BY JEREMY A. KELLER
Farms and other agricultural occupancies have always been challenging emergency response environments. Every farm is a unique and proprietary operation with an array of potential hazards and risks. Typical farming operations present a multitude of fire, rescue, and chemical hazards, yet these facilities are generally exempt from the hazardous materials, fire prevention, and occupational safety and health requirements that apply to industrial facilities. Commercial agriculture trends over the past several decades have resulted in significant changes in the composition and operation of many farms that have made for an even more challenging environment.
Although there is no definitive standard for what constitutes a target hazard, the term is generally understood to mean any facility that, during an emergency incident, poses an exceptional risk to life safety, property, the environment, or the economic well-being of the community. Incidents at such facilities may also be expected to present a complex management challenge, have the potential to overwhelm local emergency response forces, or require atypical technical skills during response operations. Eric Bachman, hazardous materials administrator for the County of Lancaster (PA) Emergency Management Agency, sums up what constitutes a target hazard: "If it can catch fire, release, or contain a hazardous material; affect the environment; collapse; or harm your firefighters, it is a target hazard. If it will overwhelm your resources, expose your limitations, or exploit a deficiency, it is a target hazard."1
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