Edison, N.J. Pipeline Explosion & MCI 3/23/94 to 3/27/94 The following is an account of the natural gas pipeline explosion that occurred the night of March 23, 1994, in Edison, NJ. It details the public safety response over a four day stretch, including police, fire, and EMS. It is comprised of eyewitness accounts, staff reports, and Emergency Management information. It should not be construed as official or public information. The account forthwith is divided into 4 segments...PHASE #1-initial response & evacuation; PHASE #2-defense & assessment; PHASE #3-search and recovery; and PHASE #4-investigation & demobilization. During each phase presentation, info will be given on the activities of each public safety sector, along with a general narrative. Information contained includes operations, command & control, mobilization, communication, and logistics. Specific info will be given on EMS, as that is the sector I am associated with. Fire Apparatus info may be forthcoming... I will keep you posted. Any questions regarding this or other information should be directed to Dan Januseski, Edison Squad #2. It should be noted that while operations were wrapped up on the 27th, the investigation and removal of the pipe continues today... BACKGROUND It would be helpful at this time to point out some information regarding the setup of public safety in and around Edison Township. Edison is located in the eastern portion of Middlesex County, NJ, along the Raritan River. It has a population of roughly 94,000 inhabitants, spread over 32 sq mi. It is one of 26 municipalities in Middlesex County, second in size only to Woodbridge, and sixth largest in the state. Like most of NJ, the fire and EMS services are largely volunteer, with the exceptions being the large urban regions such as Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Irvington, Paterson, and Camden. New Brunswick, the county seat, maintains the only full time paid fire and EMS divisions in the county, and Monroe Township has paid providers during the daytime. Mutual Aid is heavily relied upon. Edison is serviced by a 180-member police force, including a patrol division, juvenile bureau, ballistics, narcotics, a mobile crime lab, and the Emergency Response Team ("ERT" - S.W.A.T.). The fire service consists of a 117-man paid department, and five volunteer departments. They are spread over 6 stations, consisting of 12 engine companies, 2 truck companies, 1 rescue company, and special units such as a Fieldcom/Command Center, 2 special ops/tactical units, brush truck, and a number of officer vehicles. Each station houses 2 engine companies, one paid and one volunteer, and one truck company each in the north and south ends, both paid. There are five fire precincts, with a duty captain in the southern 2 areas (Car 8), and one in the three northern areas (Car 7). EMS is handles by three volunteer rescue squads, each covering a southern, northern, and eastern EMS district. Each squad has a series of line officers, with the captain as head. Three BLS units are housed in each station, with squad #2 (northern area) equipped with defibrillators. Crews average 2 EMT-As, and sometimes have 2 additional CPR attendants. Daytime response is by radio pager; night crews sleep in the station, with 1 crew minimum on call, up to three full crews. The truck companies handle high-angle rescue in the town, and technical rescue (confined space, trench, etc.) is handled by the Fire-Rescue unit. Fire-Rescue also acts as an EMS first response unit during the day, and is always manned by paid personnel. All vehicle rescue is done by EMS, with each squad manning an EMS-Rescue unit. All three trucks are equipped for moderate to heavy rescue, including full sets of air tools and hydraulics. EMS-Rescue 2/Squad #2 is also equipped for Mass Casualty Response, with an oxygen cascade, military-type stretchers, backboards with disposable collars & CIDs, and trauma kits and trunks. Extensive communications is also on board, for communication anywhere in the county. Additionally, Squad #1 (southern area) maintains 2 rescue boats and a small communications vehicle. ALS is handled by hospital based MICUs, which are dispatched by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - MEDCENTRAL in New Brunswick, under the EMS department. MEDCENTRAL is the regional EMS communications center for Middlesex and Somerset counties, handling 9 ALS units (7 in Middlesex, 2 in Sommerset) and 1 BLS in the City of New Brunswick. Edison is covered by Mercy 9 - MICU out of John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison. All