Evaluation of emergency preparedness for hazardous materials transport

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Evaluation of emergency preparedness for hazardous materials transport

Parentela, E.M. / Sathisan, S.K.

This paper presents a methodology for evaluating emergency preparedness for hazardous materials transportation. Emergency preparedness is measured in terms of response times, number of response units, and capabilities of initial responders. The first responder to an accident could be the police, highway patrol, ambulance, or fire units. The analysis involves identification of emergency response units, and their locations, determination of service zones, and evaluation of response capability. Knowledge of the capability of the response units is useful not only for evaluating units requiring capability upgrade but more importantly, for identifying specialized units for deployment. An analytical tool using a Geographic Information System (GIS) programming environment is presented to evaluate emergency preparedness. An example analysis for Clark County, Nevada, U.S.A. is presented in this paper. Results of the analysis permit development of strategies for allocation of resources such as establishing locations for new response units, improving the capabilities of existing ones, and providing mobile stations at critical areas.