Drilling disasters

Nearest HazMat support would come from Scranton

By SANDY LONG

REGION — Hydrogen sulfide pockets, explosions, gas flares and the undisclosed chemicals contained in the fluids used to fracture gas wells pose unique threats to workers, emergency responders, hospital emergency personnel and those who live near natural gas wells.

Hydrogen sulfide, for example, is a flammable, colorless gas that is extremely toxic at low concentrations, can occur anywhere and represents a potentially serious threat to those associated with the process of natural gas extraction, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Each situation calls for specific emergency responses, most of which require preparedness to process hazardous materials (HazMats). As recently reported in Newsweek, and before that in The River Reporter, Cathy Behr, a nurse at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, CO, became gravely ill after caring for a gas drilling worker exposed to ZetaFlow, a substance used in fracturing gas wells. Now mostly recovered, Behr suffered liver, heart and respiratory failure during her intensive-care stay in April.

How are regional emergency management services (EMS) coordinators planning to address such unconventional emergency situations?

Both Pike and Wayne counties are relying on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to inform their planning efforts, and have contracted for HazMat support from firms based in the Scranton, PA area. Sullivan County, NY does not contract for HazMat services. The coordinators for all three counties said that most regional firefighters are trained to “awareness level” of HazMat emergencies.

Sullivan County

Sullivan County’s commissioner of public safety, Richard Martinkovic, has spoken with emergency management personnel in other parts of the state and has concluded that there is a “good track record at existing sites there.” He added, “They’ve established 911 numbers for each site. They establish a protective envelope around sites to exclude life and reduce risk. There are no life hazards after the well is installed.”

Martinkovic is aware that those sites do not represent the type of deep-well fracturing and technology associated with the drilling process that may come to Sullivan County. In terms of HazMat issues, Martinkovic said that this threat is limited to the open pits used to store fracking fluids, and that he would prefer to see the fluids stored in enclosed tanks to minimize the possibility of environmental contamination.

According to Martinkovic, the gas companies and property owners are responsible for control and recovery of any HazMats, and that there may be a need to seek appropriate support from the companies for that. “We would go to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for approved contractors and charge back the property owner for cleanup. As we get closer, we may need to look into funding from the companies to provide things like HazMat suits and training,” he added.

Wayne County

With more than 1,400 gas leases signed in Wayne County and one well that has been drilled, EMS coordinator Frank Smith is trying to determine just what to prepare for. “We’re investigating what issues we should be looking at, but right now, we don’t know enough to alter our current approach,” said Smith.

“We’re asking questions of the drilling companies and of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to determine what capabilities we might need. There’s no indication for change yet, but there are a lot of unknowns.” Wayne County contracts its HazMat support to Datam Incorporated of Dunmore, PA.

Pike County

Pike County’s EMS coordinator, Roger Maltby, said that the county has not begun to officially address the possible hazards associated with natural gas extraction. “We really haven’t done anything yet,” said Maltby. “We’re taking a wait-and-see approach to find out what’s been done in other areas. Natural gas is highly specialized, and we don’t have a lot of resources here. If a major emergency were to occur, Team Environmental [the county’s contracted HazMat support firm] would step in.”

According to Maltby, Pike County’s Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC), which meets at the end of September, may begin to address this issue on its next agenda. But Maltby isn’t convinced there will be a need to do so. “Is it really going to happen in Pike? How big will this be? We just don’t know yet,” he said.

Pike County saw the recording of five natural gas leases affecting approximately 3,255 acres within the past several weeks.

Regional hospitals respond

Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Harris, NY and Orange Regional Medical Center (ORMC) in Middletown, NY and Goshen, NY have established procedures to address HazMat emergencies such as those related to drilling. CRMC emergency manager Rolland “Boomer” Bojo said that CRMC has “very specific plans in place that would be called into play,” along with decontamination facilities to minimize hospital personnel’s exposure to HazMats. Executive director of public relations and marketing Rob Lee cited similar strategies at ORMC, including participation in the National Incident Management System.

Bonnie Heal, coordinator of the emergency preparedness program at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, NY, said that the hospital not only has plans in place for HazMat emergencies, but that it recently participated in a drill to assess its ability to respond to a simulated chemical exposure incident. Heal noted that the ideal approach to addressing HazMat exposures would be to decontaminate individuals on site, but if that weren’t possible, the hospital has decontamination facilities. Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, PA was unable to provide comment by the issue’s deadline.