ALS units run with 2 MICP crews with volunteer EMT drivers. MEDCENTRAL maintains 4 VHF channel, called JEMS 1,2,3 & 4. JEMS 1 is the county ALS dispatch; JEMS 2 is the NJ statewide H.E.A.R. (Ambulance-to-Hospital) DTMF radio system; JEMS 3 is a countywide EMS tactical channel; and JEMS 4 is also known as SPEN 4 (State Police Network), the NJ State Disaster Net. As usually, all telemetry med-channels are maintained, along with channels to New Brunswick PD and fire. Air-Medical Transport is maintained by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, under the JEMSTAR program. There are two helicopters in service, NORTHSTAR and SOUTHSTAR, with one backup. They are NJ State Police units and pilots, with the medical team provided by the University. NORTHSTAR is based at UMDNJ-Newark hospital, and SOUTHSTAR at UMDNJ_Cooper Med. Center in Camden. Support facilities include RWJUH in New Brunswick (Level I Trauma Center), and St. Barnabas Med. Center in Livingston (State Burn Center). Edison communications originate from a dispatch center at the Municipal Building. It functions as an E-9-1-1 PSAP, and dispatch for PD, fire, and BLS. All services primary dispatch is on UHF with repeaters (3 separate channels). There is a county fire mutual aid channel on VHF-lo (33.820 Mhz.), and a fireground simplex channel on UHF. A tactical EMS frequency exists on VHF-hi (155.1600 Mhz.) All Middlesex county local PDs, the County PD, NJSP-Edison Barracks, and Middlesex County College Police are also all tied together by a UHF "Hotline", also known as the county chase channel, for quick relay of felony crime information or hot pursuits. Middlesex County also maintains and Emergency Management Office, with separate fire and EMS divisions, as well as a county HazMat team. OEM recently put together several county "task forces" and "strike teams", to deal with situations such as this incident. The EMS coordinator, from RWJUH, works in conjunction with the New Jersey State First Aid Council (Volunteer squad council) 14th District Mobilization chairman, which serves Middlesex, in obtaining BLS and ALS units, and ensuring adequate coverage of all involved localities. PHASE 1: Initial Response Approx. 2358, 3/23/94 Leaking natural gas from a Texas Eastern Pipeline Co. pipeline reaches atmosphere and de-pressurizes, causing an explosion ripping apart nearly 80 ft. of pipe, and sending debris flying over 3/4 mi. in all directions. The explosion is sufficient to knock sleeping residents of the Durham Woods apartment complex out of their beds and shatter windows. The rupture was felt as far away as Reading Pa. and Long Island, NY. Awakened and stunned, residents of the nearby blgds. 19-26 began to realize the explosion and hastily leave their apartments. Some realize the imminent danger, and are convinced of their fate. Meanwhile, reports to 9-1-1 start to arrive concerning "a loud explosion somewhere in South Edison". Within 3 minutes, a spark from flying debris, static electricity, or whatever, ignites the escaping gas. A blow torch of extremely hot flames (1500-2000 *F) some 600 ft. high and 200 yards across now exists. Winds are pushing the flames towards the apartments. The ignition is witnessed simultaneously by both Edison and Piscataway Twp. police units. It is unclear as to the location of the source. Numerous 9-1-1 calls are now clogging the system, as police units follow the glow to the source. Residents of the nearby buildings are now fleeing with whatever they have on their backs, some being burned from behind by the intense heat. Residents in other buildings now start to awaken. 0007 hrs., 3/24/94 The first fire units are dispatched on report of "large explosion with flames". Engine 4, Engine 11, Truck 1, Fire-Rescue, and Car 8 (So. Districts Duty Captain) respond to the entrance of Durham Woods, as per PD on scene. Upon sight of the situation, Capt. Montanye (Car 8) immediately calls for a second and third alarms, "involving multiple structures". Also arriving on scene are numerous PD units from Edison, Metuchen, and Piscataway, along with Edison Mayor George Spadoro, who along with Fire-Rescue are banging on apartment doors in order to alert and evacuate residents. Within 9 minutes of the initial blast, 4 structures are already involved, products of spontaneous combustion due to radiant heat. Ambient temperature at the Durhams Woods apartment was read to be already 74* F. Hundreds of people are now running away from the blaze, most in bare feet and without any belongings. 