The Need for an Effective Incident Command System for Buncefield Oil Depot - Case Study Example

INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM The need for an effective Incident Command System for Buncefield Oil Depot 1. Introduction The major incident in Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal or Buncefield Oil Depot occurred early winter morning of December 11, 20051. A loud explosion followed by smaller but shattering explosions were heard from the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in Hemel Hempstead while a large fire engulfed major parts of the site. The fire lasted for several days releasing enormous cloud of smoke in the environment reaching beyond southern England. Although there was no fatality, forty three people were injured and a large number of commercial and residential buildings were destroyed by the explosion. The large fire also destroyed 20 large fuel tanks along with other structures inside the plant. Significant amount of foam and fire water were used resulting to pollution of the surface and ground water. An estimated 2000 people were evacuated while the M1 motorway was closed to traffic for a number of days. The purpose of this report is to explain the reasons why an effective incident command system is required in a large scale incident like Buncefield. It will present the various levels of command required and the roles and responsibilities of various agencies that should have been involved in the Buncefield incident including appropriate risk assessment and action plan. 2. Background of the Buncefield Oil Depot Incident The significant amount of overflowing petrol and cold air created a large vapour cloud that was ignited by a source in the emergency generator cabin. A large explosion occurred followed by a series of smaller ones resulting to a huge fire that engulfed at least twenty large storage tanks in the area2. Over 2000 people in the surrounding area were evacuated and commercial unites of different companies doing business in area were destroyed by the fire. The explosion damaged around 60 different buildings near the depot displacing over 4000 employees. Moreover, approximately 300 houses were slightly damaged by the explosion and the fuel supply for London and the South of England was interrupted for days because of the fire (Postol 2008, p.92). The explosion and subsequent brought a number of problems including extensive damage to properties near the depot, and the large quantities of escaping fuel and fire fighting foam and water is soil and water pollution in the area3. 3. Importance of establishing an effective incident command system in a large-scale incident. Large-scale incidents such as the Buncefield Oil Depot are often complex because they involve a wide geographic area and bigger scope of work. Unlike routine or less complicated incidents that only requires one or two responding agency, a large-scale incident demand a more complex command structure4. In Buncefield for instance, the incident involves not only the depot or the oil storage site but nearby establishments and communities thus a more complex and bigger command structure is needed. Moreover, individual communities have slightly different approaches in terms of incident response thus coordination during a large-scale incident should be more reliable and be able to manage these differences effectively5. There are many reasons why an effective incident command system should be established in a large-scale incident and the most important are: a. Incident command system is designed to organise people and resources thus useful in large-scale incidents that are complex and involves significant number of people and resources6. b. Incident command system is intended for the scene of the incident in order to control and coordinate responses7 and therefore very useful in incidents like Buncefield where multiple agencies are working together at the scene and surrounding area. c. An incident command system clearly defines roles for each responder and manages material, equipment, and communication well. d. An incident command system can activate additional services during an emergency response thus making emergency management more flexible. e. Since an incident command system is designed with a recognizable and easily acceptable structure, works of individual agencies is being coordinated effectively while resources are being used efficiently8. According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs9, an incident command system applied at the incident scene ensures coordinated, safe, and effective operations because it provides a structured and easily understandable approach in managing and organising an on-site incident operation. Providing a comprehensive, well-organised, and efficient command structure is very important to ensure the success of the operation10. With one incident commander, fire fighters and other responding agencies follow one command thus avoiding confusion11. 4. Various of Levels of Command Required for Large-Scale incidents There are generally four levels of incident command required in a large-scale incident – the unified command level or the Gold Command, the strategic level of the Silver Command, the tactical level or the Bronze Command, and the Operational level. These four levels of incident command should be present in a major incident like Buncefield where multi-service operation is required. The Gold Command involves top level political and policy decisions that are often performed in the local and national level12. On the other hand, the Silver and Bronze defines the actions necessary to achieve the objectives. It involves several companies divisions, groups, sectors, and other tactical level components. In large-scale incidents, there may be more levels to achieve an effective span-of-control13. The physical work in large accidents is actually performed at the Task-Level that may include searching and identifying victims In Buncefield, the Gold Command made decisions for the implementation of strategic aims by the Silver and Bronze Command14. However, there were a number of problems encountered during the response that include difficulty in communicating with the strategic command officers particularly the EA. Some fire fighting resources are not available and additional supplies were not coordinated properly. A number of out-of-county personnel had no experience working under the incident command and unguided by senior officers. More importantly, although operational officers perform effectively in relation to the incident command system, there was lack of active decision making at the upper level. Moreover, most officers working on the fire ground do not have clear responsibility which is an indication that the strategic and tactical level command failed to clearly define the task of people in the operational level15. 