The Amazon Warehouse Collapse Response

Late Friday night December 10, a series of severe tornadoes destroyed large swaths of the U.S. Midwest and South. In Kentucky alone, the death toll has exceeded 100, making it the deadliest tornado event in the state's history. Destruction was also reported in Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee.

Six people died at a collapsed Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, an Illinois town of roughly 27,000 people about 25 miles northeast of St. Louis.

Strike Team 3

As the storms rolled in, members of St. Louis Strike Team 3 mobilized for response. The initial request for assistance came at the request of St. Clair County Special Emergency Services and MABAS 32, a statewide mutual aid response system for fire, EMS, and specialized incident operational teams in partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Daniel LaFata, assistant chief for Mehlville Fire Protection District, headquartered in south St. Louis County, explained that MFPD is a member of Strike Team 3 and has affiliations with other special emergency service teams in southern Illinois, along with the St. Louis County Heavy Rescue Task Force. When a disaster strikes the region, units are deployed to support either technical rescue operations or search and rescue operations, LaFata said. He stressed that the Edwardsville tornado response was primarily an operation of Strike Team 4, mobilized by Illinois departments, and Strike Team 3 operated primarily in a support responsibility.

The team consists of several St. Louis County Fire Departments who hold specialized training to deal with heavy rescue situations, explained LaFata, who does not possess a leadership role with the Strike Team.

MFPD’s coverage area is a 30–45 minute drive from the site of the Edwardsville Amazon facility, LaFata said. The site was declared a mass casualty incident after first responders found numerous employees injured and trapped, with at least one employee reported killed in the collapse, according to an article in the Telegraph. Fire crews and heavy equipment were called in from across the region, including heavy rescue units from the city of St. Louis.

Team Resources

The capabilities of Strike Team 3 include responses to trench collapses, building collapses and major rope rescue/confined space incidents. Additionally, each strike team has the capability to function for a period of up to 72 hours without any outside support or re-supply.

Strike Team 3 has approximately 200 rescue and support personnel. All rescue personnel have had technician level training in all designated venues of technical rescue. Many members are also certified fire officers, paramedics and hazardous materials technicians and all members are required to be NIMS compliant.

Members of the elite squad include participants from other area fire protection districts and departments, including command staff personnel to support Strike Team Leader, Safety, Planning and Logistics positions, explained LaFata. There are additional support personnel from professional trades to support heavy rigging, crane operations and engineering support.

With each response there will be a Strike Team Leader, a Safety Officer, a Search Team Manager, a Rescue Team Manager, a Logistics Section and a Plans Section. Specialized squads are assigned for search operations, rescue operations, medical, logistical and ground support and plan development and documentation.

Storm Damage

According to the National Weather Service, the Edwardsville tornado lasted just four minutes from its formation a few hundred yards west of the Amazon facility to its dissipation four miles to the northeast, where it deposited debris from the warehouse on neighborhoods that suffered mostly minor damage, including blown-off roofing tiles and broken tree limbs.

The only deaths or serious injuries came at the Amazon facility.

Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn identified the victims as: Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, IL; Deandre S. Morrow 28, of St. Louis, MO; Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, IL; Etheria S. Hebb, 34, of St. Louis, MO; Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, IL; and Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Illinois.

Response

Upon MFPD’s deployment to Edwardsville, just a short drive from the district, one of LaFata’s key decisions was allocating sufficient personnel from his department while ensuring adequate coverage remained in place for his home jurisdiction. Fortunately the storms largely spared MFPD’s coverage area, which has mutual aid partnerships in place with neighboring agencies.

Mehlville’s caravan included rescue and EMS personnel including a medical director and LaFata as safety officer. By the time they arrived a command post and system had been established, and their unit was assigned to medical operations in a confined space where a survivor had been located. Because of the nature of the MCI, the emphasis was on the rescue and recovery effort and direct patient care and transport operations were minimal.

“Just about every community on the Metro East side of the river was there, plus St. Louis County and St. Louis City were there as well,” said Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback in a press conference. “Madison County was the area that received the most damage, but if it had been widespread in other communities, it would have prevented them from being able to respond to help us.”

Fillback noted that the weather late Friday night and early Saturday morning added to the challenge of rescue efforts at the Amazon building, especially when a second wave of the storm hit the Edwardsville area.

“My role as safety officer is to ensure the members of my team can operate with as minimal personal risk as possible,” said LaFata, whose personnel worked well into the following day at the damage site. “We served a support role for the rescue experts to carry out their responsibilities.”

Post-Incident

The Edwardsville Fire Department is currently holding debriefings and CISM sessions to share findings and provide resources for crew members who worked the site.

The investigation into the building collapse is ongoing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed Monday that compliance officers have been at the collapse site since this weekend. The agency has six months to conduct the investigation, it said in a statement.

“I thank all of the first responders, especially the fire departments who were in the middle of this,” Fillback said. “The police, fire and EMS crews all dealt with a really heavy rain at times, and it was a difficult scenario to work in.”

Fillback added that he is equally thankful for the response of the community to help first responders and to provide assistance to the Amazon employees and their families.

“This is probably the worst disaster [of my career],” LaFata shared, in terms of the scope of damage, fatalities and the emotional difficulty of the operation. “But I’m pleased with the combined effort and the collaboration between departments and all resources were allocated appropriately. We had the proper amount of trained personnel on scene. Nothing was done hastily and no personnel were placed at risk. This was a very difficult operation but I’m very proud of all the team members.”