0009 hrs. Members of the Edison First Aid and Rescue Squad #1 are in the rig bays talking, when a glow in the sky is noticed (180* from the origin), and a low rumble is heard. Upon looking out front, the fireball is seen. Dispatch is immediately advised and two ambulances are dispatched, A-4 and A-7, with crew chief Elaine Kilijanski on A-4. The EMS duty officer, Lt. Jeff Klein, is notified. The units respond up to Durham Woods, where they are kept at the entrance by PD. Kilijanski radios back to the station describing the scene, and advises the call person in-house to alert all the rescue team members and retrieve the disaster trunks from storage. Fire-Rescue advises A-7 that an injured man is running out of the complex. In fact, the crew "tackles" the man as he emerges from the entrance, to find he has a possible compound fracture of the right leg. The man is immediately secured to a backboard and removed to the rig, as the intense heat invalidates any chance of careful splinting on scene. At just after midnight, I was preparing to leave my girlfriend's home in South Edison, when a sound "like a low flying jet plane" caught my attention and shook the table in the basement. Assuming it was a plane, I thought nothing of it, until the sound did not diminish as it should have. As I looked out the back door (which faces directly away from the origin), I saw the treetops "glowing". I yelled that something on the nearby NJ Turnpike must have crashed and exploded. I ran to the front door to get a better look, and noticed the flames for the first time. Even from 3.5 mi. away, the fire appeared to be just down the street. This, in fact, is why so many calls were made to 9-1-1. Simultaneously, Squad #2 in the north district received a call on the business line that a house on Peru St. was on fire. Upon calling into dispatch, the rig was met with the reply "we are getting calls of numerous explosions all over Edison. Investigate and report". Several callers phoned in saying they were actually watching Menlo Park Mall burning, which is nearly 6 mi. from the actual fire. I immediately called into my station, and was told that the Mobil Chemical Research Center on nearby Rt. 27 had exploded. Most people who called 9-1-1 stated this is what they thought was burning. My girlfriend's pager began to buzz with traffic from the responding squad 1 units, and I ordered my station to arrange 2 BLS and 1 rescue crew to respond, and standby until I could get more information. I paged my Captain, who was working in Princeton, to return to Edison. He was able to see the glow from 32 mi. away. 0014 hrs. Kilijanski at this point order a temporary staging point at the Quick-Check market on the corner of Talmadge Rd. and New Durham. 4 more engines, Truck 2, the North Districts Duty Captain (Car 7), and several volunteer chiefs were now enroute, along with the department chief Albert Lamkie. Also enroute was Lt. Robert Ellmyer, Edison's Emergency Management Coordinator. Upon arrival, he issued the order on behalf of Chief Lamkie to mobilize the county fire response sequence. A call was put out over the Middlesex County Hotline for all towns to assemble fire personnel and PD units and respond to Edison. Woodbridge PD units were already on scene, closing off New Durham Rd. at the I-287 bridge & interchange. Piscataway units did the same at New Durham and New Brooklyn Rds., and Metuchen Closed of Durham and Bridge Sts. NJSP shut down I-287 for 2 miles each way next to the complex. Engines at the interior sector had no choice but to take up defensive postures and wet down surrounding buildings. Now 8 buildings were fully involved, along with numerous cars, as more than 1,000 remaining residents continued to flee. Chief Lamkie quickly advised Kilijanski at this point to move EMS operations at least another 1/2 mi. away, for fear of secondary explosions. The site chosen was the Twin County Grocers parking area, 1/4 mi. down Talmadge Rd. All responding ambulances were to respond there. The FD fieldcom unit was called in, and all volunteer stations put in a general standby alarm. At this point, I was responding to the EMS staging area from Woodbridge Ave. in So. Edison. Along every street, cars and people came out and stopped to stare at the inferno. Traffic was horrendous. Upon approaching Mobil Chemical, I realized that the fire was farther up north. I immediately pulled over and asked for a pay phone. A man took me to his home, where I called my station (the airwaves were jammed) and told them the fire was up near Durham Woods. Radio reports now came over detailing a "pipeline involved". I continued to respond up Rt. 27, with units and volunteers coming from every direction. It began to look like daytime, enough to warrant sunglasses. 