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In order to safeguard people and the environment

In order to safeguard people and the environment from the impacts of the unintentional gas release, a number of train tank cars on the tracks overturned, discharging hazardous gas into the air. Specialists from several fields are needed to mitigate the negative impacts of chemical and toxic gaseous discharge as well as the health risks they cause (Kapucu & Hu, 2016 p. 400). It must be done quickly and correctly due to the sensitivity and ease of spread of the deadly gas emitted into the air. As the incident commander, my first priority is to evacuate the workers, students, and residents of the elementary school. The following annexes help build a competent emergency support function.

Transportation

Transportation does provide support in the assistance of the federal government, state, local, and territorial entities, and nongovernmental organizations as well as the private sector to manage infrastructure and transportation systems in the event of potential incidents (Klein et al., 2016). As the incident commander, I would have alternative routes identified for immediate use so that those who use this particular route are not exposed further to this gas. Additionally, appropriate airspace management measures will need to be implemented, keeping in mind that the gas cannot be controlled as soon as it mixes with air but people can reschedule their flights. The recommendation would be that transportation of poisonous gases and chemicals be undertaken using means which are less likely to cause accidents like air and water.

Telecommunication Systems

World over, in efforts to respond to dangerous and potentially hazardous events, telecommunication systems play a critical role in support of the response efforts and facilitate the delivery of urgent and essential information to the decision makers at the emergency management departments. In our case, telecommunication systems will play virtually the most fundamental duty with the provision of a platform where all the other emergency utilities pass and receive information. There is need to maintain an operable and interoperable data communications and voice at the incident area. The signals at the elementary school and residential areas need to be a high signal as such would aid in the evacuation communication process. The telecommunications annex further would coordinate the assigning priority ends among the incident support facilities. This would be informed by the fact that a single second delay in relaying of urgent information would be detrimental in the emergency exercise, which could render the whole process futile (Kapucu & Hu, 2016 p. 403). As the incident commander, I would need a free toll line explicitly dedicated towards the emergency efforts.

Utilities

The utilities which are susceptible to hazardous gas release include water and waste disposal (Stewart, Kim, Johnston, & Nayyerloo, 2016). The impacts are not to be experienced in the short time after this accident. This is because the gas has first to be collected with the water at the reservoirs and other water collection points. The same case applies to waste disposal areas (Klein et al., 2016). In this scenario, communication would be to have all water within the vicinity retreated for the chemicals carried by the poisonous gas. Extra vigilance is to be observed by the individuals involved with the management of waste disposal units. Attendants of the waste disposal areas shouldn’t be allowed to come to the disposal sites without protective gear to help prevent them from inhaling the gas.

Banking

Like any other annex, the banking sector would lose a lot where the effects of the gas not mitigated before getting into the banking halls. The banking emergency response team needs to stay on high alert for evacuation, triage, and communication with authorities. These are supposed to give instructions to the building occupants to either leave or congregate in a quarantined area. They would also be required to manipulate the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems as need be (Klein et al., 2016). For this outdoor release, the people in the building need to be directed to the “shelter-in-place” rooms where the infiltration of air from outside is minimal.

Hospitals

The medical services and the public health annex can be overwhelmed in the event of a harmful gas release because this is concerned with the continuous acquisition and assessment of information arising from the point of the incident. The hospitals should then package preventive information in a manner which does not raise the tension of the populace (Hicks & Glick, 2015 p. 30). The residents need to know how they can ensure that the affected do not transmit the same to the general public as well as directed to where they can get assistance from. Hospitals will also be required to move in the transportation of patients who are severely injured and coordinate the information they have with the other units with pre-hospital treatment, tracking of patients, and the distribution of patients.

Retail

Retail areas are frequented by many people, and it is only prudent to have such places protected. Emergency responders would be dispatched into these zones to carry out a seclusion exercise and screening of those inside the malls and those just coming in. This task would be carried out together with first aid doctors. Clear communication would remain paramount to ensure that the population is not terrified (Weidmann, Kirsch & Schreckenberg, 2014).

References

Hicks, J., & Glick, R. (2015). A meta‐analysis of hospital evacuations: Overcoming barriers to effective planning. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, 34(3), 26-36.

Kapucu, N., & Hu, Q. (2016). Understanding multiplexity of collaborative emergency management networks. The American Review of Public Administration, 46(4), 399-417.

Klein, K. R., Burkle Jr, F. M., Swienton, R., King, R. V., Lehman, T., & North, C. S. (2016). Qualitative analysis of surveyed emergency responders and the identified factors that affect first stage of primary triage decision-making of mass casualty incidents. PLoS currents, 8.

Stewart, C., Kim, N. D., Johnston, D. M., & Nayyerloo, M. (2016). Health hazards associated with consumption of roof-collected rainwater in urban areas in emergency situations. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(10), 1012.

Weidmann, U., Kirsch, U. & Schreckenberg, M. (2014). Pedestrian and evacuation dynamics 2012. Cham: Springer.