Better security urged for ammonia pipeline

A task force also assesses the response of local agencies to the breach in November.

By NICOLE HUTCHESON and ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times Staff Writers
Published January 18, 2008

Ammonia gas leaked into the air from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14 after a 16-year-old boy drilled into an exposed portion of a 30-mile-long anhydrous pipeline that extends over the Alafia River. About 300 people were evacuated and schools were closed down while the pipe was repaired.
	[Skip O'Rourke | Times (2007)]

TAMPA -- Local agencies have urged Tampa Pipeline to beef up security efforts, and critically evaluated their own response to a pipeline breach that released toxic ammonia gas and forced hundreds to evacuate an east Hillsborough neighborhood,

The findings are part of a report released Thursday by a government task force.

The company says it has already begun putting some of the recommendations into place. On Monday, workers finished encasing the exposed parts of the pipeline, covering a portion of a 6-inch pipe with another layer, a 10-inch pipe, said company spokesman Glenn Howell. The company hopes that will prevent anyone else from breaking into the pipe again.

The gas leaked out from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14. Authorities say a 16-year-old boy drilled into a section of the 30-mile-long anhydrous ammonia pipeline at a point where it crosses the Alafia River. He told them he thought it contained money.

Heavy winds blew the contaminated air toward the northwest, prompting Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to evacuate about 300 people, close schools, shut down roads and call in experts to seal off the pipe.

Emergency officials also used reverse 911 to notify 3,659 households of the danger.

The teen suffered chemical burns on almost 20 percent of his body when a blast of deadly gas hit him as the drill broke through the pipe.

Within days of the accident, emergency officials convened a task force to review how the 28 government agencies, companies and organizations responded to the hazardous breach.

Miscommunication

Their actions came into question after reports of miscommunication surfaced between county agencies and fire and rescue officials.

Despite some problems, the after-action report praised emergency officials for rapidly sealing off the danger area, setting up a unified command, quickly evacuating residents, effectively controlling traffic, ensuring the safety of their own workers and minimizing environmental damage.

The resulting report outlined some critical areas of improvement. Among them, the government needs better communication between agencies, more manpower for traffic control, and better methods of getting information to the public quickly.

The assessment says Tampa Pipeline needs to boost security along the pipeline, provide training and equipment for emergency personnel, and give emergency officials more detailed maps and information about the pipe routes and safety valves.

"It was decided that it would be very helpful for everyone to have the same level of detail on our maps as Tampa Pipeline," said Holley Wade, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Emergency Management. "The more information you have, the better decisions you can make."

Howell, the spokesman for Tampa Pipeline, said the company has been working over the last several weeks to adopt the task force's recommendations.

In addition to the protective shell for the pipeline, the examination of the pipeline has been completed, he said. It was performed by outside agencies, who assessed the pipeline system. Those results are not a public record because of security reasons, he said.

More training needed

If emergency crews are needed again at the pipeline, they will have the training to work on the line, Howell said.

On Feb. 7, he's meeting with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Fire Rescue to organize training sessions.

"Then, we will know that they know what they're doing as well," he said. "I can't just let anybody go out there and work on my pipeline. I mean, the more knowledge that we have from both sides, the better off we'll be."

Still to be resolved is the issue of complete and detailed maps of the pipeline for the Hillsborough Fire Rescue.

That was supposed to have happened in January 2007, 10 months before the pipeline leak, according to Howell, who cited an e-mail he received to that effect.He said he thought the Sheriff's Office was to provide the maps to Fire Rescue, but apparently that didn't happen.

Also unsettled is the fate of the 16-year-old who allegedly punctured the pipeline.

The boy, whose name has not been released by authorities, has returned to school at the start of 2008, his family's attorney, Morris "Sandy" Weinberg Jr., said Thursday.

"He's doing much better," said Weinberg. "He was hurt really badly, but he was really fortunate."

The Sheriff's Office has turned its investigation over to prosecutors, who have not yet decided whether charges will be filed, said Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi. She declined to comment further.

In conclusion, the report praises the overall safety record of pipelines.

"Pipelines still, despite these two intentional acts, remain the safest way to transport hazardous substances," Wade said.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3373. Nicole Hutcheson can be reached at nhutcheson@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8828.

FAST FACTS: What needs to be done

The after-action report on November's ammonia leak in pointed out the need for some improvement, including:

• Tampa Pipeline should provide detailed maps of the pipeline to all agencies involved in emergency response, add more shutoff valves to isolate breaches, cover exposed pipes to make them less vulnerable.
• Agencies should communicate with the public and media more swiftly and efficiently. The report recommended getting help from the Hillsborough County Communications Department in such emergencies.
• Law Enforcement should call in reinforcements to avoid straining the personnel, as happened to the Hillsborough County Sheriff Office. Public Works employees could assist, for instance.
• Have the emergency officials update list of critical facilities in close proximity of the pipelines.

[Last modified January 18, 2008, 02:05:35]