0020 hrs. (all times are now approximations) The Command Post is established in front of Metuchen Sports Center on Talmadge Rd., and engine companies begin to arrive. 4 more Edison companies, and 1 each from Metuchen and Highland Park arrive, along with another Aerial from Metuchen. I arrive at the staging are with Squad #1 Asst. Capt. Scott Kaschak and Lt. Klien. I advise him of my standby crews, as he tried to get an update on patients. Information is very slow in coming, mainly because of the sheer size and distances involved. Evacuees ran off in all directions: out the main entrance, eastward along the railroad tracks into Metuchen, and SW towards Talmadge. I again call into Squad #2 by phone, now speaking with Asst, Capt. John Sandor. I told him that a pipeline was indeed involved, along with numerous apartments. Many casualties are expected. I informed to be ready to respond at any moment. Returning to the EMS staging area, Rescue #1 was now arriving with 2 full triage crews. Squad #1 Capt. Don Sommer Sr. arrived at the Command Post, along with Edison Police chief Edward Costello, and a unified command was established. Lt. Klien went to the CP to Asst. Capt. Sommer, and I stayed at EMS staging. Asst. Capt. Kaschak requested 2 more ambulances and Rescue 2 to act as a communications point and for lighting. Rescue #1 was left transporting personnel from Squad #1. While enroute, Squad #2 A-2 and Rescue 2 were diverted by EMS command to the Edison Municipal Garage on Durham Ave., 1.25 mi. east of Durham Woods, to establish a second EMS staging area. 4 more ambulances were requested, along with Rescue 3, and Highland Park Rescue A-18. At this point, MEDCENTRAL was contacted by EMS command advising of the potential casualty situation, and County Emergency management was activated. Calls began to go out from MEDCENTRAL to surrounding towns for BLS standby crew. Mercy 9 and Medic 621 were also dispatched to EMS staging area #1 for ALS. Newark R.E.M.C.S. was contacted, and NORTHTAR as well as Newark MCRU was put on standby. 0029 hrs. Metuchen Dispatch handles a 9-1-1 call that overflows from Edison. A man states that just after the blast, his wife faints from panic and goes into cardiac arrest. He has been dialing 9-1-1 for nearly 30 minutes, with no answer. He has been administering CPR for at least that long. Metuchen takes the call, but one Metuchen ambulance is at the fire ready to transport the first patient from the staging area, and the other rig is out-of-service. Metuchen cannot reach Edison, as all phone lines are still jammed, as are the radios. It is 4 more minutes until the Metuchen unit can respond. Edison finally gets the call at about 0045, and dispatches a Squad #2 unit (the residence is in district #2, about 0.75 mi. from the blast). Upon arrival at 0048 hrs., Metuchen M-6 is already on scene providing CPR. Edison A-10 begins SAED protocol, and is told no ALS unit is available. The patient, a 37 year old female with a history of cardiac myopia, is transported in M-6 with our EMT-D to JFK hospital, where she is pronounced dead. 0035 hrs. Numerous BLS units begin to arrive at Staging #1, and fire units and crews from all over Middlesex County gather at the Pines Manor at Rt. 27 and Talmadge, the Fire Staging Area. The Middlesex County Communications unit arrives at the CP, along with the Deputy Coordinator, and Fire and EMS coordinators. The communications unit takes over as the central dispatch point, with all Fire and EMS calls being processed there. The fire and EMS coordinators, along with the 14th District Mobilization Coordinator, begin to summon out-of-county units to back up towns already involved. It is rumored that an Engine company from the City of Irvington is sent to Fire Station #6 on Rt. 27 north to handle any township fire calls. Upon the arrival of Capt. Frank Nicolato of Squad #2, I leave to join A-2 and Rescue 2 at EMS staging #2. Traffic is still saturated, with people gathering from miles around. I arrive and report to Staging officer Bob Sposato of Squad #1, and act as the Triage Officer. Already 1 patient who was clipped by a car while evacuating is being transported. Rescue 2 chief Bob Hucke and Sq. #2 Asst. Capt. Sandor establish a treatment area with army litters, trauma kits and oxygen, and lights. The request is made for 5 more ambulances to report to Staging 2, along with drinking water. 