East Midlands 5 Pack + 1 Programme Public HealthPublic Health

The Air Quality Cell (AQC)

24th February 2011

Alec Dobney

Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist

Overview

• The need for air quality data during major incidents

• Command structures

• The public health response

• Follow-up – Recovery Co-ordination Group

Why we need AQC The Buncefield Fire: an incident with wider implications

Two main issues were identified following Buncefield (in December ’05) regarding obtaining air quality information and health advice:

•the need to co-ordinate the provision of air quality information to Gold Command; and

•the need to improve air quality monitoring capability

Figure 1: Fires by type / facility responded to by HPA (CRCE) in England and Wales, between 01/01/07 and 07/10/09

43%

13%4%2%

10%

8%

5%

10%5%

Tyre firesPlastics inc. styreneMixed wasteDemolition wasteat recycling facilitiesat landfill siteat paper millwood inc. timber yardsother

Environmental monitoring: who does it?

The Fire and Rescue Services ??

The Environment Agency ??

Local Authorities ??

The HPA ??

During past incidents, multi-agency responders agreed that environmental monitoring would be useful…

…however, no single agency had overall responsibility

Post Buncefield:New responsibilities for the EA

Defra gave new responsibilities (and funding) to the Environment Agency (EA) for coordinating & undertaking air quality monitoring during major incidents

New resources include:

• Rapid response teams (8 x 2 person mobile teams) with hand-held monitoring equipment

• Vehicle-based real-time monitoring (2 mobile laboratories)

The EA became the lead agency for the new Air Quality Cell (AQC) arrangements

Location of AQ Monitoring Teams

Monitoring during incidents

General principles:

•Carrying out environmental monitoring (sampling) during acute chemical incidents can aid in refining the public health risk assessment

•Monitoring provides a measure of the environmental concentrations of selected chemicals over time

•Monitoring is most useful when carried out at receptor locations (i.e. places where people are)

•Some environmental concentrations can be compared to health-based exposure standards

•Monitoring can provide reassurance

The Air Quality Cell (AQC):What is it?

• A virtual multi-agency advisory group which can be convened (within 2 hours) during a major incident to co-ordinate air monitoring and modelling

• Partners include EA, HPA, Met Office, HSL, FSA + others

• It aims to provide timely (interpreted) air quality and air modelling information to the Science and Technical Advice Cell (if formed), or to a multi-agency group.

Command and Control Structures

When a major incident is declared a multi-agency SILVER (tactical) and/or GOLD (strategic) Command may be called•The police usually chair the multi-agency response to an incident •The HPA may be represented at SILVER and/or GOLD

A Science and Technical Advice Cell (STAC) may be formed if there is a GOLD•The STAC is usually chaired by the local Director of Public Health or a senior HPA staff member

In some cases a multi-agency health group may be formed to co-ordinate efforts when a Silver and/or Gold is called

AQC arrangements

Health Protection

Agency

Science and Technical Advice Cell (STAC) or Multi-

Agency Group

Air Quality Cell (AQC)

FRS and other

responders

Met Office, HSL and others

Environment Agency

Air modelling data Air monitoring data

The Air Quality Cell:What is the scope?

Called for major incidents in England or Wales, which affect air quality: a release of hazardous substances to air with the potential to cause significant harm to the public and the environment:

The Air Quality Cell:What does it do?

• Decide the nature and scale of the monitoring and modelling response

• Plan and deliver the monitoring strategy

• Plan and deliver the modelling strategy

• Interpret real-time data

• Provide considered and timely advice on air quality information via HPA representative at STAC or multi-agency meeting where STAC is not formed.

• Respond to questions and direction from STAC or multi-agency meeting

AQC Trigger Criteria:Calling an AQC

Either STAC (if formed) or multi-agency meeting calls for an AQC

OR (more typically) the EA in consultation with HPA CRCE

Factors influencing whether an AQC is called include:

• Source toxicity: scale of hazard

• Sensitive receptors: risk to human health

• Predicted duration of incident and aftermath (6 hours or more)

• Scale of multi-agency resources already deployed

AIR

QUALITY

CELL

AQC Activation Process

EA Alerted

CRCEMET OFFICE

FSAHEALTH AND SAFETY

LABORATORYOTHER

AQC SUPPORT

AQC CHAIR

“NAQTA” CRCE

Incident FRS?

HPU

AQC trigger criteria:EA considerations

Is the incident a chemical release, fire or explosion?Is a Silver or Gold established?

