Wallan Tanker RolloverHume Highway – 27/6/12Incident and Emergency Management

Peter CreakOperations Manager –

District 12Country Fire Authority

Overview

• Background• Incident and Emergency Management• Advice and Warnings• Social Media – Public Expectations• Lessons

Background

• Hume Highway - Northbound• Wallan Approx – 60km North of Melbourne• Close to BP Service Centre• Approx 6.20pm• B Double Fuel Tanker vs Ute• Fuel – Petrol and Diesel (both leaking)

Incident Management

• Complexity and potential– Road Closures (Service centres)– Public Information– Fuel drainage and recovery (missing fuel)– Potential for pollution

• Level 2 Incident Management Team at Wallan• Intense interest• New shift commenced 0400hrs

Emergency Management

• Victoria’s EM arrangements• Control Agency – Different Incidents• Managing the consequences• Emergency Management Team• Working with all agencies– Police, VicRoads, Municipality, EPA, CFA, SES, ISS

First Response

Information and Warnings

• The new era – post Royal Commission• Bushfire principles applied to all emergencies• Templates for Bushfire, Structure and Hazmat• Early advice via VicRoads Website• Emergency alert and Watch and Act message

delivered

Emergency Alert

• 4352 Text messages delivered

Social Media

• Facebook and twitter presence - warnings• Twitter Tweet: Just got an automatated CFA

message in the phone, chemical spill on the Hume in Wallan, keep clear, close all windows and stay inside #yikes

• Facebook: Jannice Richardson Congratulations to all members of CFA and SES for their diligent work through the night to help avoid a fireball. xx

Social Media

• Myth Busting:– Fireball report - BREAKING #victoria NEWS Sounds

like a #fire ball on the Hume Freeway at #wallan after Tanker Crash with 40,000 L of #petrol #victraffic #vic

– CFA correction - @timbocrew @AUtoday at this stage, no fire at Wallan fuel tanker rollover

Lessons

• Complex drainage. Plans don’t always exist• Get IMT Structure right early• Work closely with Emergency Management

Team• Complexity and Duration – Work closely with

clean up contractor• Social Media is a very valuable tool