30+ evacuees have gathered, and they are checked for injuries. 0045 hrs. Texas Eastern Workers arrive at the Linden, NJ pump station and exchange facility, and begin the shut down process. It is reported that at the time of the blast, a noticeable pressure drop was recorded at a Texas Eastern control room in Houston. The drop was recorded and interpreted at a "possible breech" somewhere between Lambertville and Linden. Disaster serves from the American Red Cross and Salvation Army begin to arrive at the CP and set up a canteen. More evacuees under fire dept. guidance make there way to the staging areas, as relief engines go into Durham Woods to continue spraying down adjoining buildings. REACT team members also arrive, assisting in local communication efforts and relief. By this time, fireground communication and tactics were relegated to the Edison Fireground Channel, 462.6125 MHz. Command coordination was on the dispatch channel, 460.5350 Mhz (repeated). Incoming units responded on the county mutual aid channel, 33.8200 Mhz. EMS command and staging remained on Edison EMS Tactical, 155.1600 Mhz., with transportation on 478.7125 Mhz (repeated), the EMS dispatch channel. Responding units used JEMS 4 (153.7850 Mhz.) to call in and out to EMS command. Hospital and medical control was on JEMS 2 (H.E.A.R.) on 155.3400 Mhz. NJSP and Middlesex Co. Sherrif's Dept. are now on scene to assist in crowd control and security. As per the EMS Staging officers, township senior citizen buses are mobilized to transport evacuees to evacuation centers, now being set up at the Clarion Hotel at Talmadge and Rt. 27, and Edison High School, off Old Post Rd. and Blvd. of the Eagles, some 3 miles away. 0100 hrs. Virtually all disaster resources in Edison Twp. are now engaged. Public Utilities are on scene to maintain water pressure and power, and the Edison Road Dept. sets up barricades along all major roadways. Thousands of onlookers are along roadways in all directions, and Edison's auxiliary police force is called in for added security. Traffic on all major roadways in Edison Twp. are backed up with spectators. All surrounding hospitals are notified, and JFK Medical Center, in Edison, is designated the triage and transport point for all wounded, before moving out to secondary hospitals. Off-duty personnel are called in, and stretchers to accommodate up to 150 persons are set up in the hospital cafeteria. E.D. Supervisor Dr. Kevin Gillespie activated the hospital's Disaster Plan, and the ER is closed off. Middlesex County HazMat teams are now on scene, taking air sampling measurements for possible airborne contaminants. I am notified by an EMS officer that about 40-50 more evacuees are standing at the Shell gas station up the road by the I-287 bridge. Iselin Rescue 2 is sent from staging to pick up the people and bring them to staging. As each trip brings in people, they are checked for injuries. Miraculously, only one woman seeks medical attention, for abrasions to both knees during her escape. She is treated but refuses transport. 0115 hrs. The concern now is for hypothermia of the evacuees. Buses begin to arrive at both staging areas, transporting persons to the evacuation centers. Those left waiting are given food and water. Sq. #2 Lt. Scott Corbin is now contacted at the station and advised of the situation. Rumors are that the fire will persist until daylight, and that up to 200 persons may have been killed in the burning apartments. Relief crews are set up at the station and bed down for the night. 0145 hrs. Most of the evacuees are on their way to the centers now. Several ambulances are released from Staging #1 to stage at Edison High School. 4 ALS units are now on scene, Mercy 9 & 10 from JFK, Medic 621, and Medic 624 (special ops). 6 BLS and 2 EMS-Rescue units were now at EMS Staging #2, and 8 more BLS and 4 EMS-Rescue units at Staging #1. Nearly 60 pieces of fire apparatus were staged at the Pines Manor. Many news media units were now on scene, set up at a public information point next to the CP. The mayor and fire chief were giving their first press conference on the blaze. Tactical command was moved closer into the scene, just passed the Durham Woods entrance. Equipment for temporary shelter, sanitation, and food was now being set up, in anticipation of an extended operation. EMS triage was now primarily to monitor fireman going in and out of the scene. Medical Advisement was assigned to Joyce Talarico, R.N., CEN, Clinical Coordinator for Mercy 9 MICU. 0220 hrs. The pipeline is shut down, and the remaining gas burns away as the torch blows out. Nearly 