Following an incident on the afternoon of Aug.13, 2024, at Foremost Farms in Richland Center, Wisc., officials confirm there are no threats to the public following mitigation efforts and ongoing monitoring.

The incident involved the release of water treatment chemicals from the plant boiler, which entered the storm drain and flowed to a tributary of the Pine River.  The flow did not reach the Pine River; and water samples taken upstream, downstream and in the tributary tested at normal levels.

The cooperative appreciates the agencies for their partnership to develop and quickly implement the successful mitigation plan, including Richland County Emergency Management, the State DNR, Vernon County Hazmat, the Richland Center Fire Department and City Utilities.

The situation is under control; and there are no threats or hazards to the public, wildlife, livestock or environment.

— Statement from Foremost Farms —

On August 13, 2024, approximately 2:41 pm chemicals were released from a boiler at an industrial plant located in Richland Center.

The Richland Center Fire Department has taken incident command and Richland Center Emergency Manager is on scene.  Richland County Emergency Management is supporting all operations with resources and coordination.  State DNR and Vernon County Hazmat are also assisting in the incident.

The chemicals flowed to a rainwater containment area, and the spill is no longer active.  There are no immediate threats or hazards to the public or livestock and no action needs to be taken by residents at this time.  The situation is under control and all partners are working together to develop a mitigation plan.

Updates will be provided as they are available.

06/05/2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

At approximately 10:08hrs on June 5, 2024, the Richland Center Fire Department was dispatched to the 24000 blk of State Hwy 58 for a report of a propane leak.

Upon arrival fire crews located a natural gas service line near a residence had been struck by a contractor performing ground work. Due to the nature of the leak, varying wind conditions, and unknown ETA of utility service provider, the immediate area was evacuated with the assistance of Richland County Sheriff’s Office. Evacuations included private residences, a day care, and a few faculty members at Ithaca High School. Due to the scope of the incident Richland County Emergency Management also responded to the scene. Richland County Ambulance Service also responded to establish a reunification point for families of the day care students that were evacuated.

Upon arrival of the utility service provider, crews located low level natural gas readings in the storm drains directly across from the broken service line. The leak was mitigated by the utility service provider at 11:48hrs. All structures in the area were assessed for the presence of natural gas and 1 residence was ventilated due to low level readings. The storm drain system was also ventilated. A third assessment for gas readings found no natural gas present in the area structures or storm drain. Incident was deemed under control at 12:21hrs and all responding units cleared.
Questions in regards to this incident can be directed to Director Michael Jessen at 608.604.7736 or michael.jessen@co.richland.wi.us.

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06-05-Press-Release

 

In 2023, County and Tribal Emergency Managers across the State will be developing a Multiyear Integrated Preparedness Plan (IPP), which is a schedule of preparedness priorities. One of the ways emergency managers can identify these priorities is by conducting a survey. County Emergency Managers from Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland and Vernon Counties, in partnership with Southwest Regional Planning Commission, came together and developed the Southwestern Wisconsin Integrated Preparedness Survey to better understand community preparedness needs. This Survey will be used to drive discussions in an upcoming workshop designed to assist in identifying threats, hazards, and risks. Once identified, the workshop will also work to develop preparedness priorities for addressing those risks and use the integrated preparedness cycle to build, sustain, and deliver capabilities aligned with the preparedness priorities.

The survey results and the information gathered from the upcoming preparedness workshop will used in the development of the IPP. The IPP is not limited to just training and exercises but is being developed to address potential gaps in response and recovery capabilities as well as to improve overall preparedness efforts across our County.

Richland County Emergency Management is requesting members of the community to participate and give their input on local preparedness priorities through a survey. The survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete and can be accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IPPWsurveySWWI.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the survey, please feel free to reach out via email at darin.gudgeon@co.richland.wi.us or phone at 608.647.8187. Richland County Emergency Management would like to thank you for being a part of our community’s preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.