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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05201986 - 1.67 1 ,V7 TO- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Cwtra C )sta DATE' May 16 , 1986 COU* SUBJECT: Response to Spill at Caldecott Tunnel SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION Acknowledge receipt of report from Public Works Director relating to emergency response to spill at Caldecott Tunnel on April 2, 1986 . BACKGROUND See attached memo submitted by Public Works Director dated May 6, 1986 . i CONTINU ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: R C ENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE PPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE S : ACTION OF BOARD ON KAY 2 0 1986 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS V// I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS 1S A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT 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. CC: County Administrator ATTESTED MAY 2 0 1986 _ Health Services Director PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Public Works Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Emergency Services Director M382/7-83 BYDEPUTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY DAT : May 6, 1986 TO: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Contra Cosh C©t,r,+,. FROM: J. Michael Wal ford, Public Works Director REG EIV SUBJECT: Emergency Response/Spill at MAY 7 - 1986 Cal decott Tunnel on April 2, 1986 Office of County Adminis1-rator On April 8, 1986, at the request of Supervisor McPeak, the Board of Supervisors requested a report from the Administrator/Public Works Director regarding an apparent lack of communication on responding to this spill . Upon checking with representatives of the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans, my staff obtained the following information. The spill occurred in the westbound traffic lanes on State Route 24 on the Contra Costa side of the tunnel during the P.M. commute hour. The spill was located between the Fish Ranch Road off-ramp and the tunnel bore, however, it was within the response area of the Oakland office of the Highway Patrol . Oakland CHP and a crew from the Caltrans maintenance yard in Walnut Creek responded to this spill . At the same time a newly formed Caltrans response team was dispatched from San Francisco. The Caltrans maintenance crew on the scene determined that they were not able to handle the spill clean up and they requested the Caltrans communication center located at the Caldecott Tunnel to call the I.T. Corp in Martinez. Caltrans communication personnel were aware that the newly formed Major Incident Response Team was enroute from San Francisco to the spill site and they decided not to call the I.T. Corp. until the response team arrived to evaluate the condition. Unfortunately, the Caltrans and CHP personnel on the scene were not notified that the call to I.T. Corp. was not made. After a lengthy period of time, the Caltrans maintenance and CHP personnel at the spill site determined that the clean up crew from I.T. Corp was not enroute and the Caltrans communications personnel were requested to, and did make, the necessary call to I.T. Corp. The I .T. Corp. response was further delayed by the traffic congestion created by the spill and compounded by a vehicle fire that occurred in the westbound lanes of Highway 24 near the Orinda Crossroads . Additionally the California Highway Patrol supervisor on the scene failed to provide direction and/or assistance to the I.T. Corp. response team in reaching the spill site. Based on the information my staff obtained, it is obvious that the delay in getting this particular spill cleaned up was primarily due to a breakdown in communications between the personnel at the spill site and the Caltrans Communications Center. This breakdown in communications appears to have been partially due to a new Multi Phase Program being instituted by Caltrans for Major Incident Response and the lack of familiarity by the Caltrans communications personnel with the function/responsibility of the newly formed response team. y • ♦ w The failure of the California Highway Patrol supervisor to provide direction/assistance to the responding I.T. Corp. Team compounded the delay in cleaning up the spill site. My staff has informed me that both the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans have not taken this matter lightly. They have thoroughly reviewed the problems they encountered and have taken steps to prevent a reoccurrence of these problems. JMW:LLV:ly Caldecott.t4 cc: Cecil Williams, Director of Emergency Services Jeanne Magilio, Clerk of the Board M. Shiu, Road Engineering Dee Heisch, Referral