The second floor of the Student Union, one of several buildings closed during warnings of potential Ammonia leaks. Photo by Mark Zimmerman.
A potential ammonia leak in the Avis Alaska Sports Complex-adjacent ice plant system was reported to UAA's Incident Management Team on May 24. A pipe that carried the refrigerant to a condenser in the refrigeration system was the culprit.
Emergency manager for UAA's Environmental Health & Safety department, John Huffman, talked to The Northern Light over the phone on June 3.
“As we were pulling the ice out of the building, the ice itself was starting to melt, meaning there were small microscopic areas [in the system] where a leak could occur," said Huffman.
Administrative Services Vice Chancellor Ryan Bucholdt told Alaska’s News Source a small leak occurred earlier in May which put the university on high alert for similar future incidents.
Huffman and his staff immediately held a meeting on the first night of May 24 to fully diagnose the issue and direct a plan of action. He said that because of the requirements for emergency response, the Anchorage Fire Department needed more information from the Incident Management Team and its partners to respond to the alert.
Huffman said that this was standard procedure and that the departments worked closely together to prevent any leak risks.
Huffman said they also worked with the Alaska National Guard's 103rd Civil Support Team, who had been on-campus last year for an "anhydrous ammonia exercise."
This exercise trained university personnel on the process for response to a hypothetical ammonia leak.
Upon identifying the risk for another potential leak, the Incident Management Team closed the facility the following day with the help of the fire department.. Temporary signage was erected, informing students of building closures in the Avis Alaska Sports Complex, the Student Union, General Support Services, Enrollment Services, and the Spine.
According to their May 25 press release, the Incident Management Team had "not identified an immediate physical risk to the public," but advised campus and community members to avoid the closed structures.
Classes, planned events, and departmental work were either suspended or moved during this time.
Remote monitoring of the ice plant commenced on May 25.
In their first release, the Incident Management Team said organizations with facilities in the U-Med district such as the Alaska Tribal Health Consortium, Alaska Pacific University, Providence, and in-area residents had been notified of the potential for ammonia contamination.
Members of departments impacted by closures were updated similarly to the rest of the community. According to messages over Instagram between The Northern Light and marketing specialist Courtney Millslagle with General Support Services, their department also stayed updated through university communications and press releases.
A communication in the Green and Gold on May 29 indicated no additional risk of ammonia leaks. All buildings including the spine were reopened for normal hours of operation.
Huffman said that his team and their partners will put their response under an “internal and external after-action review,” citing the potential personal and financial cost of the emergency. Though the overall response was standard procedure, the challenge faced by the Incident Management Team and its collaborators “had its own particular nuances.”
Despite these nuances, UAA’s Emergency Management was able to avoid any injuries.
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