HOW TO “SHELTER-IN-PLACE” IN CASE OF A CHEMICAL EMERGENCY

How will we know if there is a chemical emergency?

If a chemical emergency could affect citizens within the City of Deer Park, the City’s Outside Warning System will be activated.  The sirens will emit a loud, whooping sound.  This system is used primarily for chemical emergencies, not for tornadoes, hurricanes, fires or other types of emergencies.  The system is tested at noon each Saturday of the month. If you hear the warning sirens at any other time, a chemical emergency really exists.

A computerized telephone notification system will ring the telephones of homes and businesses located in the immediate danger area, giving pre-recorded instructions about what to do.  

What should we do during a chemical emergency?

We each have responsibilities during a chemical emergency. Industry officials are responsible for notifying the City of any chemical release from their facility and bringing the release under control as quickly and safely as possible. City officials are responsible for warning nearby residents, schools, and businesses, and for recommending steps to protect the public. Businesses are responsible for following instructions to protect their employees and customers, just as schools are responsible for protecting the students and staff. It’s a team effort that requires everyone’s cooperation. Stay calm and follow these safety precautions.

City officials may recommend that you “Shelter-In-Place” until the chemical leak is stopped and winds have dissipated any vapors or blown any fumes past your location. Here are the steps: 

        1.  ADVISE EVERYONE TO REMAIN INSIDE AND STAY CALM.

The Deer Park LEPC recommends building managers make this announcement:

“May I have your attention please. The City of Deer Park has notified us of a chemical emergency nearby.  For your own safety, City officials request all persons should remain inside and stay calm until we are notified that the emergency is over. We will provide more information as soon as it is available.”

Persons should NOT leave the building during a chemical emergency unless specifically ordered by police or fire personnel. Leaving the building may expose them to toxic chemical vapors. Remaining inside is the best response during any chemical release.

         2.   CLOSE ALL DOORS, WINDOWS AND OTHER SOURCES OF OUTSIDE AIR.

Do NOT lock entrance or exit doors, locking the doors would violate the City's fire code. Instead, post a Shelter-In-Place poster on all exterior doors and/or position employees at all exits to distribute a Shelter-In-Place brochure to any concerned customer. Persons who insist on leaving the building should be allowed to leave at their own risk. Persons outside the building who seek entrance should be allowed inside as soon as possible. 

        3.    TURN OFF ALL AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING SYSTEMS.                    

Your building's thermostats or air-handling cutoff switches should be labelled. Your employees should be trained where the switches are located and how they work. Ceiling fans or rotary box fans inside the building can be safely used to keep cool.               

        4.    STAY OFF THE TELEPHONE.                 

City officials will telephone your building using the city’s computerized telephone notification system. Do NOT call police, fire or 9-1-1 unless you are reporting another emergency at your location. Request your employees and customers to stay off the telephone also. Overloaded telephone circuits may keep actual emergency calls from getting through. Do NOT call or drive to your children’s school. School officials know how to Shelter-In-Place to protect the students and staff. Panicky parents only add to the confusion, tying up phone lines needed to talk to city and school district officials. 

        5.   STAY INFORMED.

The City of Deer Park will notify citizens through the automated telephone notification system (Everbridge), Facebook, Twitter, DPTV on Comcast Cable Channel 16 or AT&T U-verse Channel 99, or KTRH AM 740 radio. 

How will we know when the emergency is over?

Stay inside until you hear an “all clear” message from city officials via the computerized telephone notification system. After the “all clear” has been given, open all doors and windows, turn on the building’s air conditioner or heating system, then go outside to allow the building to “air out” for 15 minutes before allowing employees and customers to re-enter the building.  

These emergency procedures are officially recommended to all Deer Park businesses by the Deer Park Local Emergency Planning Committee and are distributed as a free public service. For more information on these procedures, visit the LEPC’s website at: www.deerparklepc.org. For promotional items, call the Deer Park LEPC at 281-479-2394.