WV: Emergency Responders Refused Information

[Nonno (Premo)]

The Charleston Gazette - Latest News - 'I'm only allowed to tell you that we have an emergency in the plant'#




Bayer CropScience officials repeatedly refused to give local emergency responders details about last week's explosion and fire, according to recordings of phone calls between the company's Institute plant and Kanawha County's Metro 911 Center.
Plant officials told dispatchers that there was an "emergency" in progress, but said the company instructed them not to provide more details. For several hours, plant officials would not say what had happened or where in the plant the incident had occurred, the recordings show.
"Well, I can't give out any information, like I say, we'll contact you with the, with the proper information," a plant gate worker who identified himself only as Steve told a 911 dispatcher.
That comment came when emergency responders called the plant at 10:39 p.m., about 14 minutes after Bayer said the explosion occurred on Aug. 28.

Sometime around 1 a.m., county officials were given more details about where the explosion occurred and what chemicals might have been released from the plant.