Baltimore fire officials recently had conducted a drill in one of the city's Amtrak tunnels using a MARC train; they also ran drills in a Metro tunnel. The drills were intended as training exercises in the event of a passenger train accident – not one involving a freight train – but they did acquaint the personnel with the environment of a railroad tunnel.
According to the City of Baltimore Emergency Management Plan, a public information announcement is required to be given during a Level II emergency.5 In the early stages of the incident, the incident was determined to be a Level III emergency and the Emergency Management Director urged that a public announcement be made over radio and television to alert citizens and to initiate a shelter-in-place advisory that citizens stay inside their homes until the chemical hazards could be assessed. In the general area surrounding Mount Royal Station, citizens were offered the choice to leave or shelter-in-place.
For the first time since installing them in 1952, the city activated its civil defense sirens at 1745 hours to warn citizens of the impending danger from the derailment and fires. Since there was some concern over the residual effects of smoke to persons around the tunnel portals, an evacuation order to pedestrians was broadcast. Persons living near the affected areas were told to stay indoors, seal up windows, and turn off air conditioners.
Next » Political Considerations and Involvement
Save to del.icio.us
