At last, the hoods are here. Maybe now some folks in Calhoun County can breathe easier. Training in the use of protective hooding began last week at the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Plan’s Training and Distribution Center at McClellan, marking a significant step forward as we prepare for the disposal of deadly chemical weapons.
The procurement of the hoods and the training in their use had been the source of political wrangling and bureaucratic missteps for several months; to see them finally delivered and being handed out marks a major hurdle cleared in the emergency preparedness of this community.
It is also a welcome sign that the eventual start-up of the chemical weapons incinerator later this year is on schedule and that soon the aging stockpile of more than 2,200 tons of nerve and blister agent now stored on the grounds of the Anniston Army Depot will be gone from our midst.
First up for training were those living in the pink zone, county residents who reside in the stockpile’s backyard, yet before long some 22,000 adult protective hoods will be issued, along with 750 infant hoods, 40,000 shelter-in-place kits and 20,000 air filters. As County Commission chairman James A. “Pappy” Dunn said, “this equipment is a vaild part of giving maximum protection to the citizens.”
Another part of preparedness and protection resides in the Army’s responsibility to alert the public when potential problems are found to be existent in the disposal process.
Such was the case last week when an unusual chemical reaction involving VX agent and water occurred in a holding tank at the chemical weapons incinerator in Tooele, Utah, forcing an immediate suspension of operations.
According to officials at the facility, this was a minor incident in which no employee was exposed to chemical agent, nor was any released into the environment.
It is fortunate that the problem was taken care of promptly and that no harm was done. It is also important that Army officials informed the public about the matter, regardless of its severity.
Indeed, as plans are made to start up the chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston later this year, it is critical that officials are reminded of the importance of keeping the public notified about what’s going on. It is unfortunate that the spokesperson at the Tooele site used the term “minutiae” to describe the public notice of the incident.
Here’s a news flash for those operating the chemical weapons disposal facilities here and around the nation: When it comes to getting rid of deadly munitions that carry the lethality of VX, GB or mustard, there is nothing minute or unimportant about any incident or accident that may take place in the process. The spokesperson was wrong to use this terminology, but right when she admitted that the public has a right to know what’s going on. The Army and those involved in the nation’s demil program should never forget this.
