Leak detectors on way to Depot area

This story was published Wed, Jan 27, 1999

By Terry Hudson
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Some of the newest, most technically advanced leak detectors for chemical weapons soon will be on the way to counties near the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

An agreement to send 33 Improved Chemical Agent Monitors (ICAMs) was completed Tuesday morning, allowing for the first 10 units to be shipped Sunday from Aberdeen, Md. Another 10 should be sent by Feb. 15, and a final shipment of 13 should be sent by the end of February.

Umatilla and Morrow counties, and Benton County across the river in Washington, are expected to receive 10 each, with the depot keeping three. Each unit costs about $5,000.

Under the agreement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided the money to the Army through the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, and the Army then went out and bought the ICAMs.

Lt. Col. Martin Jacoby, commander of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, said his command also is responsible for distributing and maintaining the ICAMs, as well as training firefighting and emergency crews who will use them.

"This has really been the best team effort that we've seen around here for a long time," Jacoby said. "The agreement allows us to get the ICAMs in the hands of (emergency workers) quicker. This has been a real high point in the 18 months that I've been here. It's been a team effort between the counties, state and the Army."

Phil Ferguson is the chief of the laboratory support division at the depot and is responsible for training local firefighters with the ICAMs.

The ICAMs are able to detect nerve and mustard agent vapors in concentrations as low as a few parts per billion, Ferguson said.

"The ICAM responds to nerve and mustard agent vapors to the lowest concentration that can affect personnel over time," Ferguson said. "It works similar to a smoke detector. It draws in an air sample and gives a reading with a series of lights."

The detectors will be placed at fire stations in the three counties, so firefighters and medics can have immediate access.

"These are extremely easy to operate; we train 18-year-old kids every day in the Army," Ferguson said. "They're very durable and made for field use."

About 12 percent of the nation's supply of chemical warfare agents are stored in special bunkers at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Emergency workers in the three counties will be the first civilians to get the sophisticated equipment.

"The intention all along was for us to set the standard," Jacoby said. "There is every indication that this program will then be exported to the other sites.

"These are brand new, updated pieces of equipment. Most of the Army doesn't have these yet. We'll get some of the very first ones, even before some of our soldiers. It really speaks to the commitment FEMA has for this community and this equipment."

The ICAM is an upgraded version of the current Chemical Agent Monitor - a hand-held, device that soldiers would use after a chemical attack.

"This is a major milestone for the Army, FEMA, emergency management, the health division and the communities surrounding the depot," said Meg Capps, a CSEPP spokeswoman for Umatilla County. "Our county commissioners and CSEPP officials are very pleased with the efforts the many agencies brought to this project."

Tom Johnson, the assistant administrator for the Oregon Health Division, said the initial plan is to distribute the ICAMs to emergency workers after a training period at the depot, probably starting with the Hermiston Fire Department.

 

Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.