Managing Smoke and Emissions   

A new system for managing smoke and emissions in Victoria that will provide for coordinated:

• Investment

• Service delivery

• Community focus

Opportunities

• Siloed approach to solutions & opportunities

• Approach focussed on Hazelwood instead of state

• Failing to build industry into the solutions

• Lack of community awareness & ownership

• Producing outcomes that maximise investment

Risks

The State through the lead agency EPA is equipping itself to undertake rapid air quality monitoring in any location in Victoria, to :

• Collect all relevant data, including data on PM2.5, carbon monoxide and ozone; and

• Ensuring the data is used to inform decision-making within 24 hours of the incident occurring.

Rapid Air Quality Monitoring

Develop a tiered response model that builds capability and encompasses the entire process from initial to full-scale response. This will include the:

• threshold conditions which relate to potential community impact, under which rapid air quality monitoring will be deployed (an ‘escalation procedure’)

• type of ‘prolonged smoke events’ that should be covered by the recommendation (for example coal mine fires, landfill fires)

• exact type and format of air quality data needed by agencies to make health and operational related decisions based on rapid air quality monitoring

• range of pollutants to be included in rapid air quality monitoring.

This will also inform a strategic approach to detection, analysis and monitoring, and consideration of mechanisms to assess and deploy appropriate resources based on the requirements of an event.

Tiered Response Model

Deliverables

• understanding current capacity and capability across agencies

• developing a sector investment plan• development of an investment plan to address gaps in

capability• strategic approach to detection, analysis and monitoring

that can be applied across a range of events to inform decision-making and enhance community safety.

Carbon Monoxide StandardThis Standard provides direction for all agencies responding to large, extended or complex fires that produce significant levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the outdoor environment. These may include but are not limited to fires in coal mines, peat bogs, landfill sites or large mulch piles. These events may exhibit the following characteristics:• Risk to firefighter and emergency responder

health• Impact on communities• Scale, scope and complexity• Significant carbon monoxide emissions.

CO Standard deliverables

standards to be applied during significant events that have potential to generate CO for community and workers including responders

enhanced fire fighter, worker and responder safety during these events

health management program for fire fighter, worker and responders

improved monitoring at both incident and community levels

enhanced community safety

ability to base protective actions on measured and analysed data

a robust protocol which has undergone peer review by experts

an education program for responders.

This Protocol combines the previously developed Bushfire Smoke, Air Quality & Health Monitoring Protocol (DHHS & EPA 2014) & the Hazelwood Coal Mine Fire PM2.5 Health Protection Protocol (DHHS & EPA 2014)

Smoke, Air Quality & Health

Now applies to all fire setting where levels of fine particulates in smoke are significant & a health concern

• includes PM2.5 and PM10 fine particles as air quality monitoring indicators

• reaffirms its application to broad area (regional) impacts of bushfire smoke on community health

• considers the latest available supporting documents, including the Wildfire Smoke – a Guide for Public Health Officials (California) in this update

• provides a reference for emergency responders.

Protocol Deliverables

• outlines arrangements between EPA and DHHS for the provision of forecast and actual fine particle data

• process for communicating community health protection messages and advice

• promoting understanding across emergency management agencies

• use of the emergency information and warnings system to communicate to communities.

State Smoke Framework

Incorporates the management of public health impacts from large-scale, extended smoke events;

Includes updated Bushfire Smoke, carbon monoxide and PM2.5 protocols; and

Provides practical advice and support materials to employers, communities and individuals on how to minimise the harmful effects of smoke.

State Smoke Framework

Immediate

EMERGENCY SCENARIOS

Tyre fire, Coalmine, Landfill (Waste / Composting), Bushfire, Planned Burns, Industrial / Chemical Plant, HazMatIN

CID

EN

T

Shelter Indoors Terminate OR Responsive Evacuation

Community Smoke, Air Quality & Health Protocol

Carbon Monoxide (CO) protocol - triggered by any reading or prediction ≥ 27ppm

Reference protocols and triggers for stages of

incident

Use visibility at any stage Use PM2.5 ≥ 25µg/m3 (24 hr) or ≥ 40 µg/m3 (1 hr) when available

Use PM10 ≥ 50µg/m3 (24 hr) or ≥ 80µg/m3 (1 hr) when available

All other analytes - use Health Risk Assessment

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) protocol - triggered by any reading or prediction ≥ 0.2ppm1

Timescale First responder 4-6 Hours 6-24 hours Days-Weeks

1 Potentially SO2 producing settings: Anglesea & Bacchus Marsh coalmines; Industrial production of sodium sulfite, sulfuric acid, sulfuryl chloride,

thionyl chloride, organic sulfonates, disinfectants, fumigants, glass, wine, industrial and edible protein, and vapor pressure thermometers. Also used during the bleaching of some food, wood pulp and wood; in leather tanning, brewing, preserving and the refrigeration industry.

State Smoke Framework

Includes others

Incorporates the previously described standards and protocols and incorporates other capacities and capabilities existing and in development

• Plume modelling capability – ALOHA, ARGOS

• Smoke Transport modelling & health impacts

• Shelter Indoors

Next Steps

• Awareness and understanding across agencies and stakeholders.

• Integration within agency response protocols.

• Training and education.

• Ongoing development and review

• Exercising

Published and available

http://emv.vic.gov.au/procedures/protocols/

Questions?

Smoke Management

Range of new protocolsin place for this season.

Partner agencies Fire, EPA and DHHS

When deciding the course of action and which capabilities should be deployed, the following should also be considered:

1. Nature of the fire/event (what are we dealing with?)

2. Scale (how big is it now, will it grow?)

3. Predictions on estimated duration (how long will it run for?)

4. Meteorological forecast (what is the weather doing, will this change?)

5. Time to activate protocols within this matrix (what is the time from decision to operational deployment, to receipt of valid data on which to base decisions?)

6. Engagement of appropriate key agencies at incident, region and state level I/EMT’s (are the right agencies engaged and represented?)

7. Community (what is the nature of the community being or likely to be impacted?)

8. Activation and issuing of community warnings and information (what message and information does the community need?).

Consideration of each of these factors will help ensure workers and communities are protected at all times.