(The Contra Costa Times posted the following story by Tom Lochner on its website on August 13.)
CONTRA COSTA, Calif. — Many transit agencies are not routinely notified of refinery emergencies, a fact highlighted when an Amtrak train unloaded passengers in Richmond on Saturday night in the midst of a shelter-in-place alert prompted by a gas release at the Chevron Richmond refinery.
BART learned of Saturday’s problem when its Richmond yard workers heard the community warning sirens. Golden Gate Transit stopped service on its line through Richmond, but has no record of getting a warning call.
AC Transit stopped service after being advised of the problem by the Contra Costa Sheriff’s office, which provides security for the bus district under contract.
Health and transportation officials called Tuesday for a makeover of their communications protocols.
“We need to communicate more effectively with other agencies,” said Contra Costa County hazardous materials specialist Paul Andrews.
On Monday, county health and Richmond public safety dispatch officials each said it was the other’s responsibility to alert agencies such as Amtrak.
Amtrak officials said on Tuesday they were researching the event and could not say if anyone at the agency knew of the alert.
“It’s not a matter of casting blame but to make sure that every jurisdiction understands its role and responsibility,” said county Supervisor John Gioia.
“This is an issue that goes beyond Richmond. It affects every jurisdiction in the county.”
The release of hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs, prompted county health officials to sound sirens around 9:15 p.m. Saturday in San Pablo, North Richmond and parts of Richmond, warning people to stay indoors, close windows and shut off air conditioners, even though, Andrews said, “there was never an acute threat to public health.”
An employee at BART’s Richmond yard heard a siren, prompting the agency to close its Richmond station, which it shares with Amtrak, said BART Police Lt. Pamela Cherry. She could find no record of any call from an outside agency informing BART of the alert.
Shortly after 10 p.m., Amtrak train No. 751 from Sacramento stopped at the partially darkened Richmond station. About a dozen passengers detrained but found the stairway to the station lobby blocked by a gate. A few exited the station by climbing over a fence or a wall.
A short time later, another southbound Amtrak train pulled into the station, its conductor also unaware of the alert, according to Margery Woodard, 74 of North Richmond, a passenger of the earlier train.
Several of the passengers of the first train got on the second train, which proceeded to Emeryville, Woodard said. Three, including Woodard, waited behind until BART Police arrived around 11 p.m. and escorted them out.
AC Transit, which runs numerous buses in the greater Richmond area, learned of the alert from the county Sheriff’s Office and promptly cut service, said AC Transit spokesman Jaimie Levin.
Golden Gate Transit canceled service at 9:15 p.m. on its No. 42 bus line, which runs between San Rafael and El Cerrito Del Norte BART via downtown Richmond, said spokeswoman Amorette Ko.
Ko did not know who informed Golden Gate Transit of the alert. “It could have been one of our drivers,” she said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has a transportation response plan with a communications protocol, but only for regional emergencies such as earthquakes, said program coordinator Nancy Okasaki.
“The Richmond situation was very localized; they have their own siren system,” Okasaki said. Nevertheless, she plans to bring up Saturday’s event at an upcoming steering committee meeting of various transportation agencies.