325th CES exercises oil spill clean-up procedures Published Dec. 29, 2006 By Chrissy Cuttita 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 22 December 2006 -- More than 2,000 gallons of oil spilled into Fred Bayou here Dec. 11 - or at least that is what Tyndall emergency response and environmental flight personnel exercised to prepare for a worst-case scenario oil spill. "The unannounced drill was done to check the ability (of the squadron) to contain an oil spill," said Joe McLernan, 325th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight chief. "The purpose of containment is not only to localize the spill and minimize pollution, but to facilitate removal of the oil by causing it to concentrate in layers on the surface of the water." "Normally, we are the first individuals on scene when a fuel disaster occurs and we are the ones that get the ball rolling and call 911 to activate the spill response team," said Foley Riley, 325th Mission Support Group's logistics readiness division fuels division manager. "We are also the individuals who go and shut off any valves or switches that can stop the fuel flow to avoid more fuel from escaping into the elements." Another aspect of the training was to exercise coordination with agencies outside of Tyndall. "When a spill happens that requires support, Tyndall uses Southern Waste Services to bring in additional equipment they have available for oil spills (and hazardous material spills)," said Dr. Bridget Keegan, 325th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental management system coordinator and senior environmental engineer. "Tyndall has a contract with SWS to respond within an hour. During our drill yesterday, SWS came in with an additional boom, vacuum truck and skimmer." The 325th CE readiness flight was there to observe and participate, as they are with all on-base emergency response exercises. "As Tyndall's Emergency Manager, we would organize the disaster control group once they were recalled by the commander," said Marty Spikes, 325th CE readiness flight chief. "Upon arriving at the primary assembly area, we would begin assisting the senior fire official on scene with logistical and personnel assets needed to mitigate the incident." Although the spill didn't really happen this time, Tyndall is required by law to maintain a facility response plan. "In short, effective containment systems collect the pollutant to aid in recovery operations, divert the pollutant to areas where cleanup can be conducted, prevent the spread of pollutants over a wide area and protect areas such as Fred Bayou that are environmentally sensitive," said Dr. Keegan. Tyndall's marine transfer facility moves oil from barges with an oil storage capacity of more than 42,000 gallons. Aside from the environmental risks of running the facility, there is also the possibility of small spills around various flightline shops, the JP-8 fuel transfer pipeline or the refueling trucks. "Medium spills (2,100 - 36,000 gallons, according to the Environmental Protection Agency) like the spill we simulated, can occur when a fuel barge unloads or there is some type of mechanical failure with a refueling truck when it is loading or unloading," said Dr. Keegan. Wherever there may be a risk of hazardous material, accident, loss of life or natural disaster, the base is prepared to respond. "We prepare Tyndall for incidents by ensuring our emergency management plan is updated with new tactics, techniques and procedures from previous lessons learned," said Mr. Spikes. "These lessons learned can come from incidents here at Tyndall or somewhere else around the country or world and by having exercises like we had today."