Preparedness at Locks 27




Firefighters and emergency responders prepare to charge
a firehose during an emergency drill aboard Lewis and
Clark Marine’s MV Miranda Paige at Locks 27.  The
St. Louis District Corps of Engineers, coordinated with
local fire departments and first responders to conduct
an exercise in which a towboat inside the lock chamber
had an emergency and required assistance.  In addition
to USACE, members of the Granite City and Madison fire
departments and  376^th Engineer Firefighter Detachment
(US Army Reserve) participated.

 

 The 911 call went out at 7:20 a.m. from the lock house at the Corps of Engineers Locks 27 on the Chain of Rocks Canal in Granite City, Ill.  The dispatcher received the report that there was a fire in the engine room of a towboat and that there was at least one injured crewmember.  The fire chief from the Granite City fire department was the first on the scene and took charge of the response.

EXERCISE---EXERCISE---EXERCISE

The scenario described above was an emergency exercise St. Louis District personnel went through at Locks 27 with emergency responders from Granite City and Madison, Ill., as well as the US Army Reserves’ 376^th Engineer Firefighter Detachment.   Nearly 20 firefighters and paramedics participated in the hour and a half drill, which was staged onboard Lewis and Clark Marine’s MV Miranda Paige.

The drill, which was ten months in the making, was the first the District had coordinated in several years at Locks 27.  Although the firefighters are familiar with the facility and have done tabletop exercises of an emergency there, this was the first hands-on event of this type were they had descend to the towboat in the lock chamber, battle a simulated fire in the tight confines of the boat’s engineroom and recover an injured crewmember. 

During the exercise, a quick assessment determined that the fastest and safest way to get the firefighters to the emergency on the boat was via a workboat moored outside the lock chamber on the upstream end.  Although feasible, the 25-foot vertical descent down the lockwall to the deck of the workboat would have been a cautious and slow endeavor for the responders.

With the successful recovery of the injured crewmember, the exercise was halted and equipment was stowed.  A quick debrief was conducted by the firefighters and paramedics as they got a chance to take a breath and cool down before going back on duty, to await a real emergency.  Shortly thereafter, a more thorough review of the event was conducted by the leadership of all of those involved.  Starting with the planning of the drill and going through its execution, all aspects were reviewed and discussed to determine what worked, what didn’t work and what could have been improved.

“This exercise identified a lot of things, both good and bad, about responding to an emergency inside the lock chamber,” explains Marty Jung, River Safety Coordinator for the St. Louis District.  “For example, we now know that USACE personnel may be the first responders for evacuating able-bodied persons and that we need to further coordinate with neighboring facilities.”

All parties involved were pleased, overall, by how the event unfolded, encouraging the continuation of additional drills.  The next drill in store will be to recover an injured worker one of the confined spaces within the lock itself, requiring the responders to immobilize the worker and safely move that person up 80-feet vertically to where he or she can be treated.

“After going through this event, we discovered that this wasn’t just a training exercise for us (USACE), but for everyone involved,” Jung said.  “I went into this looking at our level of preparedness and all of us came out knowing a lot more and knowing that we need to do more exercises like this.”


Capt. Jenkins, Incident Commander and a Captain in
the Granite City Fire Department, provides instruction
to the first firefighters that responded to the exercise
at Locks 27 on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.  The St. Louis
District Corps of Engineers, coordinated with local fire
departments and first responders to conduct an
exercise in which a towboat inside the lock chamber
had an emergency and required assistance.  In
addition to USACE, members of the Granite City and
Madison fire departments and 376^th Engineer Firefighter
Detachment (US Army Reserve) participated.



Federal partners take STEM opportunities to inner-city students, students to Carlyle Lake



Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary discuss boating
 safety with students before taking them for a ride around
Carlyle Lake.



Thirty-four students from Madison Accelerated High School in Madison, Ill., traveled to Carlyle Lake May 8 to try their hand at fishing, canoeing, boating, and geocaching as a culmination to this year’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Outreach Program hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River.

The 11th- and 12th-grade students also learned critical survival skills and the do’s and don’ts of exercise and fitness. For many of the students, the day marked their first time experiencing several of the events.

“The excitement the students brought to our STEM events this year has been amazing,” Brandon Hansen, USCG, said. “It was a great way to end the year with new and exciting activities for them.”



Students from Madison Accelerated High School canoe
at Carlyle Lake at the culmination of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard joint STEM outreach
program.



The students have participated in the joint outreach program for the last eight months, welcoming members from the Corps and Coast Guard into the classroom to lead hands-on activities that enhanced the science, engineering and math concepts specific to school’s geographic location.

Located in the Metro East, the school’s close proximity to the Mississippi River, the third largest watershed in the world, made the federal partnership’s mission dual-fold.

Partners on the river, the two organizations also worked to educate the students on the importance of sustaining the watershed and the navigation channel, which brings more than 58 million tons of cargo between Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis every year.

Through the outreach program, the students had the opportunity to build and better understand structures such as levees, river training structures, watercraft and building designs, and understand the concepts of buoyancy, environmental stewardship, naval architecture and mechanical engineering. The students also toured the Coast Guard Aids to Navigation facility, response boats house, and the Corps’ Applied River Engineering Center and Melvin Price Lock and Dam.

Educating students in STEM-related concepts and career fields is a passion held by both the Corps and Coast Guard commanders.