2.5 hours after the explosion, the heat begins to fade away. Units begin entering the complex, to stars extinguishing any spot fires. Reports for multiple brush and telephone pole fires abounded. Outside temperature at EMS Staging #2 drops from almost 62 *F to 45 F in 10 minutes. NORTHSTAR and MCRU are told to stand down. PHASE #2: DEFENSE AND DAMAGE ASSESMENT 0245 hrs. A task force of 8 engine companies and 6 truck companies now enter the complex to control spot fires. Tactical operations and command are moved inside near building 15. The CP and unified command remain at the Metuchen Sports Center on Talmadge, along with the media station and canteen. EMS Staging #2 is ordered by the EMS branch director to break down and move operations over to the Red Roof Inn at Reading Rd. and New Durham, the entrance into the complex. 7 BLS, 2 EMS-RESCUE, and 1 ALS, along with triage, transport, and staging officers reassemble at the Red Roof. The area is illuminated and communications established. Firefighters are still transported to EMS Staging #1 of in going and outgoing assessment. A third EMS task force is set up at Edison H.S., with Squad #3 Lt. John Hibell as coordinating officer. Numerous people begin complaining of minor wounds, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. One ALS is also assigned there. The wounded are transported to JFK. DAWN At daybreak, the first real look at the destruction was possible. Milltown EMS Rescue-39 was called to the interior to standby with SCBA if any casualties should be found. NJSP had reopened I-287, as rush hour was just around the corner. Edison H.S. was closed for school, with nearly 1200 evacuees inside. Red Cross workers provided food, and mental health counselors arrived from nearby Rutgers Community Mental Health facility in Piscataway to deal with emotional traumas. By 0600, EMS Staging #1 moved up to the Red Roof and combined with Staging #2. Red Roof management opened up several rooms for sleeping, and one became the EMS command post, now separated from the main CP. 6 BLS units were released, and relief crews were brought in to replace personnel from the night. Outside towns continued to man each EMS station in Edison, with Rutgers EMS and North Stelton from Piscataway at Squad 1, Port Reading (Woodbridge) at Squad 2, and Perth Amboy Fire/EMS at Squad 3. An inventory of rescue and MCI equipment was taken, and a plan formed in the event EMS personnel needed to enter the blast site to assist firemen in removing bodies or injured. Salvation Army was on hand for breakfast. 2 ALS units are released. 0900 hrs. All ALS are now released, and 8 BLS, Rescue 1, 2 & 3 remain at the Red Roof. 2 Additional BLS stage at Edison H.S., along with one BLS at each squad station. The EMS Deputy coordinator and 14th District mobilization coordinator retire from the scene, leaving Capt. Sommer in charge of EMS. He assembles a staff of 3 officers and 1 liaison to the CP. An updated apparatus list is completed, and radio chargers and status board are set up in the EMS command room. All but 10 engine companies are released. The next shift begins to arrive along with volunteer replacements for the engines. Police units secure the entire perimeter of Durham Woods, as reports of looting in the pre-dawn hours are revealed. Numerous news media choppers are now overhead. 1100-1200 hrs. 12 hours after the explosion, hot spots still burn at some of the destroyed buildings. The first EMS crews are summoned in, setting up an interior triage area with cots and army litters from Rescue 2. Oxygen and trauma kits, along with fresh linen and water, are on hand, and sets of 20 firefighters are evaluated on a continuing basis. Federal Investigators from OSHA, NTSB, and NJ DEPE, along with Texas Eastern reps, arrive to begin the investigation. This is my first sight of the damage. By noon, 29 people have been treated at JFK hospital, and another 40+ were treated at the site and released. The only death reported is the cardiac arrest, but 200+ people are still unaccounted. Continues news coverage broadcasts phone numbers for evacuees to call to notify their families, and report to Edison High, where Durham Woods management has the contract-lease listing to account for the residents. PHASE #3 : Search and Recovery 1200-1500 Heavy construction equipment is brought in to begin overturning the ruble as firefighters look for casualties. Triage continues, and investigators get initial information and views on the source. Cameras are brought in to record the evidence. JFK hospital reduces the disaster readiness and reopens the ER. 1500 hrs. Rescue 2 and 3 and 4 BLS units are released. I go home for the first time since yesterday. Several out-of-town units are temporarily released, as most personnel take a break. Middlesex Co, communications demobilizes and returned control to Edison EMS Dispatch. 