1. National Strike Force (NSF) Support, River Street Warehouse Fire Portland, Oregon
Overview: •
On Sunday, 14 May 2017, a fire broke out at a warehouse on the northern bank of the Willamette River in North Portland. No injuries were reported. Wind-blown ash and debris were found southwest of the river in a densely populated residential area consisting of mostly multi-story buildings.
Roofing material from the warehouse was made with Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) and was deposited throughout areas of downtown Portland, OR.
The Pacific Strike Team (PST) provided site safety, contractor monitoring and technical expertise support to the River Street Warehouse Fire Unified Command (USCG, EPA and Oregon DEQ) during the emergency response. •
Above: Impacted areas included transportation nodes to include this Amtrak Station
Right: PST conducted safety oversight of bulk sampling operations at the fire origin •
Event Outcomes: •
NSF responders oversaw response operations which were conducted throughout downtown Portland covering 4 square miles to include 125 buildings and rooftops. Sampling and reconnaissance techniques of densely populated commercial and residential areas presented challenges similar to those at NSF pre-staged National Special Security Events.
Close integration with OGAs enabled NSF personnel to combine several safety plans into a unified plan.
Public affairs personnel were embedded into Field Sampling and Reconnaissance Teams to immediately address public questions and concerns. This course of action effectively met the public’s information needs and could be applied to large scale oil spills and other hazardous materials responses.
Emergency Response Phase outcome: Removal of 151 tons of ACM and recycled 25 tons of metal.
Removal Phase: Planned for mid-July. Demolition and removal of the remaining structure and ACM. • • •
Map showing portions of Portland, Oregon sampled by reconnaissance teams. •

2. National Strike Force Support to Sector Columbia River
Goble, Oregon
Overview:
The Pacific Strike Team was requested by Sector Columbia River to assist with site characterization and a site hazard evaluation for multiple barges and vessels during the planning phase of the ongoing response in Goble, Oregon
Utilizing NPFC and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, Strike Team capabilities were leveraged to provide HAZMAT entries into friable asbestos laden vessels to determine any potential oil and chemical environmental impacts to the surrounding waterway
Sector Columbia River IMD, 03 Pacific Strike Team members and environmental contractors conducted assessments on all abandoned barges and vessels in various stages of deconstruction
Event Outcomes:
Sector Columbia River IMD, the Pacific Strike Team and contractors completed a site characterization
Thirty, 20-lb propane tanks, five standard acetylene tanks, and miscellaneous household hazardous waste were located during the assessment
Due to the age of the vessels, all oils will be sampled to determine PCB contamination for waste stream disposal
Environmental contractors will remove the discovered free floating oil from vessel crew spaces
The Pacific Strike Team will re-deploy on 01 June with 03 hazardous materials technicians to assist with contractor oversight, site safety plan enforcement and any additional required HAZMAT entries.
25 abandoned vessels on the left descending bank of the Columbia River, near Goble, Oregon

3. National Strike Force Support To SAIL Boston Tall Ship Festival
EVENT DESCRIPTION
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston established a Maritime Security Incident Command Post to direct around the clock maritime domain awareness, prevention, protection, recovery, deterrence, and response from June during the SAIL Boston Tall Ship Festival, a DHS SEAR Level 1 Event. It is estimated that over 200,000 visitors toured Boston during the festival to include 51 Tall ships from 14 different countries and nearly 700 responders from state, federal and local agencies. Security teams screened 59,000+ passengers, conducted 30 HARPATS, and logged over 800 small boat hours.
OBJECTIVE
The National Strike Force deployed a 19-member team to support Sector Boston. The Strike Teams provided HAZMAT/CBRN response support with air monitoring, decontamination, and on-water response capabilities. The CG-IMAT augmented the Command Post with 01-PSC, 01-OSC, 01-SOFR, and 01-PIO.
RESULT
Strike Teams: Collected over 100,000 data points during air monitoring and provided support to MSRT/MSST assets. Ensured safety of public and responders.
CG-IMAT: Coached 5 Op periods, signed PQS for 19 members, and conducted 05 qualification boards.
LESSONS LEARNED
+ The Atlantic Strike Team utilized the LIFELINE meter application (backbone of EPAs VIPER system) to conduct remote air monitoring. This was a monumental step for the NSF. The team set up gear at designated check points throughout the city and remotely monitored for CBRN agents.
+ The TANB was an excellent asset to have on-site to provide safety support to on-water resources and quickly mobilize gear throughout the densely trafficked city while conducting waterside air monitoring.
+ The CG-IMAT and Strike Team demonstrated exceptional interoperability. Use of IMSS provided excellent management of IAP development and planning process.

4. CG-IMAT Support/Accomplishments
Wolfsnare Creek
NAS Oceana JP-5 Spill
Overview
On 10 May, 2017 Naval Station Oceana (NAS) spilled approximately 100K glns of JP-5 from their fuel farm. The spill exited NAS into a ditch along London Bridge Road and entered both the London Bridge Creek and Wolfsnare Creek, tributaries of the Lynnhaven River. A Unified Command consisting of the US Navy, USCG, VDEQ, and the City of Virginia Beach was formed. CG-IMAT launched a four member team to assist AST’s support to Sector Hampton Roads.
CG-IMAT Support/Accomplishments
Lessons Learned
CG IMAT launched:
CDR Williamson, PSC
LCDR Juan Hernandez, SITL
LCDR Todd Paquette, DPSC/RESL
LT Matt Childs, RESL/PIO
CG-IMAT personnel successfully integrated into the Incident Management Team. Significant efforts were applied to clarify FOSC responsibilities regarding DOD spills and align the Unified Command. These efforts established a strong foundation to organize response operations and manage public messaging.
DOD being RP presented challenges regarding who within the Naval organization serves as Navy OSC and the roles and responsibilities of the FOSC.
Initial USCG posture was to allow USN to take lead role in all response efforts. However, USCG is FOSC for spills that leave DOD facilities and the FOSC may need to take a more proactive stance regarding public messaging and response operations.
Don’t publish message charting a course of action until the UC approves the plan.
All plans must include end points. Delaying end point discussions only serves to cause additional challenges.