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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 07191994 - 2.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Mark Finucane, Health Servi s Director :1z' Contra Costa DATE: July 19, 1994 County SUBJECT: LETTER TO PACIFIC BELL REQUESTING 'SHELTER-IN-PLACE'GUIDELINES ARE PRINTED IN LOCAL PHONE BOOKS AS A PUBLIC SERVICE AND SEEKING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING TELEPHONE COMPANY POLICIES SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: DIRECT the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to send a letter to Pacific Bell telephone company requesting that Pacific Bell include "shelter-in-place" guidelines in the First Aid and Survival Guide section of telephone books. The letter will also seek additional information from Pacific Bell regarding corporate policies and legal mandates guiding the inclusion of public safety information in this section of telephone books. FISCAL IMPACT: None BACKGROUND: The Contra Costa County Health Services Department is a member of the Contra Costa chapter of Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CHER), a statewide coalition of government agencies charged with emergency response authority and industries which handle and/or manufacture hazardous .materials. The goal of CAER is to coordinate the resources and expertise of government and industry in order to provide extensive health protection and emergency response services to communities that may be affected by an accidental release of hazardous chemicals. The Health Services Department and CAER have adopted Shelter-in-Place guidelines for use in case of chemical emergencies. These guidelines have been approved by the State Office of Emergency Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Shelter-in-place requires that rather than evacuate a premises thereby risking a more concentrated exposure to hazardous chemicals and additional public safety concerns, the guidelines suggest staying indoors with closed doors and windows until and unless evacuation is recommended by emergency response personnel. A letter was sent on December 11, 1992 from Mr. Joe Tovar, representing CAER, to a Pacific Bell manager regarding inclusion of Shelter-in-Place guidelines in local phone books. Mr. Tovar was told in a phone conversation that it would cost $3000 to include the Shelter-in-Place information in Contra Costa phone books. On May 3, 1993 the manager stated in writing that the $3000 figure was not accurate; the true costs of inclusion would be $50,000- $100,000 because the information would have to be included statewide. CONTINUgD ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE �►- ACTION OF BOARD ON July 19, 1994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X The Board requests that the above information be provided to them on July 26, 1994 for consideration in conjunction with a report on the General Chemical matter. The Board REQUESTED the Contra Costa County Mayors' Conference to join the Board in this request to Pacific Bell, and DIRECTED staff to send a copy of the letter addressed to Pacific Bell to the County's legislative delegation. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT_____j AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact Person: Mark Finucane CC: Phil Batchelor,County Administrator ATTESTED July 19, 1994 William Walker, MD; County Health Officer PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND Tracey Hein-Silva;Health Services Department COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CCC Mayors' Conference via Health Svcs. County's Legisilators via Health Svcs. f BY �� ,DEPUTY i/ 2 In an October 25, 1993 letter, another Pacific Bell manager indicated that the new figures also were inaccurate; the true cost would be up to $124,000. From Contra Costa's perspective, in less than one year the cost increased by 4000 percent. The cost now makes it prohibitive for this county or CAER to utilize the phone book to provide a critical health protection message to the community. The Health Services Department and CAER are interested in reviewing Pacific Bell's policies regarding information to include in the First Aid and Survival Guide section. We are especially interested in receiving answers to the following questions: • How are priorities set for the inclusion of information in this section of the phone book? • What are the processes for updating the information to ensure its accuracy and timeliness? • How is access to this section of the phone book obtained by government agencies charged with the protection of public health and safety in local communities? • What are the federal and state standards and/or regulations, if any, for the inclusion of health and safety information in telephone books? • How are the costs covered for including emergency information? Answers to these questions will assist the Health Services Department and CAER in furthering their efforts to ensure health protection information is widely available to the community. The BoaClerk rd of Supervisors Contra Batchelor of the Board and County Administration BuildingCosta County Administrator 651 Pine St., Room 106 (510)646-2371 Martinez, California 94553 County Tom Powers,1st District Jeb Smith,2nd District s t Gayle Bishop,3rd District Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District Tom Torlakson,5th District s of xa '�µ� � W 1•?