Chemical spill drill critical for first responders, phone providers to gain experience in worst-case scenarios
Rocket fuel transported on Interstate 40 made its way into Lake Crabtree on Tuesday morning, impacting businesses and people.
Fortunately, it wasn't accidental, but rather a drill as a chemical spill simulation took place in Cary.
This scenario is part of mandatory training for Verizon’s emergency response team. You might ask what does Verizon have to do with a chemical spill?
It all starts with your phone. In an emergency, the phone serves as a lifeline and so their team needs to go into hazardous or disastrous situations to restore phone and internet service.
In this drill, rocket fuel being transported on I-40 leaked into Lake Crabtree, which contains water that is near homes and businesses.
When fuel is mixed with water, rocket fuel can be caustic.
A similar situation occurred In October of 2006 in Apex after an explosion and fire at a hazardous waste facility. When the Environmental Quality Industrial Services facility erupted into a fireball, town officials ordered about 17,000 people to evacuate because they feared that toxic chemicals were in the plume of smoke that spread over Apex.
On Tuesday, the Cary Fire Department worked with Verizon's first response team as they suited up in HAZMAT gear, treating it like a real-life scenario. Employees were evacuated out of a nearby building, testing the air quality for safety. Air filters were changed to make sure everyone was safe and that they have access to loved ones wondering about their safety.
"That cell phone call you are making travels thousands of miles through fiber optic cables, goes through cell stations, goes through swtiches, routers, it's a very large network," said Verizon Emergency Response team representative Mark Paff. "A lot of that is susceptible to damage, like a storm, hurricane or tornado."
The 70 members part of this specialized response team protects network assets and facilities during natural disasters and hazardous incidents. This drill is part of 80 hours of their yearly training.