OR at least ONE of the following:public exposed to potential or known health risk and advised to remain indoors/ close windows? properties are being evacuated?

OR deployment of at least ONE of the following:4 or more fire appliances/pumps (6 in London) HAZMAT Officer FRS Detection, Identification and Monitoring (DIM) vehicle

If so, the EA will contact HPA CRCE to discuss the need for an AQC

0 - 30 min 2 - 6 h 6 - 12 h 3-5 days

Source term and

Met Office modelling

Updated Met Office

model results

30 min-2 h

Bespoke modelling by experts

FRSDIM

(detection only)

Met Office CHEMET

FIREMET

Hand held equipment

results

Real time air conc

AURN

Laboratory results

Air modelling

Timeline for AQC

Air monitoring

Technical advice

AQC advice

AQC advice

AQC advice

AQC advice

The role of the Environment Agency

Act as co-ordinator of the AQC

• Organise and chair the teleconferences

• Administrate AQC documentation

Provide monitoring resources

• Liaise with monitoring teams

• Fund AQC activities

The role of the HPA

• To provide public health advice – both within the AQC and within any STAC or multi-agency meeting

• Within the AQC, the HPA are the EA’s ‘primary customer’ and CRCE staff will be members of the AQC

• HPA CRCE are responsible for providing the AQC’s advice to the HPA representative at STAC or multi-agency meeting – this will usually be a member of the Heath Protection Unit

HPA Actions

• Discuss AQC activation with EA

• Advise on monitoring team locations and substances to be modelled and monitored

• Identify population at risk (from GIS maps and discussions with HPU)

• Interpret AQC data and model outputs

• Communicate AQC advice to relevant command structures and answer questions

• Alert and liaise with health agencies (PCT, NHS Direct, GPs)

• Warn and inform the public (in partnership with other stakeholders)

AQC partners

• Health and Safety Laboratory – advanced modelling capability, chemical reactivity advice and enhanced monitoring

• Food Standards Agency – food uptake and contamination

• Met Office – weather forecast and basic/advanced modelling capability

• Local Authorities – local air quality data and AQC handover to recovery group

• Other organisations/individuals – specific expertise as required

Standing down the AQC

• The AQC will operate for up to 5 days or until the acute phase of the incident is over – whichever is the shortest

• The AQC Chair (EA staff member) decides, in consultation with HPA, when to stand down

• When the emergency phase of an incident is over the AQC will handover to the Local Authority (Recovery Co-ordination Group)

e.g. after the point when the emergency services hand control of the incident to the Local Authority or another appointed organisation

What the AQC wont do

• Will not provide raw data to stakeholders outside of the AQC• Will not tell STAC or multi-agency meeting what to do. AQC will provide

reasoned options for discussion. • Will not organise monitoring within emergency services’ cordons or within

enclosed spaces• Will not deal with health and safety or occupational health queries from

either the emergency services or businesses affected by an incident• Will not undertake monitoring throughout protracted incidents (>5 days)• Cannot monitor for asbestos• Cannot advise on issues other than air quality issue (including deposition)

• Improvements to air monitoring capability to provide a 24/7 response• Improvements to modelling capability with a 24/7 response from external

experts • Fire and Rescue Service most likely to alert EA• EA and CRCE discuss the need for an AQC• Multi-agency AQC will co-ordinate provision of interpreted air quality data• AQC will link to STAC or Multi-agency group via the HPA • HPA link to incident command• AQC chair and HPA decide when the Cell stands down

Summary

Experiences to date (1)

• It is very important to ensure that the AQC and STAC or multi-agency groups “battle rhythms” are discussed early in the incident and synchronised

• It takes time (hours) before the AQC is able to provide interpreted data

• The AQC operates 24/7 – but monitoring data may not always be supplied 24/7 due to health and safety considerations of monitoring teams

• The AQC is not a substitute for multi-agency liaison – it remains important to talk during an incident

• AQC information will help refine the public health risk assessment, not replace it

• AQC outputs may not always change public health actions but will provide greater confidence in the risk assessment

Experiences to date (2)

• AQC data can be used to inform on-site fire-fighting strategies as well as shelter/evacuate decisions

• The AQC arrangements are still quite new to the AQC attendees and the AQC stakeholders

• It is important to manage multi-agency expectations at STAC or multi-agency groups about what the AQC can and can’t do

• Many Local Authorities aren’t familiar with the AQC arrangements – particularly the arrangements for handover from the AQC

• Data and outputs from the AQC are owned by the AQC chair

Thank you for listening

Any questions…?