Press Release: Cal/EPA Multi-Agency Task Force Meets for Continued Management of Royster Tire Fire

For Immediate Release (C-6-98)
Contact: Communications Office (916) 324-9670
August 17, 1997

555 Capitol Mall, Suite 525
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 324-9670
FAX (916) 445-5563

SACRAMENTO--On Friday, August 14, San Joaquin County Health officials chaired a multi-agency meeting to coordinate continuing response capabilities and contingent plans responding to the Royster tire fire in Tracy.

Attending the meeting were senior officials and department representatives from all local county, state, and federal agencies with a responsibility for controlling and analyzing the fire site.

Plans for continuing air, water, and ground monitoring of the fire and surrounding areas, including air and water sampling plans from all areas which might be impacted by the fire were discussed and implemented.

Local controls will remain in place and continue to reside with San Joaquin County officials. Federal and state monitoring teams from U. S. EPA, Cal/EPA and their various boards and departments will report through designated representatives with authority over operational and media contacts singled out by name and number.

All media calls should be referred to the San Joaquin County Health Care Services spokeswoman, Ally Keller (209) 468-6040 or the Cal/EPA Director of Communications, James Spagnole (916) 324-9670.

Operational inquiries will be routed through the Integrated Waste Management Board and U.S. EPA representatives on-site. They can be reached through San Joaquin County officials.

"We are pleased with the coordinated, complete response and capabilities each agency presented at our meeting and confident their levels of commitment will ensure accurate and timely information is received from the site. We are confident continuous monitoring will verify that, in this case, the weather and circumstances combined to make this a relatively risk-free event. nonetheless, we are all carefully monitoring the situation," said Dr. Karen Furst, the San Joaquin County Health Officer.

"Having central points of contact for all questions, either operational or media, will enable those charged with monitoring to continue to do their excellent work uninterrupted and will enable all of us, the county, the state and the federal government, to ensure immediate, clear responses are given in every situation. We look forward to our concerted efforts rendering this fire harmless in the very near future," said California Secretary for Environmental Protection Peter M. Rooney.

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