EXPLOSION EMERGENCY RESPONSE Quick Action from Emergency Responders May Have Averted Bigger Disaster
Reported by: Deborah Linz
Videographer: Matt Durrett
Web Producer: Deborah Linz
Reported: Dec. 12, 2012 5:07 PM EST
Updated: Dec. 12, 2012 7:05 PM EST
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Sissonville
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The response to the gas explosion was quick and effective. Within minutes hundreds of emergency responders from multiple agencies were on the scene. Dozens of calls flooded metro 911 immediately after the explosion as panicked residents and emergency responders all tried to figure out what was happening in Sissonville.
At 12:41 Tuesday afternoon the calls began pouring into Metro 911
And within minutes Metro 911 began dispatching numerous agencies.
Quick response from Sissonville's fire chief may have averted a much worse disaster. He knew exactly which gas line exploded and which gas company was responsible. Metro called Columbia Gas immediately.
According the Deputy Director of Kanawha County Emergency Management, "Minutes after the call was made you could he the gas subside a little bit."
But no time to wait, hundreds of emergency responders from 30 different agencies flooded the area, checking on possible injuries or deaths and securing the area should another pipeline explode.
63 Firefighters responded, 30 EMS workers, dozens of state police along with representatives from the DEP, Fire Marshal, even the Division of Forestry.
And how about the DOT, repairing 800 feet of scorched asphalt in just hours overnight? Sigman says, "And to do it as fast as they did, we were impressed."
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Deborah Linz