¢ 9r"r COUR July 19, 1994 Ms. Mary Ellen Watson Manager, Customer Guide Pacific Bell 140 New Montgomery Street, Room 1208 San Francisco, CA 94105 Dear Ms. Watson, The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors requests a copy of Pacific Bell's corporate policy on the selection of information to provide in the First Aid and Survival Guide section of telephone books. We have received different information from Pacific Bell staff regarding the inclusion of "shelter-in-place" guidelines in this section of the telephone book. Shelter-in-Place guidelines provide critical, life saving protective actions during chemical emergencies. We believe their inclusion in the First Aid and Survival Guide section of the telephone book is highly appropriate; they would become an essential component of necessary public education during hazardous chemical emergencies. Such information is included in certain Louisiana and Texas phone books that serve communities that may be impacted by releases of hazardous chemicals; we are hoping that Pacific Bell will do likewise as a public service. The Contra Costa County Health Services Department is a member of the Contra Costa chapter of Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CHER), a nationwide coalition of government agencies charged with emergency response authority and industries which handle and/or manufacture hazardous materials. The goal of CAER is to coordinate the resources and expertise of government and industry in order to provide extensive health protection and emergency response services to communities that may be affected by an accidental release of hazardous chemicals. Ms. Mary Ellen Watson July 19, 1994 Page 2 The Health Services Department and CAER have adopted Shelter-in-Place guidelines for use in case of chemical emergencies. These guidelines have been approved by the State Office of Emergency Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Shelter-in-place requires that rather than evacuate a premises thereby risking a more concentrated exposure to hazardous chemicals and additional public safety concerns, the guidelines suggest staying indoors with closed doors and windows until and unless evacuation is recommended by emergency response personnel. The guidelines have proven effective in numerous hazardous materials incidents throughout the country. For example, On July 26, 1993 a facility in Richmond, California accidently released sulphur trioxide into a residential community. This facility was located in close proximity to residential neighborhoods and other sensitive receptors (schools, hospitals, child care centers, nursing homes, etc.). Shelter-in-place was the recommendation medical authorities announced to the panicked public in order to reduce direct human exposure to the chemicals. An industrial facility directly downwind from the incident instructed all employees to shelter-in-place resulting in no medical difficulties among those individuals. In Texas City, Texas a large hydrogen fluoride release at a local industry required the medical treatment of over 500 persons for burns and respiratory problems. No person who sheltered-in-place required medical attention due to chemical related problems. In Europe, an ammonia release from a facility located near a residential neighborhood killed several persons 200 meters away from the facility who fled their homes, while individuals to sheltered in a building 80 meters from the release point survived. Since the likelihood of a major hazardous materials incident in California is greater than that of a major earthquake, the Health Services Department believes that instructions on Shelter-in-Place should be included in addition to earthquake preparedness and response already provided in the local phone books. While communities like Contra Costa County are particularly at risk for hazardous chemical releases because there area large number of fixed industrial facilities, every community is potentially affected. Communities with major rail or highway transportation corridors, Ms. Mary Ellen Watson July 19, 1994 Page 3 hazardous materials pipelines and waste water treatment plants, are all potentially at risk from a hazardous chemical release. The Shelter-in-Place guidelines have become an essential aspect of living in a modem industrial culture. A letter was sent on December 11, 1992 from Mr. Joe Tovar, representing CHER, to Ms. Georgeann Catalano of Pacific Bell regarding inclusion of Shelter-in-Place guidelines in local phone books. Mr. Tovar was told by Ms. Catalano in a phone conversation that it would cost $3000 to include the Shelter-in-Place information in Contra Costa phone books. On May 3, 1993 Ms. Catalano stated in writing that the $3000 figure was not accurate; the true costs of inclusion would be $50,000 - $100,000 because the information would have to be included statewide. In an October 25, 1993 letter, you indicated that Ms. Catalano's figures also were inaccurate; the true cost would be up to $124,000. From Contra Costa's perspective, in less than one year the cost increased by 4000 percent. The cost now makes it prohibitive for this county or CAER to utilize the phone book to provide a critical health protection message to the community. Contra Costa County is interested in reviewing Pacific Bell's policies regarding information to include in the First Aid and Survival Guide section. We are especially interested in receiving answers to the following questions: • How are priorities set for the inclusion of information in this section of the phone book? • What are the processes for updating the information to ensure its accuracy and timeliness? • How is access to this section of the phone book obtained by government agencies charged with the protection of public health and safety in local communities? • What are the federal and state standards and/or regulations, if any, for the inclusion of health and safety information in telephone books? • How are the costs covered for including emergency information? Both Contra Costa County Health Services Department and CAER are committed to working with Pacific Bell to ensure the First Aid and Survival Guide section of local phone books meet priority community needs. We would like to invite you or a member of your staff to a CAER meeting to learn more about Shelter-in-Place Ms. Mary Ellen Watson July 19, 1994 Page 4 and the community protection needs of Contra Costa County. CAER meets on the fourth Wednesday morning of every month in Martinez. Please contact either William Walker, MD; County Health Officer (510) 370-5012, or Tracy Hein-Silva, Emergency Services Coordinator (510) 646-2286 at your earliest convenience to arrange your attendance. Thank you in advance for your attention to these issues. Sincerely Tom Powers Chair Board of Supervisors cc: Richard Andrews; Director, State Office of Emergency Services Phil Batchelor; Contra Costa County Administrator Gary Brown; Director, Contra Costa Office of Emergency Services Mark Finucane; Director, Contra Costa Health Services Department John Lucas; Director, Customer Guide, Pacific Bell George Malouf; Committee Chair, California CAER Harley Thompson; Richmond Fire Department; Chair, Contra Costa CAER