Knoxville responders say they’re prepared for HAZMAT disasters – WVLT

Report on Hazardous Material Transport and Emergency Preparedness in East Tennessee in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: Aligning Public Safety with Global Sustainability

The daily transportation of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) through East Tennessee’s infrastructure presents a significant challenge to public safety and environmental stability. This report assesses the region’s emergency preparedness framework through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly focusing on ensuring community resilience and well-being.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Proactive management of HAZMAT risks is essential to prevent chemical exposures and protect public health from materials that pose a threat to life and health.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Robust emergency response capabilities are fundamental to creating safe, resilient, and sustainable urban and rural environments capable of withstanding potential disasters.

2.0 Scope of HAZMAT Transportation and Infrastructure Resilience

The volume of hazardous materials transported nationally and within Tennessee underscores the importance of resilient infrastructure and responsible management, key tenets of several SDGs.

1. National and State Volume:
   • The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) reports over four billion tons of HAZMAT are shipped annually across the United States.
   • The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) indicates over 73,000 tons are transported within Tennessee each year.
2. Implications for Sustainable Development:
   • SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure): This high volume necessitates the development of safe and resilient transportation infrastructure capable of mitigating risks associated with industrial chemical transport.
   • SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): The safe transport of these materials is a critical component of their life-cycle management, contributing to sustainable production patterns.

3.0 Institutional Capacity and First Responder Training

The effectiveness of local institutions in preparing for and responding to potential disasters is a cornerstone of SDG 16. East Tennessee demonstrates a strong commitment to building this capacity through specialized training.

• Comprehensive Training: According to Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks of the Knoxville Fire Department, all frontline firefighters are trained to the “hazardous materials technician” level upon graduating from the academy, ensuring a baseline understanding of mitigation across the force.
• Institutional Strength (SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions): This universal, high-level training ensures that the institution is effective and capable of mitigating complex incidents, thereby safeguarding the community.
• Continuous Education: Collaborative training sessions with transportation agencies like Norfolk Southern further enhance preparedness, addressing specific scenarios such as train incidents and large-scale fuel leaks. This aligns with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

4.0 Incident Analysis and Proactive Risk Mitigation for Community Safety

While historical data indicates a low frequency of major incidents in the region, a proactive stance on risk mitigation is vital for maintaining community safety and achieving sustainability targets.

• Statistical Overview: PHMSA data since 2013 shows over 195,000 HAZMAT incidents nationwide, with only 16 occurring in East Tennessee.
• Achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): The low incident rate, coupled with high preparedness, reflects progress toward making communities safer and more resilient. The focus remains on prevention and readiness to minimize the impact of any potential disaster.
• A Historical Case Study: Deputy Chief Ken Tuggle of the Rural Metro Fire Department cited a 2002 incident on Turkey Creek Road as evidence of effective response. The successful evacuation of up to 2,600 people for three days demonstrated the region’s capacity to protect citizens, directly supporting the objectives of SDG 3 and SDG 11.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed in the Article

The article on HAZMAT preparedness in East Tennessee addresses several Sustainable Development Goals by focusing on public health, safety, resilient infrastructure, and the capacity of local institutions to manage disasters.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  This goal is central to the article, as hazardous materials are defined as anything posing a “threat to life, health or property.” The entire focus on preparedness and response aims to prevent deaths and illnesses resulting from chemical spills or disasters.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The article highlights that dangerous chemicals are transported daily via “Tennessee interstates and railways.” This connects to the need for safe and resilient infrastructure capable of handling such materials without incident, and systems in place to manage failures.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The core theme is making communities resilient to disasters. The article discusses preparing for a “hazardous material (HAZMAT) disaster,” the effectiveness of past emergency responses, including the evacuation of “1,500 to 2,600 people,” and the importance of local first responders in ensuring community safety.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article showcases the role of effective local institutions, such as the City of Knoxville Fire Department and Rural Metro Fire Department. It emphasizes their capacity, training, and readiness to protect the public, reflecting the importance of strong and capable institutions at the local level.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Based on the article’s content, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.9: Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and pollution.

   The article directly addresses this target by focusing on the preparedness to mitigate incidents involving hazardous materials. The training of firefighters and first responders is a proactive measure to prevent or reduce the health impacts (“threat to life, health”) of a chemical release.

2. Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

   The specialized training that East Tennessee firefighters receive is a clear example of strengthening capacity for risk reduction. The article states, “All of our firefighters that are frontline on the road, they’re all hazardous materials technicians,” which demonstrates a high level of local capacity to manage the health risks associated with HAZMAT incidents.

3. Target 11.5: Significantly reduce the number of deaths and people affected by disasters.

   The article is centered on preparing for a HAZMAT disaster to minimize its impact. It references a past incident in 2002 where a large-scale evacuation was successfully conducted, showing a direct effort to reduce the number of people affected by such an event. The ongoing training is aimed at improving this capability.

4. Target 11.b: Implement holistic disaster risk management at all levels.

   The coordinated efforts described, involving local fire departments (City of Knoxville, Rural Metro) and transportation agencies like Norfolk Southern hosting training sessions, exemplify the implementation of disaster risk management plans at the local and regional levels.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Number of HAZMAT transportation incidents

  This is a direct quantitative indicator mentioned in the article. It states there were “over 195,000 HAZMAT transportation incidents across the U.S. since 2013. Of those, only 16 happened in East Tennessee.” Tracking this number over time would measure the effectiveness of prevention efforts.

• Number of people affected by a disaster

  The article provides a specific example of this indicator from a past event: “we evacuated – depending on what reports you read – anywhere from 1,500 to 2,600 people for three days.” This metric is crucial for measuring the scale and impact of an incident and the effectiveness of the response.

• Percentage of first responders trained in HAZMAT response

  An indicator of institutional capacity is explicitly stated: “All of our firefighters that are frontline on the road, they’re all hazardous materials technicians.” This percentage serves as a measure of preparedness and capacity building (Target 3.d).

• Volume of hazardous materials transported

  The article provides data on the scale of the risk: “over 73 thousand tons of HAZMAT is transported within Tennessee yearly.” This contextual indicator helps in assessing the level of risk and the scope of preparedness needed.

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: wvlt.tv