal?
4. When should other environmental health agencies be notified?
5. As the scenario unfolds, how would the news releases change?
6. Explain how to conduct a survey of a suspected contamination of the canal?
7. Which local, county, state and federal agencies would be notified of the survey
results?
8. What specific information would be reported?
9. How will emergency information concerning the storm and response actions be
disseminated? And to whom?
10. Identify other tactical considerations.
11. Identify four incident command issues.
44
EXERCISE SCENARIO B,
INJECT No. 2
45
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2
Responders extinguished both vehicle fires, the IC command wants to know if the chemicals that spilled
on the canal represent a danger for the community and who will be responsible for the clean up at the
accident scene.
The accident blocked the commercial truck crossing on both ways, at least 100 vehicles are in line to
cross from the U.S. to Mexico and 150 in the other direction and vehicles are still arriving, CANACINTRA
and private sector representatives want to know where the traffic will be re-routed or what instructions to
give to the truck drivers because most of the cargo have to arrive in time to their destination or it will
derivate in a significant economical loss for a lot of companies or maybe in other accidents.
A reporter from the local television station is asking questions regarding the condition of the victims and
driver. The reporter wants to know who is at fault and who will be in charge of the cleanup operations.
46
Caucus Period
47
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2
QUESTIONS
•
All players
1. What actions should have taken early in order to reduce the number of tractor
trailers becoming stuck?
2. When planning purchases of response equipment and PPE, have you worked
with other local and binational agencies to ensure your equipment is
interoperable?
3. Is there a forum where information about plans or interoperability planning
questions can be posted and collaboratively discussed? Can the
Mexicali/Imperial Valley Task Force provide for this discussion?
4. Is there a current inventory of the interoperable capabilities shared both
communities?
5. Who will be in charge of the cleanup operations and expenses?
6. Are there regular meetings to discuss the use of communications, emergency
response resources and capabilities in public safety operations from day to day
activities to catastrophic events?
48
SCENARIO B INJECT No. 2
QUESTIONS
•
All players
7. Have representatives from the local Emergency Management Agency developed
incident response plans that include procedures for the use of interoperable
communications resources and capabilities?
8. What improvements, that haven’t been discussed before, can be made to the
Binational Plan concerning alert, notification, dispatch and operational tasks,
conducted in accordance with established procedures?
9. Were the current protocols for emergency response adequate for the
emergencies used on both of the scenarios?
10. Were Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operations consistent with a
Binational emergency response?
11. Were the actions taken during this exercise based on existing plans and
operating procedures?
12. Does your jurisdiction have a current Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Plan for
chemical substances?
49
Congratulations !!!!
• No one actually died.
• No environmental damage occurred.
• Everyone survived…….
50
Prepare for Wrap Up
51
Wrap Up
Group Discussion
• All Players, Each Virtual EOC/ICP
– Discussion.
– Key concerns.
– Areas that worked well during the exercise as
well as those that require attention by way of
revision to the Binational Imperial CountyMexicali Emergency Prevention and
Response Plan, jurisdiction policies or
operational procedures; potential training
needs, etc.
52
Wrap Up
Group Discussion
• Observers
– Describe elements in the BORDER SHIELD
2006 Tabletop Exercise that worked well and
the ones that need improvement.
– Identify areas of improvement to the
Binational
Imperial
County-Mexicali
Emergency Prevention and Response Plan
or local operational response procedures.
53
Wrap Up
Group Discussion
•
Evaluators and Controllers
– Whether the exercise objectives were
met.
• Inter-Agency Planning and
Coordination
• Resource Coordination
• Threat/Hazard-related Issues
54
Final Remarks and Closure
Comments
Imperial Valley FD, EPA and Baja’s Civil Protection Agency
55
Tabletop Exercise
Thanks for your
time…
56