 “As an engineer, I know how important science, technology, engineering and math are to the development of our country,” Col. Chris Hall, St. Louis District commander, said. “They are critical to our future.”

For more information or high resolution photos, contact Colin Fogarty with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River or Mike Petersen of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

USACE Wood River Levee reconstruction project

The St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers replaced one of three closure structures on the West Flank of the Wood River Creek near the Olin Corporation April 24. Replacing the structures, and the adjacent floodwall, is one feature of the Corps' Wood River Levee reconstruction project to correct design deficiencies and maintain the levee system's authorized level of protection (approximately 54-feet on the St. Louis gage).

The closure structures replaced 139-feet of floodwall, including the Powder Mill Road closure structure and a Kansas City Southern railroad closure structure. Pile foundations have also been installed and concrete walls and abutments are near completion, Corps officials said.  New steel swing gates are expected to be installed in the railroad and highway openings after the completion of the concrete work.

The Corps' project includes rehabilitating 21 miles of levee in the Mississippi River flood plain of Madison County, Ill. To correct design deficiencies, project features include replacing 163 of 170 existing relief wells and installing 60 new relief wells. Reconstruction project features include the restoration or replacement of 26 closure structures, 38 gravity drains and seven pump stations.

In total, the Corps has expended more than $14.7 million in the reconstruction project that reduces risk to 23,100 residents and workers, and protects approximately $1.8 billion in commercial and residential structures and infrastructure.

Construction on the Chain of Rocks Pump Station

Seven grueling hours in the sun, 32 trucks of material, and 265-cubic yards of concrete marked the start of construction on the Chain of Rocks Pump Station April 18 along the Chain of Rocks Levee near Granite City, Ill.

The pump station is one feature of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District’s project to correct design deficiencies and provide the Chain of Rocks levee with the authorized level of protection of 54-feet on the St. Louis gage.

Located in Madison County, the federally owned and operated levee is one segment of the Metro East Sanitary District Levee System.

The construction of the pump station marks another milestone in the completion of the Corps’ project to reduce risk to those living and working in the Metro East.

The project includes the construction of North and South seepage berms, as well as 37 relief wells.

Project features became necessary after the 1993 flood when sand boils developed along large portions of the levee. Sand boils form when water traveling under the levee carries with it sediments necessary for the longevity and stability of the levee.

This project highlights the Corps’ commitment to reduce risk to the more than 250,000 residents and workers, and $4.5 billion in property assets behind the Metro East Sanitary District Levee System.

In total, the Corps has allocated more than $45.8M in construction to the Chain of Rocks Levee.

Turn Around Don't Drown: Flood Safety Driving Tips

When you approach a flooded road, TURN AROUND
DON'T DROWN! (Source: National Weather Service)

Flooding is the leading cause of severe weather-related deaths in the U.S. claiming on average nearly 100 lives a year. Most of these deaths occur in motor vehicles when people attempt to drive through flooded roadways. Many other lives are lost when people walk into or near flood waters. This happens because people underestimate the force and power of water, especially when it’s moving. The good news is it is preventable with the right knowledge and tools.

A mere six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. And it only takes 12 to 18 inches of flowing water to carry away most vehicles including large SUVs. If you come to an area that is covered with water, you will likely not know the depth of the water or the condition of the ground under the water. This is especially true at night, when your vision is more limited. Play it smart, play it safe. Whether driving or walking, any time you come to a flooded road, follow this simple advice: Turn Around Don't Drown.

1. Flash floods can come rapidly and unexpectedly. They can occur within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall, or when a dam or levee fails and even a sudden release of water held by an ice or debris jam. Be cautious during storm seasons, or any time that flooding is common in your area.
2. You may not have warning that a flash flood is approaching.
3. Do not drive unless absolutely necessary.
4. Do not drive through flooded areas. If you see a flooded-out road ahead, turn around. Find another route to your destination.
5. If there is no other route, get to higher ground and wait for the waters to subside.
6. Even if the water appears shallow enough to cross, don't try it. Water hides dips in the road. Worse yet, there may be no road at all under the water. Flooding can scour away the entire road surface and a significant amount of ground beneath.
7. If your car stalls, abandon it immediately and climb to higher ground.
8. Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control or possible stalling.
9. One foot of water will float almost many vehicles.
10. Two feet of rushing water can sweep away most vehicles — including SUVs and pick-ups.

Be sure to follow Team Saint Louis for additional flood safety tips and information at: Facebook.com/teamsaintlouis, Twitter.com/teamsaintlouis, Teamsaintlouis.blogspot.com, and YouTube.com/teamsaintlouis 

Additional flood awareness information can also be found at:
http://www.Fema.gov, www.ready.gov and Turn Around Don't Drown . Visit www.weather.gov for the latest weather forecast information.

Sources: FEMA.gov, NOAA.gov, Weather.gov

Make a Plan

Photo courtesy of Ready.gov

Your family may not be together when a disaster strikes so it is important to plan in advance: how you will get to a safe place; how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.

Ready.gov has made it simple for you to make a family emergency plan. Download the Family Emergency Plan and fill out the sections before printing it or emailing it to your family and friends.

Be sure to follow Team Saint Louis for additional flood safety tips and information at: Facebook.com/teamsaintlouis, Twitter.com/teamsaintlouis, Teamsaintlouis.blogspot.com, and YouTube.com/teamsaintlouis 

Additional flood awareness information can also be found at:
http://www.Fema.gov and www.ready.gov.