Cocopah Tribe aids commodity flow study
Vehicles thoroughly checked for violations
Over 60 trucks were stopped for an inspection along Highway 95 near Cocopah Casino recently as part of a commodity flow study.
“It started back about three months ago,” said Cocopah Emergency Manager Michael Fila at the inspection site. “We were in contact with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and we talked to them about having a commodity flow study. The commodity that we are looking to capture in that flow study is hazardous materials.”
He added that the Cocopah emergency services collaborated with various partners to conduct the inspection.
“Through the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona we set up a planning meeting, and we got all the partners that you see,” he said.
Some partners involved in the inspection include the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, he says. Additionally, Fila said the tribe received help from the Yuma County Public Works Department, Yuma County Office of Emergency Management, Rural/Metro Fire Department, Cocopah/ Somerton Fire Department, Cocopah Tribal Police Department and the Cocopah Casino staff.
“We had all commercial vehicles pull into the delta lot of the Cocopah Casino,” Fila explained. “What they did is they went through a level one inspection. A level one inspection means it’s the most stringent inspection of the Department of Public Safety for looking for any violations with the truck, with the cargo or with the driver.”
The inspection began on Oct. 10, at 7 a.m. In total, Fila said that around 65 commercial vehicles had been inspected by 1 p.m. He said the vehicles were inspected to ensure they were not overweight, had working brakes, etc. Drivers were also checked to make sure they had the proper license.
“We’ve had at least ... I want to say more than 10 serious violations where they could not leave here until they fixed them,” Fila said. “That being said, we did a great thing today. We’ve taken some hazardous conditions – meaning safety issues with trucks and violations – off the road. I think it was a great day and we’ve collaborated with all our partners and we’ve exercised our equipment.”
Fila said that ultimately, the tribe will take this study back and reassess the tribal police department, the
equipment and the training that they need to get them “up to speed” in case they have to respond to an accident involving a commercial vehicle and hazardous materials. Along with that, Fila said the study will help the Cocopah/Somerton Fire Department by opening the door for them to “access grant funds” to get the proper equipment to ensure they keep themselves and the county safe while inspecting vehicles.
Drivers of commercial vehicles were not notified of the inspection by the tribe or its partners beforehand, he added.
“Any truck that’s on the road at any given time should be able to be pulled over and pass an inspection and continue on their way,” Fila said.
Fila noted that he hopes the study will lead to the tribe obtaining a truck inspector, as he feels there is need for a designated professional.
Cocopah Tribal Police
Chief Joe Jenkins noted his department’s role was to support the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Department of Transportation during the inspection.
“I had my officers stationed strategically on Highway 95 to ensure that all commercial vehicles traveling that were potentially going through the reservation were pulled over into the Cocopah Casino parking lot,” he said.
Though there were signs directing drivers of commercial vehicles to the inspection site, Jenkins said some drivers needed redirecting.
“What was really important to me was to get my officers the exposure to this type of environment,” Jenkins noted.
Jenkins explained that the inspection served as a learning experience for the officers as it gave them the chance to gain an understanding of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
regulations specific to commercial vehicles.
“Hopefully we can expand on that and get some people to a class to get them certified so we can go out and do some commercial inspections which obviously is an advantage for the Cocopah community but also to South Yuma County.”
He added that with the study, the department can gather data from the goods and thus an understanding of what might be hazardous materials that is coming through the area.
“So, we can prepare in the event that there is a spill,” he said.
Jenkins noted that ITCA also trained some Cocopah Casino staff and some of the Cocopah Tribe’s dispatchers on recognizing and responding to calls for “hazmat situations.”