Abstract:

In 1977 the Disaster Research Center (DRC) initiated a four year study which examined organizational preparedness for sudden dangers involving hazardous chemicals in 19 American communities, and organizational responses in 26 major chemical emergencies.  Additional field work has been done on later disasters with the last being the liquefied gas explosion in Mexico City in 1984 and a phosphorus spill from a train derailment in Dayton, Ohio in 1986.  Out of the large body of data quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed in this research, we selectively focus in this report primarily on what we learned about factors affecting first responders in emergencies solel% involving the transportation of hazardous chemicals.  We especially discuss differences in initial response patterns to fixed sites and in-transit chemical emergencies.

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