By John Whitson
The Union Leader (Manchester NH)
Copyright 2007 Union Leader Corp.
All Rights Reserved
MANCHESTER, N.J. — The Manchester fire department would like its own comprehensive map of underground utilities throughout the city instead of having to rely on an outside company for vital safety information.
“We have maps of roads, waterworks maps, maps of gas lines,” said District Fire Chief Mike Gamache. “It would be nice for us to have an infrastructure map of the entire city.”
Gamache said that was one of the few areas marked for improvement that emerged from a two-hour debriefing session yesterday at Central Fire Station.
City, state and utility officials got together to relive the underground natural gas leak that paralyzed the heart of downtown for most of Thursday. Several blocks on Elm Street were shut down, and about a dozen buildings were evacuated.
The federal Department of Homeland Security even got involved, getting frequent updates on the situation through an emergency operations center phone bank set up at the fire station.
The leak was finally isolated at the intersection of Elm and Hanover streets at 2:30 p.m., 6 1/2 hours after it was reported.
Fire Chief Joseph Kane said it was difficult to pinpoint the crack in the 8-inch line because of the maze that exists below downtown streets.
Water, sewer, electric, telephone and cable lines all compete for space with natural gas pipes several feet beneath roads and sidewalks. There is also a network of air ducts that on Thursday served to carry combustible gas into businesses and apartments.
As incident commander, Gamache said he was asked whether the fire department overreacted by shutting down about 25 businesses, including the main branch of a major bank, since no one was injured or sickened by the gas leak.
“Protocol had to be followed,” said Gamache, explaining that once natural gas concentrations reach a certain level, public buildings and streets have to be shut down. “If something did happen, it would appear to be underblown.”
Gamache was promoted to deputy chief less than three weeks ago, and Thursday was his first time heading up an emergency operation. “It was a trial by fire,” he said yesterday.
Mayor Frank Guinta sat in on yesterday’s debriefing, which included city fire, police and water officials, the Red Cross, Rockingham Ambulance, Keyspan Energy, Public Service of New Hampshire and the Public Utilities Commission.
Guinta said he came away confident the city passed its emergency management test.
“I think you can always communicate better,” said Guinta, “but the response time was fantastic. Fire, police and Keyspan were there within minutes. That was not just acceptable, that was exceptional.”
The mayor said he and other city officials anticipated complaints from businesses that were forced to shut down for the day, but got none.
“Overall, everyone agreed that it was a textbook operation,” said Gamache. “Nobody got hurt.”
Keyspan spokeswoman Carmen Fields said the company may never determine what caused the pipe to crack. “It’s still under investigation,” she said yesterday.
An early report on the pipe’s age was off by about a decade. The 1940s-era cast-iron pipe is considered old technology, she said.
“We know we have an old infrastructure,” said Fields. “The newer material is either bare steel or plastic.”
She said it is impossible to predict the likelihood of a similar incident occurring.
Keyspan regularly inspects its pipe network, she said, replacing lines and repairing problems as they are discovered.
Gamache said he and Kane plan to meet with all business owners affected by Thursday’s incident.
The fire department will also do an analysis that will be kept in-house and used for department training.
Deputy Public Works Director Kevin Sheppard said every utility maintains its own maps. His own department has maps for water and sewer lines throughout the city.
Before ground is broken on public property throughout New England, Dig Safe System in Woburn, Mass., is notified. Dig Safe then dispatches all utility companies that need to be involved.
Those utilities either maintain their own infrastructure maps, said Lisa Faso, a Dig Safe spokeswoman, or contract with a company that does.
On Thursday, Keyspan used On Target Utility Services to provide maps and pinpoint underground gas lines.
Keyspan had to get a permit from public works before digging, said Sheppard, in part to hold the company accountable for repairs afterward.
In the wake of Thursday’s incident, Gamache said the fire department will approach Keyspan and On Target about their maps “to see if we can integrate them into our system.”
Guinta said the issue is more about compatibility of computer mapping networks than a reluctance to share information.
“Can the technology that we use as a city be integrated with the technology that Keyspan or PSNH are using? That has yet to be determined,” said the mayor. “It’s something we probably can do, not today, but probably during the course of the year.”