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Beaver Co. says communication needs to be better after weekend chemical fire, gas cloud

ROCHESTER, Pa. — Were you frustrated with communication during the chemical fire and chlorine gas release over the weekend? You aren't alone.

That's the focus of Beaver County officials as the cleanup in Rochester continued.

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Friday night, the state Department of Environmental Protection said chemicals stored at an abandoned pool store caught fire, releasing chlorine gas into the air. The incident prompted multiple shelter in place orders for people living within a five-mile radius of the fire scene.

The Director of the Beaver County EMS and Chairman of the County Commissioners met Tuesday to discuss the effectiveness of their Swift911 mass notification system. Officials said the system worked well, but it could be improved. County officials said they plan to issue more detailed alerts and target areas that need to be notified.

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