SOUTHWICK – The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) held a meeting on Thursday morning at the Southwick Town Hall.
Fully certified by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC ), the LEPC is made up of 14 town officials in Southwick who are appointed by the Select Board for a term of one year. The committee strives to address hazardous materials that are either store or transported in town.
At the meeting on Thursday morning, the LEPC watched videos of pipeline accidents that can occur. Kinder Morgan, a large energy infrastructure company throughout North America, has a natural gas pipeline that runs through the Northeast, including Southwick.
Members of the LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) are seen discussing their meeting on Thursday morning at the Southwick Town Hall. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Due to the presence of that pipeline, there was an importance at the meeting to better understand what can happen if a pipeline broke.
“That’s always something that needs to be in the back of everyone’s mind,” said Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart.
In the video, the committee learned that first responders are the response tool for the pipeline company if a HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) disaster happens. People will notice if a pipeline breaks or bursts if something is coming out of the ground or if there’s a strong odor. The pipeline company would then work on reducing the flow of what’s coming out of the pipeline.
Talking about best practices when a pipeline issue occurs, the video strongly suggests that the LEPC establish a command system, starting with someone at the top of the chain, like the fire chief. The LEPC also needs to create a plan that is tailored for a specific incident. LEPC Chairman Charlie Dunlap also noted that the Emergency Response Guidebook helps take people through all of the different steps of what to do when dealing with a certain type of HAZMAT from a pipeline break.
The committee also discussed what to do if a pipeline break affects a specific building in town, such as a school.
“The course of action is to get students out safely,” said Steve Presnal, the Business Manager for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District.
Dunlap added that when a pipeline emergency happens, it’s the responsibility of an employee at the building where the pipeline is affected to make the decisions until first responders arrive on scene.
Meeting five times a year, the LEPC will next meet in March, although a specific date has not been established.
