June 11, 2024 - Duksan Safety Summit
Present at the meeting were representatives from Duksan, the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, Shelbyville Police Department, Shelbyville city government, the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, and surrounding businesses including Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital, Walmart Distribution Center, Nearest Green Distillery, Aludyne US, and others. Shelbyville Fire Marshal Jason Richardson and Fire Chief Matt Doak were the primary speakers at the event. They stressed the need for each of the surrounding high-occupancy institutions and businesses to develop their own plan for the event of a fire or chemical spill at the upcoming Duksan chemical plant. Possible necessary responses could include either evacuations or shelter-in-place orders, depending on the severity of the event. Also discussed were even more dire scenarios, such as a tornado or other natural disaster, that could lead to a combination of problems at not only Duksan, but also the Walmart Distribution Center, which has large quantities of ammonia at the facility. A side note mentioned at the meeting was that there are plans underway for the Walmart Distribution Center to expand from their current 600,000 square feet to around 1.1 million square feet. This is undoubtedly a positive for the area on the jobs front. Those business representatives present at the meeting were tasked with preparing their own plans for how each of their facilities will respond in the event of an emergency. These plans are then to be brought back and presented to EMA to make sure everyone is on the same page. We will continue to monitor this story and bring you any updates as news breaks. Also, tune in Saturday morning at 10am when David and Josh will be discussing this and other News That Matters here in Bedford County. |
