January 15, 1986

Communications agencies' target

       Johnson County agencies that handle hazardous material accidents hope to improve communications in dealing with situations such as a January 9 accident in the western part of the county.  At a 2 ½ hour meeting Wednesday, the county organizations critiqued the overall handling of the semi tractor trailer wreck which dumped about 200 gallons of diesel fuel oil and some paint thinner products beside State Road 37 north of Smith Valley Road.  According to those involved, the leakage was minimal and nobody was hurt.  Thirty people from various local and state agencies attended the meeting, which was sponsored by Johnson County Civil Defense and held at the Johnson County Courthouse Annex.  Representatives from the State Highway Department, Indiana State Board of Health, Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, Edinburgh Police Department, Bargersville Police Department, White River Township Volunteer Fire Department, Greenwood Fire Department, Franklin Fire Department, and Spill Recovery, an Indianapolis firm called to help remove the spilled materials, took part.

         According to county civil defense director Sam Williams, the participants agreed the situation was handled relatively well.  “We had good cooperation from everyone involved in the accident and they did the best they could,” Williams said.  He added some participants felt communications could have been improved at the accident scene.  No central communications command post was set up at the accident scene, and Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and Greenwood Police Department dispatchers were calling for assistance from the same agencies.

         Pat McDaniel, Assistant White River Township fire chief, said she took the blame for not establishing a central communications area.  McDaniel was the ranking White River fire officer responding to a call for assistance from the sheriff’s department.  She said dispatching problems developed because Greenwood police and the sheriff’s dispatchers use different frequencies, and were unaware that they were making similar contacts to such places as the county highway department.

         Williams said a consensus was reached among those attending the meeting that the fire department responsible for providing fire protection in the accident area will establish a communications area.  Participants also learned what agencies should be notified when a potentially hazardous material accident occurs.  Indiana State Board of Health officials said they should be notified, and were not immediately contacted.  They were called later that morning and sent a representative to survey the area.  Participants talked of developing a written county wide plan for handling hazardous material spills.  Such a plan is in the talking stage, Williams said.
 
 

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