ABSTRACT
Emergency managers are often tasked with making timely decisions that impact various complex social, political, and cultural issues. This chapter reviews elements of consequence management in relation to hazardous material (HAZMAT) accidents. The exercise in this chapter allows participants to understand the involvement of a full range of first responders, community members, stakeholders, and assets working in coordination to manage an increasingly complex HAZMAT scenario of a derailed train leaking a chemical agent. The goal is to enhance one’s leadership capacity through the decision-making process while applying technical knowledge to a fictional, HAZMAT-related case study involving consequence management. This activity will flesh out each participant’s knowledge on dealing with a local, large-scale emergency while addressing risk communication issues and utilizing the decision-making process.
