Update on Company Emergency Response Team : Roles, Responsibilities & Requirements MAJ THIYAGARAJAN RRS CERT Audit Team Leader HazMat Dept SCDF
Scope of Presentation 1. Introduction 2. Roles & Responsibilities 3. Audit Requirements 4. Evaluation Methodology 5. Conclusion
Explosion Explosion INTRODUCTION Associated Hazards and Risks: Fire Fire HazMat HazMat Spillage Spillage
Regulatory Requirements The Petroleum & Fire Safety Regulations (25) enacted in 2005 requires companies storing petroleum and/or flammable materials more than 5 metric tonnes or 5,000 kg in mixed state (solid, liquid or gas) to Establish an on-site and in-house Company Emergency Response Team (CERT) All CERTs are required to be competent in handling incidents involving petroleum or flammable materials in the event of fire, explosion, leakage or any other similar emergency All CERT are subjected to competency tests and emergency assessments at a regular interval
Concept Nip it in the Bud to prevent Intervention Measures to Prevent Incident Up-right overturned drum Clean up spill Intervention Measures to Minimize Loss Use of fire extinguisher Activate sprinkler system Remove surrounding drums Spill from drum Escalates to pool fire Fire spreads & engulfs factory All All Full-Blown Events Starts With an an Initiating Event!
When things go wrong? Fire at Somerset Sub Power Station, 2 Jul 08 Fire at Factory Complex at Sungei Kadut, 3 Aug 08 Tank fire at JB, 17 Aug 08 Shipyard Accidents, Jun 08 Fire at Essential Oils Warehouse at Woodlands Terrace, 12 Jun 08
Henan Chemical Factory Fire LOCAL CERT RESPONSE TO REAL INCIDENTS 2008/09 our CERTs responded to 5 incidents 3 fires 1 chemical spill 1 chemical leak CERT Actions to contain incident Shut down of processes to prevent escalation of incident Swift deployment of emergency response equipment Conducted mitigation operations Assisted SCDF to conduct joint operations Conducted recovery operations
Audit Results Apr 08 to Mar 09 87% PASSED
Roles and Responsibilities Update the Company Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and be familiar with the contents in ERP Ensure readiness through training and equipping to handle worst case scenario Initiate emergency response system when needed Notify authorities/neighbors after verifying an incident To ensure quick arrival at Assembly area to equip To assess incident scene, size up situation and communicate this to all involved in incident management; if needed request for appropriate resources
Roles and Responsibilities To respond fast to incident site to conduct rescue and mitigation operations in appropriate PPE Conduct response activities competently, effectively and safely to contain threats Ensure proper linkup with SCDF by providing information on contents on fire, surrounding risks and other relevant information Continue to conduct support operations after handing over operations to SCDF Conduct recovery operations
Organisational Structure Minimum configuration of at least 6 CERT members required (1 SMC, 1 SIC & 4 RT members) Strategic level Senior member of company overall in charge & deals with govt agencies Site Main Controller (SMC) Tactical level Leader & in charge of the first incident response by the CERT Site Incident Controller (SIC) Operational level First responders trained in basic fire-fighting, HazMat & First- Aid Response Team (RT) However, manpower requirement should be sufficient to address Worst Credible Scenario
MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS When companies cannot meet minimum manpower requirements of 6 (1 SMC, 1 SIC, 4 ERT members) becomes an issue when there is a need to conduct simultaneous rescue & mitigation operations based on the worst case scenario Too many staff can also be a problem for span of control so proper structure and processes should be put in place to enable good command & control A case by case evaluation is done to ensure that a premise has proper fire and HazMat protective systems in place to prevent an initiating event to escalate into a major incident in lieu of insufficient manpower
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS No training 38 (10%) Fire-Fighting, HazMat & First-Aid 92 (25%) First-Aid 19 (5%) HazMat 3 (1%) Fire-Fighting 36 (10%) HazMat & First-Aid 3 (1%) Findings on CERT Manpower (Apr 08 Mar 09) Fire-Fighting, & First-Aid 179 (48%) CERTs must be trained to be competent, effective and safe Incident Management Fire, HazMat & FirstAid Field Exercises Frequency Monthly Annually with refresher trg for each team External training providers available Use SCDF guidelines on training requirements
EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT Different premises have differing problems and threats posed Equipping must be sufficient to handle worst case scenario Must equip with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) based on exposure to risks and threats Findings on Equipping (Apr08-Mar09) Equipping for 125 premises was basic Fire extinguishers, hose reel and stretcher Some not sufficient for worst case scenario Equipping for 245 premises was good Good fixed fire fighting installations Mitigation equipment for Fire and HazMat Some had big water guns Some had own fire engines or were supported by PCS and SERB fire brigades
Activation and Response Time A target of 1 minute was set for Activation to Assembly Area 328 met the requirement 42 did not meet A target of 5 minutes was set for Response to Incident Site 328 met the requirement 42 did not meet No.of Coys 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 328 25 89% 9 2 1 5 0-1 min 1-2 min 2-3 min 4-5 min 5-6 min Not Assessed No.of Coys 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 52 81 67 73 55 0-1 min 1-2 min 2-3 min 3-4 min 4-5 min 5-6 min 6-7 min 7-8 min 8-9 min 9-10 min 16 13 5 89% 3 1 2 1 1 10-11 min 13-14 min 14-15 min
