The Oxford County Local Emergency Planning Committee met on May 30th, 2023 at Rumford Power

I.  Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 12:02 by Cammie Sprague

II. Approval of Minutes

Chris Reed motioned to approve the minutes from February. Geff Inman seconded the motion. 

Vote: Approved

 a. Treasurers Report

Chris Reed motioned to approve the Treasurer's Report. Geff Inman seconded the motion. 

Vote: Approved

b. Chemical Spill Report

The committee reviewed the spill reports for the last quarter. There were 10 reported chemical spills, most of which were fuel and oil from traffic accidents, including diesel from a tanker truck rollover in Buckfield that same morning. 

c.  Training and Events Scheduled for June/July/August 2023

The committee reviewed the training and event schedule. 

III.   Old Business

d.     Hazardous Materials Training Update

The next Hazmat Ops Refresher is scheduled for June 17th, at the Fryeburg Fire Department. This will be the last of the scheduled Operations Refreshers for this season. There were additional SERC funds approved to support a Full Operations course in conjunction with a Firefighter 1 & 2 class taking place at Oxford Fire Rescue later on in the year. The dates are yet to be determined but it is estimated that it will take place some time in November. 

e.     Tier II Reports

The committee reviewed the list of received Tier II Reports. At this time, there are only 9 facilities that have not reported, 6 of which are the schools in RSU #10. 

f.     LD #95 An Act Concerning the Membership of the State Emergency Response Commission and Fees for Registering Facilities Required to Report to that Commission

LD #95 has passed and it will go into effect starting with the 2023 reporting year, which begins in January of 2024. The annual registration fee for reporting facilities will increase from $50 to $100. The new SERC budget and LEPC stipends are under review by Director Rogers and once they are approved, they will go in front of the SERC to be voted on in July. 

IV. New Business

g. Rumford Power Anhydrous Ammonia Transfer Events

The group reported briefly on the Anhydrous Ammonia transfer at Rumford Power. The transfer was successful, although it took several hours longer to complete than was originally estimated, primarily due to multiple connections to the container needing to be made in order to evacuate the contents. It was 3pm when the Mill team cleared the scene. Communication was recognized as being very good between the parties from Rumford Power, Rumford Fire, Rumford Hospital, the Regional Communications Center, and the hazmat team from Nine Dragons. Rumford did a press release, and also communicated directly with individuals in the community that are disabled and might have difficulty evacuating in the event of an ammonia release. Rumford Hospital had their decontamination unit staffed and at the ready in case of an exposure. 

The second half of the operation is scheduled to take place on the morning of June 1st and is anticipated to take less time, as there is less product (approx. 5,000 lbs) being transferred - though the overall risk is not necessarily diminished as the amount of total product in the tanker truck is not known. 

h. Location and Timing of Next Meeting

The next meeting will take place at the EMA Office at 9 Western Promenade in South Paris, on August 29th, 2023 at 4pm. 

i.    Adjournment

Chris Reed motioned to adjourn. Justin Castagna seconded the motion. 

Vote: Approved. Meeting adjourned at 12:50pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Rachael Leighton

LEPC Secretary