At just after 6am last Sunday, we unexpectedly found ourselves in the front-line of a national disaster. I spent all of Sunday supporting the emergency services and visiting people affected by the explosions. The dedication and professionalism of our emergency services was fantastic and as a former fireman myself, I can well appreciate their trepidation at what they were expecting to face. As a fireman, I dreaded large industrial fires such as this – I can only imagine what went through the minds of our firefighters as they came up against the largest such fire in peacetime Europe.
The fire crews, ambulance crews, police, hospital staff, council workers, Red Cross and other volunteers all worked together magnificently in dealing with the aftermath of the explosion. Across the whole town the sense of community spirit was heartening to see.
Once the shear scale of the fire became apparent, we realised that this was an event of national proportions. The Major Incident Plan was put into operation and all the prior emergency planning proved worthwhile. Local fire crews were joined by crews from all over the country and on behalf of all local people I thank the crews from the other authorities for their support.
Despite all the devastation, the miracle of the Buncefield explosion is that it occurred at 6am on a Sunday morning and, incredibly, only two people were seriously injured. At any other time, the roads past the site would have been full of cars, offices and factories on the Industrial Estate full of workers, people could have been in their gardens and been hit by flying glass. On a Sunday morning nearly everyone was in bed with curtains drawn over their windows protecting them from flying glass. The stories on the TV news and in the papers could so easily have been very different…
Having said that, many people’s homes have been seriously damaged and some will now face a homeless Christmas. Sadly, not everyone can afford home insurance or will have savings to help them re-establish their lives. Many people will need help and assistance.
The economic effect on our town could be disastrous. The damage to the businesses and industries located on the Industrial Estate, which adjoins Buncefield, has been severe. Some premises have been completely flattened and every business has suffered serious disruption. I am worried about the effect that this may have on people’s jobs and their livelihood.
Once the fires are extinguished, the media spotlight will dim and we will be left to pick up the pieces and put things back together again. Some businesses may well not survive this disaster. Most businesses will need help and support to get back on their feet. I have been talking, as a matter of urgency, with Government departments to impress upon them the need for support and help for our community.
This was a national disaster and the costs must not be allowed to fall on the people of Dacorum and Hertfordshire. It would be totally unfair for the costs to fall on the local Councils, the Hertfordshire Fire Authority or the Hertfordshire Police. The Chief Fire Officer and the Chief Constable are both concerned that their budgets will be expected to bear the brunt of the costs of the clear-up – resulting in cut-backs in other essential areas.
There are many questions opened up by this disaster, some directly linked to this plant and others of a more general nature. They will all need to be looked into, but it is clear to me that when this fuel depot is rebuilt, it cannot be rebuilt in the same location. The situation has changed since it was opened in 1968 – the depot is larger and housing estates have been built closer. What was acceptable 40 years ago is obviously unacceptable now. The location of housing estates near to such a facility should clearly be reviewed.
There are some serious questions about security and safety that need to be investigated too. It may be that we never find out the cause of this disaster as the evidence may all have been destroyed, but we can look into questions about security and staff training. The Health and Safety Executive has in the past had to serve an Improvement Notice on British Pipelines Agency Ltd for inadequate containment around aviation fuel tanks. Eyewitnesses on site reported seeing fumes escaping from the tanks just before the explosion. It seems incredible (though fortunate as it turned out) that there were so few staff on duty at such a high-risk location.
Surely an incident such as this will highlight – even to Government Minister’s such as Patricia Hewitt (who refuses to visit Hemel Hempstead) – the need for a hospital in Dacorum? With or without a major oil installation, a district with a population of 138,000 residents justifies a state-of-the-art local hospital complete with a fully-functioning A&E; department? It was to Hemel’s acute A&E; Department that the injured were taken – an A&E; Department that the Government want to close in just 4 months time. Many residents told me how worried they are about its closure. Closing the A&E; is totally inconsistent with the obvious emergency service needed where the fifth largest oil depot is located. Accident and Emergency is not something that can be shunted off to Watford. By definition it needs to be nearby and accessibly in an emergency.
A major disaster such as this serves to remind us of the value of our local emergency services. Regionalisation of the Police services and closure of local fire stations and hospitals are not acceptable solutions to financial problems. Lives must come before money.
This incident was handled impeccably by our excellent emergency services, but we need to fully investigate its cause to learn from it and to ensure that it cannot happen here – or at any other fuel depot – ever again. | 
