(The following report by Edward Lawrence appeared on the KLASS-TV.com website on August 30.)
LAS VEGAS — Reaction and the fallout from Wednesday’s runaway railcar containing the deadly chemical chlorine has come from just about everywhere. From changes the city of Las Vegas will make, to how the Clark County HAZMAT team could respond to a chlorine leak.
The railcar coasted freely from south of Blue Diamond to North Las Vegas. The scariest thing for HAZMAT experts who looked at this incident is how close the railcar came to a lot of people.
The track took it right behind the Mirage, Treasure Island, Fashion Show Mall, and Circus Circus. The runaway car went as fast as 55 miles-per-hour past the Clark County Government Center and downtown Las Vegas.
That angered the mayor and left HAZMAT fire crews pondering what if. The runaway railcar looked harmless enough as it sat in North Las Vegas Wednesday. Union Pacific workers threw wood boards under the tires to stop the car.
But this sight angered Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. “I think it’s outrageous,” he said. Mayor Goodman says the railroad never called his office about the incident. He first heard about it from new reports.
In response, the mayor never wants to be blindsided by a runaway car again. He says he will amend a city ordinance so the railroad must notify authorities before chlorine or any toxic chemical will be shipped through the city.
“Cities need to be notified to be prepared to meet these kinds of potential dangers with HAZMAT facilities,” said Goodman.
The uncontrolled car sped past hundreds of thousands of people not only downtown, but also on the Las Vegas Strip. A leak or crash could have been disastrous in that stretch of track.
“What we try to do is prepare ourselves,” said Richard Brenner, Clark County HAZMAT Coordinator.
Clark County HAZMAT crews say they would have been ready because of specialized training using replicas of the tank car’s lid, which is where most of the leaks happen when transporting chlorine.
So the Clark County crews have valve caps. With any leak near the large hotels, HAZMAT coordinator Richard Brenner says he would have kept people inside and had the ventilation system shut off because chlorine dissipates in the wind.
“It’s going to try to escape. It’s going to try to go up in the environment. That is what we want it to do. We don’t want to put people out in that environment,” said Brenner.
Had there been a crash or leak in the side of the tank, HAZMAT crews have a giant bag to throw over the car and trap any chlorine gas.
Senator Harry Reid released the following statement:
“The incident involving a runaway railcar yesterday is just the latest example of the serious danger that Yucca Mountain poses to Nevada and the rest of the nation. Railways go directly through the heart of Las Vegas and many other cities and towns across America. They travel past our schools, our businesses and our homes. Fortunately, yesterday’s railcar was stopped without incident and without the release of the dangerous chemicals it was carrying. However, this incident brought to light the very real threat we face if the DOE begins to transport nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. That is why I will continue to leverage my leadership position in the Senate to ensure the dump is never built.”