The Global Importance of Facility Siting, Community Planning and Emergency Response

Over the past two decades, there has been an increasing number of incidents where communities surrounding industrial facilities have been significantly affected by chemical release, fire, or explosion. Many of these residents live in very close proximity to the industry sites and have a high risk of being impacted if, and when, a catastrophic incident occurs. Several years ago, Hurricane Harvey hit land on the Texas Coast, affecting numerous refineries, plants, distribution facilities, and close proximity residents. One site outside of Houston experienced several explosions due to severe flooding. The site manufactured organic peroxides, which are reactive, explosive, and flammable. Fortunately, there were no injuries to the community or the plant personnel who had taken precautions to reduce both the risk and the impact of the impending explosions before evacuating. A number of emergency responders, however, were impacted due to smoke inhalation. We cannot control the weather, but we can be better prepared for the consequences of its impacts. The Fukushima nuclear disaster and the explosions in Texas were both the result of weather impacts that were not fully anticipated.

In addition to the weather-related tragedies, many incidents have had a significant impact due to lack of planning from a facility siting and zoning aspect and community growth around the sites over a long period of time. These include a scale-up facility using reactive hydroxylamine that experienced a runaway reaction and explosion, a fertilizer company storing ammonium nitrate that the town surrounded, and a port/warehouse where residence taking videos off of their balcony were knocked down when a blast at the facility occurred.

This presentation will discuss facility siting and layout, government zoning regulations, emergency responder training, and community awareness. Recommendations and considerations will be given that can be implemented globally to reduce both the impact and the risk to communities and responders.