1700 hrs. A call is put out for light trucks to the evening. New crews are formed, and mutual aid is coordinated to cover Edison and local squads for the night. 1800 hrs. 8 Light trucks stage at the Pines Manor, and are moved into the scene. A meeting is held by the Edison ERT-S.W.A.T. team, along with County PD and a US Marine Division. Power is still out in the complex, and looting may be prevalent. 8 lighting posts and 10 tactical security posts are established. 4 more light trucks are called in as night falls, and the entire complex is illuminated by the rescue units and stand-alone generators w/ lights. Salvation Army is on hand through the night with meals for the personnel, as County PD cars continuously patrol the complex assisted by Marines. Several teenagers are apprehended by the railroad tracks, but all else is quite for the night. Approximately 600 persons remain at Edison High through the night, and numerous persons are transported to hospitals, mostly for stress-related symptoms. Ambulances are continuously summoned to Edison High, and from the EMS Command Post to handle regular EMS calls in the township, including and overturned vehicle with entrapment. Road Dept. trucks with diesel fuel make their rounds to the Rescue trucks for refueling. Relief crews sleep at the Red Roof, where local caterers and supermarkets have brought in food and supplies. PHASE 4: Investigation and Demobilization 0900 hrs. 3/25/94 All light trucks are released, and 3 ambulances remain at the scene during continued investigation, along with 3 units at Edison H.S., which also handled township daytime calls. Only two engine companies, both volunteer, remained on scene. More evacuees are transported to hospitals throughout the day. In the evening, light trucks are called in once again, and security set up. Full power has been restored, and limited numbers of residents are brought in by PD to retrieve belongings. 3/25-3/27 Only 2 BLS crews remain on scene through the weekend, and light trucks are present each night for security. Food continues to be brought in for the workers, and special trench rescue teams from the Lambertville-New Hope Rescue Squad are called in to assist with the pipeline excavation. The CP has been moved to the office complex parking lot across from Reading Rd., and all other roadways are opened up for access. Mutual Aid to cover regular EMS calls is coordinated through the weekend, along with relief crews. 1700 hrs. EMS command at the Red Roof Inn is terminated. Most of the investigators have left, and fencing is constructed along the blast area. 7 adjacent buildings are condemned for safety reasons, and residents are allowed to reoccupy their homes. The evacuation center is shut down completely, and all residents have miraculously been accounted for. By 1730 hrs., all public safety sector operations are ended. A private security firm issues passes to Durham Woods residents, and for the next 2 weeks, only residents are allowed access to the complex. EPILOG The Edison, NJ Pipeline disaster lasted 87 hrs. from initial explosion until operations termination. 1 person died as a result, and 127 were injured. All public safety sectors were involved, including law enforcement, fire, EMS, public works, disaster services, private contractors, housing authority, and civilian help. Both paid and volunteer personnel gave numerous hours, and generosity was as abundant as the black ash from the fallout. In what was unquestionable Edison's and perhaps Middlesex County's worse disaster, all the involved agencies worked very well together, minimizing loss of life and injury, and providing public safety, while maintaining some semblance of routine life for Edison citizens. In the first 15 minutes of the disaster, 15,000 calls were made to 9-1-1. Within 1 hour, the total coalls to 9-1-1 and 7 digit numbers to Edison and Metuchen Dispatch were in excess of 200,000. Many were reports of fires all over Edison, Metuchen, and Piscataway, but many were also people crying "the world is ending, what should I do?". A result of lacking education regarding 9-1-1 use. The blast and fir was seen and heard as far away as Pennsylvania and New York. One EMT from Long Island, and one from Staten Island made the trip just to lend a hand at