Risk Management Tools

ARCHIE

The Automated Resource for Chemical Hazard Incident Evaluation (or ARCHIE) was developed jointly by the Department of Transportation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1989. It allows the quick prediction of hazard zones surrounding the release of flammable, explosive, or toxic materials. The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have funded an update of ARCHIE by incorporating the capabilities as part of the ALOHA family. Being a part of ALOHA provides for a graphical user interface for use in the MS Windows environment and a chemical data base. To access the new version of ALOHA use the link in the next section.

CAMEO, ALOHA, and MARPLOT

CAMEO, ALOHA, and MARPLOT are software applications developed by EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA), to assist front-line chemical emergency planners and responders. Although developed primarily for fixed facilities, the applications (particularly ALOHA and MARPLOT) have application in the transportation environment. The CAMEO system integrates a chemical database and a method to manage the data, an air dispersion model, and a mapping capability. ALOHA, or Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres, is an atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of hazardous chemical vapors. MARPLOT, or Mapping Applications for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks, is the mapping application. ALOHA (version 5.41) incorporates the capability to look at flammable and explosives.

CAMEOfm has been upgraded to version 1.1.3 to allow import of Tier2*Submit 2005 files. The Chemical Library was updated with the latest AEGLs values together with minor changes to the Reactivity Report. MARPLOT has been upgraded to version 3.3.2 to correctly display ALOHA's multiple footprints. ALOHA has been upgraded to version 5.4 with the added ability to model the hazards associated with fires and explosions. With this major update, users can now estimate the hazards associated with jet fires (flares), pool fires, vapor cloud explosions (VCE), BLEVEs (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions), and flammable regions (flashfires) as well as toxic threats. The User manual was completely updated to include extensive material associated with fires and explosions.

To download the new version of ALOHA click on the following link to go to EPA's CAMEO site: http://www.epa.gov/oem/cameo/aloha.htm (external link)

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