5. Appropriate Dynamic Risk Assessment and Structure of Action Plan Review of the changing circumstances during a response is necessary thus dynamic risk assessment must be conducted to ensure that all hazards are identified16. As mentioned earlier, inadequate knowledge and lack of clear responsibilities prevented the operational officers to perform their tasks effectively in the Buncefield incident which is an indication that a dynamic assessment was never performed. A dynamic risk assessment performed during the Buncefield incident response could have benefitted the responders by giving them a well-identified hazard list and well-defined action plan and priorities17. An incident action plan derived from an on-site dynamic risk assessment is very important since it can give responders clear directions18. The structure of the action plan for the Buncefield incident may include the following components. a. Prioritize and rescue those that are in immediate danger b. Extinguish or suppress the fire as soon as possible c. Constantly assess the situation and identify other hazards d. Secure the perimeter and find people that are still at risk e. Search and identify victims f. Completely assess the damage and provide recommendations g. Perform contingency work and start reconstruction 6. Roles and Responsibilities of Buncefield Incident Responders. a. The Fire and Rescue Service The FRS primary responsibility is to suppress the fire and save lives. These include rescuing and evacuating people at the site and other affected areas while protecting the well-being of their own personnel. They also have the responsibility to coordinate their activities and share information to the higher level of the incident command system19. b. The Police The police responsibility is to maintain order and secure the area so that no untoward incident would happen. They should coordinate with other agencies particularly in terms of victim identification, protection of evidence, and preservation of the incident site20. c. Emergency Health Services The primary responsibility of the health agency is to treat casualties while protecting the safety of their on-site personnel as well. They should also assess the circumstances and advise the incident command system about the number of casualties and the health hazards that might be present during the incident21. d. Environmental Agencies The EA’s responsibility is generally to look for contamination in the environment particularly the effects of plume on vegetation and people. More importantly, to investigate the effects of fire water, foam, and petrol to soil, ground water, and river. They also should conduct an inspection, testing, and assessment of the environmental impact of the incident to surrounding communities. e. The Media The media is responsible for giving the public the right information such as the status of the incident, the number of casualties, the efforts that are being done to mitigate the problem and advisory that may be requested by the incident command system. 7. Evaluation of the need for effective liaison with media and other agencies during a major incident. In a large-scale incident like Buncefield an effective liaison with the media and other agencies is very important because clear and accurate information is essential to the success of the response. It is therefore necessary for the incident command system leadership to appoint a well-established media officer that would constantly coordinate to media and other agencies during the incident. This officer will ensure that the right information is being released in a timely manner. Equip with the knowledge of the incident command system and details of the incident, this lone officer will be in the position to speak about the scope of the emergency response and prevent confusion arising from multiple sources of information. Information from the Buncefield incident could have been communicated effectively if the incident command leadership delegated a certain group to managed communication on various levels. This will help ensure that all agencies are informed including the media and the public as well. The ICS for Buncefield could have established a reliable communication facility that could effectively address the information requirements of all the responders and the public at the same time. They could use a contact table that can help responders and other persons involved easily identify agencies and contact persons. To avoid the problems encountered during the Buncefield incident, the appointed incident commander could have taken a prudent decision by consulting all the responders. If in doubt about his capacity to resolve the problem and define the roles of all responders under him, the IC could by himself voluntarily asked for replacement and let a more experienced incident commander lead. More importantly, knowing that the resources in the operational level is not enough to manage the incident, the IC could have declare the incident as beyond local or regional capability and asked the national government to get involved. 8. Conclusion Large-scale incidents require an effective incident command system to ensure a safe working environment, efficient use of resources, and overall success of response. ICS enables a planned, organised, controlled, and well-coordinated multi-agency response. The roles and responsibilities of every responders, material and equipment allocation is clearly defined in an ICS. A large-scale incident such as Buncefield requires four levels of command – Gold (Strategic), Silver (Tactical), Bronze (Operational), and the Task Level. A dynamic risk assessment performed during the Buncefield incident response can be very useful as other hazards and additional requirements can be identified and mitigated while the response is in progress. More importantly, it can be use to create a well-defined and effective action plan. The fire and rescue service, police, health and environmental agencies, the media have separate roles and responsibilities but they are required under the ICS to coordinate and share important information. Effective liaison with media and other agencies is very important thus ICS in Buncefield could have established a media coordination office to ensure smooth communication between them. In general, the IC leading the ICS in Buncefield could have made prudent decision if there is consultation and accurate assessment of the situation. 9. Reference List Aaos, Assessment and Treatment of Trauma, Jones & Bartlett Learning, US, 2010 BMIIBa, The Buncefield Incident 11 December 2005: The Final Report of the Major Incident Investigation Board Volume 1. Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board. The Office of the Public Sector Information, U.K, 2008 BMIIBb, Initial Report to the Health and Safety Commission and the Environment Agency of the investigation into the explosions and fires at the Buncefield oil storage and transfer depot, Hemel Hempstead, on 11 December 2005, Health and Safety Executive, 2006, p. 1-67, Carley S. & Jones K., Major incident medical management and support: the practical approach in the hospital, India: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005 Ciottone G., Disaster medicine, Elsevier Health Sciences, UK, 2006 Cote A., Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services. US: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2003 Ferrero F., Canoe and kayak handbook. UK: Pesda Press, 2002 Grimwood P. 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