Activation Findings on slow response First person spotting incident failed to activate the nearest call point/main fire alarm panel No system to activate staff manual actions taken to alert Training Members were not competent or trained in donning PPE Members reporting to incident site did not bring along the emergency equipment Procedures in place Location of emergency equipment and assembly areas were too far apart SIC was involved in other support operations such as evacuation before responding to site to assess and mitigate the incident
Incident Verification/Notification SICs must go to site donning appropriate PPE to: verify incident size up situation - make an assessment of risk, damage, casualties, etc prioritise actions to be taken deploy CERTs to: conduct snatch rescue mitigate the leak/fire determine isolation zone Report to SMC Notify SCDF and neighbouring premises However, some do not notify SCDF at onset or conduct immediate incident management as they are involved in other activities (e.g. evacuation)
Donning Personal Protective Equipment CERTs must be equipped with basic PPE based on threats they are exposed to They must be competent in donning PPE in a quick timeframe They should not enter hazard zones without proper donning of appropriate PPE
Conducting Mitigation Operations CERTs must be: Competent in using correct tactics for mitigation operations Able to deploy their in-house emergency equipment fast and effectively
Conducting Mitigation Operations Common lapses seen are In tactics employed Wrong extinguishing medium used Insufficient hose length Containment not effective Casualties not rescued No Protection jets No Search & Rescue Equipment readiness Cannot couple hose to ground monitor low water pressure
Casualty Management Generally, casualty evacuation was good and swift with decontamination conducted before evacuation to FAP However lapses seen are as follows: decontamination not done in some cases improper handling of casualty no gloves worn handing over casualty to unprotected CERT member
Linking Up With SCDF SCDF must be led swiftly to incident site in case it is a large complex - staff leading them must be familiar with layout of large complexes Identification of CERT staff is critical for link up SIC must immediately link up with SCDF upon arrival & provide information to the SCDF ground commander Description of the incident Submit real-time data on inventory on fire, surrounding risks and hazards within 10 mins Either hardcopy or electronically via SCDF Live Inventory Portal (LIP) CERT deployment and actions taken Casualty Status Layout plans, MSDS, resources available to assist SCDF
CERTs must continue to conduct support operations after handing over operations to SCDF: First Aid Casualty Evacuation Support SCDF with Resources Conduct joint operations with SCDF where possible Conduct Support Operations
EVALUATION METHODOLOGY A 3 + 6 evaluation checklist is used: ERP 1 2 Checking Document Records MP & Training Equipment Readiness 3 + Scenario Discussion 6 Ongoing operations and recovery Linking up with SCDF upon arrival 5 1 Activation and response On-site Practical Assessment Support Activities Worst credible scenario in Company s ERP is used for assessment 4 2 Incident size-up Fire-fighting and mitigating operations 3
Measures To Ensure Good Compliance Good 80 100 % Pass 50 79 % Fail 0 49 % Audit Grading Scale Incentive - Companies that achieve a score of 80% will be considered for exemption in subsequent years Penalty - Action against company that fails to meet the audit requirement A fine will be imposed and a re-audit will be conducted; License will be revoked only if there are no improvements or efforts put in by the premise Criteria for Award in the Industry SCDF is working with SCIC on the feasibility to enable CERT audited companies to use their audit results to qualify for the Responsible Care Award (Emergency Response)
Main Reasons Why CERTs Do Not Meet Audit Requirements Insufficient manpower Not familiar with roles Not trained Not competent in incident management Ignorance of safety
Incorporating Assessment on Storage Security Premises Storing Petroleum and Flammable materials are vulnerable if not secure as these can be used for undesirable events (scenarios on the left) by potential terrorists and criminals Associated Scenarios Intrusion SCDF currently conducts assessment on storage security for selected FM (HRI) premises SPF does this for premises storing explosive precursors If there is an overlap we coordinate with SPF for conduct of this exercise Sabotage Theft Theft
Concept of Assessment for Storage Security Secured Entity Inputs for Assessment H.R. and procedures Recommendations Technology Structure Identify possible scenarios/gaps (if any) on: Deterrence, Detection and Response
Benefits of Storage Security Assessments A good platform for addressing gaps in safeguarding the storage 2-way data gathering process Identify gaps or simply test if procedures in place do work Sensitize and consider possible areas for improvement The findings will sensitize companies to consider additional security measures to better safeguard the materials stored
What can be done to prevent catastrophic incidents Emergency Management Preparedness ERP Fire Fire / / HazMat HazMat Safety Safety Installation Installation Good Good Housekeeping Housekeeping and and Inventory Inventory Management Management Safe Safe Work Work Procedures Procedures CERT Well Well Organised Organised Proper Proper Training Training Fully Fully Equipped Equipped
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