On Tuesday June 3rd first responders & partner agencies from around Medina County participated in an exercise involving an incident with the Nexus Pipeline. Each year the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the Medina County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) are required by law to host an exercise involving hazardous materials. This year’s exercise included 28 participants and 6 evaluators.
The exercise was a discussion-based tabletop exercise. The scenario included an explosion and resulting fire involving the Nexus Pipeline. Responders discussed how multiple agencies would respond and work together to mitigate the incident. Because sheltering capability was one of the testing criteria this year, , the process to evacuate and shelter residents in the County Home was also discussed. By discussing a response to a disaster in advance, responders are better prepared to respond if an actual disaster does occur.
This year 4 separate objectives were evaluated: Incident Command, Incident Assessment, Initial Notification of Response Agencies, and Shelter Management. Each objective is evaluated based on a set of established criteria. The evaluators determined that the required criteria was met to pass each objective. Ohio EMA staff will complete a final report on the exercise for approval by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC).
Typically, exercises are based on transportation or fixed facility emergencies. The process to conduct an exercise on a pipeline started 3 years ago. After an official request was submitted by the LEPC, and a public comment period elapsed, the SERC approved the Nexus Pipeline to “be under the plan for exercise purposes” for this 4-year exercise cycle. This approval allowed the exercise involving the pipeline to be conducted and exercise received credit from the SERC.
The following partners participated in the exercise.
- Lafayette Township Fire Department
- Seville-Guilford Fire Department
- Medina Police Department
- Medina County Sheriff’s Office
- Medina County Hazmat Team
- Medina County EMA
- Ohio EPA
- Cleveland Clinic Medina/Medina Life Support Team
- Red Cross
- Medina County Home
- Medina County Health Department
- Medina County Loss Control/Risk Management