Staging. Other single person help came unannounced from Monclair, West Orange, Jackson, and Belmar. All were amazed. The following is a list of law enforcement and EMS units involved over the 4-day period. Fire units, rumored to be over 100 in number, were not available at this time. LAW ENFORCEMENT Command: Chief Edward Costello, Edison Division of Police Edison Twp. PD Woodbridge Twp. PD Piscataway Twp. PD So. Plainfield PD Metuchen PD NJ State Police - Edison Middlesex Co. Sherriff's Dept. Edison ERT- SWAT Middlesex CO. Prosecuter's Office - Environmental/Arson Team US Marine Platoon (unknown from what base) Edison Police Auxilliary EMS Branch Command: Capt. Don Sommer Sr., Edison F.A. & R.S. #1 Assistant: Lt. Jeffery Klien, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Staging #1 Officer: Asst. Capt. Scott Kaschak, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Triage #1 Officer: Lt. Milan Patel, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Staging # 2 Officer: Robert Sposato, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Triage #2 Officer: Lt. Daniel Januseski, E.F.A.S. #2 Medical Advisor: Joyce Talarico, RN, CEN, MICU Clinical Coordinator Rescue Task Force Officer: Marty Langan, Rescue Team Coordinator, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Equipment Officer: Asst. Capt. John Sandor, E.F.A.S. #2 Edison H.S. EMS Officer: Lt. John Hibell, Clara Barton F.A.S., Squad #3 Transport Officer: Elaine Kilijanski, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 Light Truck Coordinator: Sgt. Timothy Alexander, E.F.A. & R.S. #1 ALS TEAMS Agency # of units ---------- ------------ JFK Hospital MICU 2 (Mercy 9, Mercy 10) Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick) 2 (Medic 621, Medic 624) NORTHSTAR 1 TOTAL=4 units BLS TEAMS Agency Municipality # of units ---------- ---------------- ------------ Edison F.A. & Rescue Squad #1 Edison 2 Edison F.A.S #2 Edison 2 Clara Barton/Edison Squad #3 Edison 3 Dunellen R.S. Dunellen 1 Colonia F.A.S. Woodbridge 2 Avenel-Colonia F.A.S. Woodbridge 1 Carteret F.A.S. Carteret 1 St. John's F.A.S. Woodbridge 2 East Brunswick R.S. East Brunswick 2 Middlesex Boro R.S. Middlesex 1 Iselin F.A.S. Woodbridge 1 North Stelton R.S. Piscataway 1 Old Bridge Vol. EMS Old Bridge 1 Metuchen F.A.S. Metuchen 1 Monmouth Junction R.S. South Brunswick 1 Morgan F.A.S. Sayerville 1 Highland Park F.A.S. Highland Park 2 Woodbridge E.S. Woodbridge 2 Hopelawn Fire/EMS Woodbridge 1 South Amboy F.A.S. South Amboy 1 South Plainfield R.S. South Plainfield 2 Linden Vol. Amb. Corp. Linden 1 Port Reading F.A.S. Woodbridge 1 Perth Amboy Fire/EMS Perth Amboy 1 Rutgers Univ. EMS (paid) Piscataway 2 Sayerville E.S. Sayerville 1 TOTAL BLS=37 units Rescue & Lighting Trucks Agency Municipality # of units ---------- ---------------- ------------ Edison Squad #1/Rescue 1 Edison 1 Edison Squad #2/Rescue 2 Edison 1 Edison Squad #3/Rescue 3 Edison 1 Highland Park Rescue A-18 Highland Park 1 Milltown EMS-Rescue 39 Milltown 1 Hopelawn Eng. Co. #1 Rescue Woodbridge 1 Iselin EMS-Rescue 2 Woodbridge 1 So. Amboy Fire/Air & Light Unit So. Amboy 1 Metuchen Fire Rescue Metuchen 1 Brookview Fire/Rescue Sommerset Co. 1 Sayerville EMS Rescue 947 Sayerville 1 East Brunswick Rescue 350 East Brunswick 1 East Brunswick Fire Rescue East Brunswick 1 Colonia Fire Rescue Woodbridge 1 New Market Fire/Rescue I.C. Piscataway 1 So. Plainfield EMS Rescue 68 South Plainfield 1 Highland Park Fire/Rescue Highland Park 1 Woodbridge EMS Rescue 1 Woodbridge 1 Cheesquake Fire/HazMat Unit Old Bridge Twp. 1 Spotswood EMS-Rescue 83 Spotswood 1 Carteret Fire Rescue Carteret 1 Quakertown EMS-Rescue Hunterdon Co. 1 Lambertville-New Hope EMS Rescue 17-54 Hunterdon Co. 1 Avenel-Colonia FA-16 Woodbridge 1 Somerset Fire Rescue Sommerset Co. 1 Somerville Fire Rescue Sommerset Co. 1 Perth Amboy EMS Rescue 95 Perth Amboy 1 Aberdeen Fire Rescue Monmouth Co. 1 Plainsboro EMS-Rescue 103 Plainsboro 1 Adelphia Fire Rescue (Howell) Monmouth Co. 1 Ridgefield EMS Rescue Bergen Co. 1 St. Johns EMS Rescue 4 Woodbridge 1 So. River EMS Rescue 540 South River 1 Rahway EMS Rescue Union Co. 1 Jamesburg EMS Rescue 99 Jamesburg 1 So. Old Bridge Fire Rescue Old Bridge 1 Dunellen Fire Rescue Dunellen 1 No. Brunswick EMS Rescue 4 No. Brunswick 1 Metuchen EMS-Rescue M-7 Metuchen 1 TOTAL Rescue Units=40 TOTAL EMS UNITS: 81 For Additional information on response, communications, or personnel, e-mail Dan Januseski c/o Safetynet Prepared by Lt. Daniel J. Januseski, BA, EMT-D Health & Safety, Public Affairs Edison Twp. EMS Edison First Aid Squad #2, Inc.