Teachers urge depot burn delay

This story was published Thur, May 23, 2002

By Karen Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

IRRIGON -- Claiming their school isn't ready for a nerve agent disaster, teachers at A.C. Houghton Elementary School are urging Gov. John Kitzhaber to postpone permission to burn the aging chemicals stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

"We just want to make sure no one is at risk. And we don't want to be in a situation where somebody wished they'd said something and they didn't," said Johnna Shimp-Jones, a teachers union representative and a first-grade teacher at A.C. Houghton.

Hers is one of the eight signatures -- about half the school's teaching staff -- on the May 16 letter.

The one-page letter reads: "We ... do not feel that the procedures currently in place for the gas evacuation safety of our students and staff is sufficient to keep us safe."

The Army had planned to start burning tests with special solvents Saturday, with burning of the 3,717 tons of VX, Sarin and mustard agent to begin in February.

But a problem with the emissions monitoring system of the liquid incinerator delayed that timetable. And Army spokeswoman Mary Binder said no new date has been set for the test burns.

"We don't know if the problem with the system is in the hardware or the software or some other technical problem," Binder explained.

She said a team of experts is trying to identify and fix the problem before it can begin the burning tests.

However, even if that problem gets fixed, Kitzhaber still hasn't given the Army his permission. And it's not clear when he will, said Chris Dearth, environmental project director for the governor's Natural Resource Office.

"I can't give a date. The governor is going to consider all the information he has and get answers to all the questions that need to be answered first," Dearth said.

Kitzhaber has pledged he will not give the Army permission until he's sure the communities surrounding the depot are safe. And he is giving the teachers' concerns serious consideration, Dearth said.

"As with all concerns regarding the depot, the governor takes this very seriously. He's asked me to work to resolve these concerns," Dearth said.

Dearth said the governor is especially concerned about the Houghton letter because the complaints involve the welfare of children.

"Obviously the safety of kids in school is very important to him," Dearth said.

The teachers' letter noted that during the last depot drill the alternative school students -- located more than a mile from A.C. Houghton -- were given enough advance notice to allow them to arrive at the school's safety room before anyone else. The teachers contend that's not something that would happen in a real depot accident.

Also, the teachers worry they would have to open school doors to allow those alternative students inside without knowing whether it's safe or not.

"Why do we not have a gas monitor outside the door...? This has been discussed and requested by our staff, but nothing has resulted," the teachers complained.

They ended the letter with a plea: "Please address these concerns before you sign the permission to begin burning. Sometimes it is important to talk to everyone, not just the people in charge. We have lives at stake here and are truly concerned."

Principal John Sebastian said he appreciates the staff's concerns but doesn't agree with them. He said the majority of the school's drills have been successful.

"I think they've made a mountain out of a molehill. We've shown time and time again that we can get everybody in the gym in 3 1/2 minutes," Plenty of time to keep kids safe, Sebastian said.

Irrigon resident Floyd Harris has a grandson in school, and he's not worried one bit.

"I think any teacher who says we aren't ready ought to be kicked in the butt. We ought to get rid of this stuff," Harris said, referring to the need to start disposing of the aging chemicals before serious leaks and accidents occur.

Michelle Jung sees kids daily at her job at the Irrigon Clinic. She's proud of the teachers for speaking up.

"I think it's admirable. It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security. .... If those teachers think there really is a safety problem, good for them for saying so," Jung said.

 

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