IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS TO LARGE VOLUME/HIGH-CONCENTRATION ETHANOL SPILLS

Abstract

ABSTRACT ID: 2017-104. In 2016, TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) assisted the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) develop the Large Volume/High Concentration Ethanol Appendix (the Appendix) to the Hazardous Material Annex of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the associated guidance document for first responders (the Guidance). The purpose of these documents were to promote situational awareness and outline the operational activities for the response to an emergency involving large volumes of high concentration denatured ethanol (LV/HC ethanol), such as a derailment of railroad tank cars. The Appendix and Guidance were developed based on our review of the available literature, interviews and discussions with railroad personnel and first responders, and our experience with LV/HC ethanol spill prevention and response. From this, TRC identified important considerations for emergency personnel responding to an LV/HC ethanol incident. Specifically, ethanol is a polar solvent that readily mixes with water, so an ethanol spill may not act like a typical oil spill that the responders may be trained to handle. For incident response, this means that the equipment and tactics normally used for an oil spill may not be effective, and in some cases may make the incident worse. Therefore, it is critical that the first responders know how to identify an ethanol incident, what tactics are effective, what types of equipment may be needed, and who to call for assistance. Additionally, the responders need to understand the potential impacts from an LV/HC ethanol spill not just to people and businesses in the vicinity, but also to the environment, surface water and groundwater sources, and wastewater treatment systems. This paper reviews the properties and behavior of ethanol and denatured ethanol, and identifies and discusses appropriate response strategies, techniques, resources, and equipment for LV/HC ethanol spill response.