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N.M. Firefighters Participate in Hazmat Drill
BY DIANA M. ALBA
Silver City Sun-News
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Santa Teresa, N.M.—The made-up scenario?
A Mexican official noticed a chemical leak from a truck, just south of the U.S. border near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry mid-morning Monday.
The mock leak prompted a crew of emergency responders from various agencies to descend upon the ports of entry on both sides - practice for what officials said is a real-life possibility.
The exercise was proposed by Mexican officials to meet one of their training requirements, U.S. officials said.
But in the case of a real emergency on the other side of the border, New Mexico could be impacted, said Robert Monsivaiz, Do a Ana County Fire Marshal and head of the county's Emergency Operations Center.
"It was their exercise, but because it had the potential for affecting the U.S. side, we exercised that component of it," he said. "We're responding to the effects of what could occur and not necessarily their spill."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its counterpart from Mexico were involved with organizing the event.
Around 10:40 a.m., sirens were heard near the customs building on the Mexican side. Soon after, about 15 Mexican customs workers crossed into the United States, simulating an evacuation.
The mock leak wasn't readily visible from the U.S. side.
After the sirens, non-commercial vehicles continued crossing into the United States for several minutes, while U.S. officials shut down traffic lanes into Mexico with barricades.
"It was to test our communications and protocols," said Santa Teresa Port Director Charles Wright, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "The more we're able to practice, the better we'll be able to respond in a real event."
Around 11:45 a.m., traffic lanes in both directions were re-opened. Meanwhile, personnel from two fire trucks, a Las Cruces Fire Department mobile incident command vehicle, and a Do a Ana County Hazardous Materials Response truck and trailer continued work on the U.S. side setting up a decontamination tent - a place anyone exposed to a spilled chemical would go in a real emergency.
HAZMAT Route
The Santa Teresa Port of Entry isn't an authorized route to transport hazardous materials across the border, Wright said. Currently, the Ysleta Port of Entry is the only one authorized in the region.
But Do a Ana County and state economic development officials are pushing for the construction of a hazardous materials response facility at the Do a Ana County Airport in Santa Teresa. That could be the first step toward gaining the designation for the port.
More than $1 million in state legislative funding for the HAZMAT facility had been in jeopardy because of the state's economic problems. But County Commissioner Dolores Salda a-Caviness said lobbying, especially from the state Border Authority, kept it from being pulled back.
The facility would allow quicker response to not only spills that occur near the port of entry, but also those that happen in Santa Teresa's industrial parks or along the railroad tracks that pass through Sunland Park, Salda a-Caviness said.
"The HAZMAT team right now comes from Las Cruces," she said.
The county already has purchased HAZMAT response equipment, Salda a-Caviness said.
Acting New Mexico Border Authority Director Bill Hume said the dollars had been tied up in Santa Fe, but an agreement reached last week will free them up.
Training
Why is a mock exercise useful?
"The players are actually given very little information, so they have to know what they're doing and follow their protocols," Monsivaiz said.
For instance, Monsivaiz said hazardous materials responders didn't know what sort of emergency incident was being staged. And they had to assess the day's weather conditions, such as wind patterns.
Though it was a mock situation, Monsivaiz acknowledged the response wasn't without its problems, including in the area of communications and responders using different frequencies.
"There were some errors you want to improve upon, but for the most part, our objectives were met," he said.
EPA officials at the site weren't authorized to speak to media.
Copyright 2010 Silver City Sun-News, a MediaNews Group Newspaper
All Rights Reserved
Silver City Sun-News
View Gallery
Santa Teresa, N.M.—The made-up scenario?
A Mexican official noticed a chemical leak from a truck, just south of the U.S. border near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry mid-morning Monday.
The mock leak prompted a crew of emergency responders from various agencies to descend upon the ports of entry on both sides - practice for what officials said is a real-life possibility.
The exercise was proposed by Mexican officials to meet one of their training requirements, U.S. officials said.
But in the case of a real emergency on the other side of the border, New Mexico could be impacted, said Robert Monsivaiz, Do a Ana County Fire Marshal and head of the county's Emergency Operations Center.
"It was their exercise, but because it had the potential for affecting the U.S. side, we exercised that component of it," he said. "We're responding to the effects of what could occur and not necessarily their spill."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its counterpart from Mexico were involved with organizing the event.
Around 10:40 a.m., sirens were heard near the customs building on the Mexican side. Soon after, about 15 Mexican customs workers crossed into the United States, simulating an evacuation.
The mock leak wasn't readily visible from the U.S. side.
After the sirens, non-commercial vehicles continued crossing into the United States for several minutes, while U.S. officials shut down traffic lanes into Mexico with barricades.
"It was to test our communications and protocols," said Santa Teresa Port Director Charles Wright, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "The more we're able to practice, the better we'll be able to respond in a real event."
Around 11:45 a.m., traffic lanes in both directions were re-opened. Meanwhile, personnel from two fire trucks, a Las Cruces Fire Department mobile incident command vehicle, and a Do a Ana County Hazardous Materials Response truck and trailer continued work on the U.S. side setting up a decontamination tent - a place anyone exposed to a spilled chemical would go in a real emergency.
HAZMAT Route
The Santa Teresa Port of Entry isn't an authorized route to transport hazardous materials across the border, Wright said. Currently, the Ysleta Port of Entry is the only one authorized in the region.
But Do a Ana County and state economic development officials are pushing for the construction of a hazardous materials response facility at the Do a Ana County Airport in Santa Teresa. That could be the first step toward gaining the designation for the port.
More than $1 million in state legislative funding for the HAZMAT facility had been in jeopardy because of the state's economic problems. But County Commissioner Dolores Salda a-Caviness said lobbying, especially from the state Border Authority, kept it from being pulled back.
The facility would allow quicker response to not only spills that occur near the port of entry, but also those that happen in Santa Teresa's industrial parks or along the railroad tracks that pass through Sunland Park, Salda a-Caviness said.
"The HAZMAT team right now comes from Las Cruces," she said.
The county already has purchased HAZMAT response equipment, Salda a-Caviness said.
Acting New Mexico Border Authority Director Bill Hume said the dollars had been tied up in Santa Fe, but an agreement reached last week will free them up.
Training
Why is a mock exercise useful?
"The players are actually given very little information, so they have to know what they're doing and follow their protocols," Monsivaiz said.
For instance, Monsivaiz said hazardous materials responders didn't know what sort of emergency incident was being staged. And they had to assess the day's weather conditions, such as wind patterns.
Though it was a mock situation, Monsivaiz acknowledged the response wasn't without its problems, including in the area of communications and responders using different frequencies.
"There were some errors you want to improve upon, but for the most part, our objectives were met," he said.
EPA officials at the site weren't authorized to speak to media.
Copyright 2010 Silver City Sun-News, a MediaNews Group Newspaper
All Rights Reserved
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