Last year’s Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse captured the world’s attention because of its scope and magnitude. The Port of Baltimore is a critical waterway contributing significantly to the economic success of Maryland and the nation. The Port of Baltimore has a major responsibility to ensure the safe movement of ships and cargo as it handles more Roll On/Roll Off farm and construction machinery, as well as autos and light trucks, than any other port in the U.S. In 2023, Baltimore facilitated the movement of over $80 Billion in cargo.
In this keynote session you will learn about the challenges and partnerships that enabled the Unified Command to quickly and safely reopen the Port of Baltimore to response, military, commercial, and recreational vessel traffic.
Speakers will present case studies and best practices on responding to new cargo and fuel challenges in the transportation industry. From ammonia, hydrogen and liquified gases, presentations will address myriad new challenges facing emergency responders with the goals of life safety, environmental protection, and protecting property.
This session will provide an opportunity to learn the current state of planning, preparedness, and response capabilities in the western inland response area. Updates will be given from multiple perspectives to include rail, pipeline and an OSRO.
None of us want to intentionally harm the environment, or wildlife, or pollute our air and water. But spills happen. This session will focus on restoration enhancements that can accelerate the recovery of the natural environment after the initial response.
The importance of recognizing and involving Tribal/Indigenous Communities in emergency management continues to be recognized across a broad spectrum of industries and regulatory agencies. Such communities can find themselves on the front lines of oil spill and other hazardous substance emergencies. This session will build on the solid foundation established by the panel at Clean Waterways 2022 where the involvement of Tribal/Indigenous communities in emergency response planning was initially discussed. Tribal/Indigenous panelists will present their views on potential best practices and how they can foster strong relationships, so come prepared to learn and participate as the discussion could be directly applicable to your situation!
How do you get good at what you do? Practice, practice, practice and grow from your missteps and mistakes. This session will cover best practices and lessons learned from the OSRO and Responsible Party (RP) perspective.
Case Studies provide real-world lessons that can be used to develop a risk-based approach that will lead to safer, more efficient, and resilient response systems. Each community and response organization is different, and the types of disasters we are likely to face vary by region, but discussing these North American incidents will allow the attendees to gather insights from leaders who have faced complex problems and prevailed.
It’s been said that “all emergency events are local”. And, it’s local emergency personnel who respond first. Drills and exercises can vary in size and location, but this session will focus on an actual inland mutual aid drill in conjunction with state and federal agencies along with industry.
Join us for this interesting and visual session on unusual hazard responses and high-risk environments.