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Oil
Spill Response Series
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| About
the series Major oil spills capture the attention of the public when they occur, but it is the smaller spills that occur much more frequently. Any size spill has the potential to cause problems, not only for the environment but for the people who live in the area and for personnel who respond to clean up the spill. These responders are responsible for preventing ignition of the spill, stopping the flow of oil, limiting the environmental impact, and removing and properly disposing of the waste in a safe manner. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires plants, ports and carriers to prepare contingency plans for response to unplanned oil spills. "Oil Spill Response," a five-tape series, is designed to provide training to personnel who are called upon to control and clean up oil spills. "Initial
Response"
Part One of Oil Spill Response is "Initial Response." This tape discusses how spills commonly occur, and provides an overview of factors to consider during the response. It studies the different types of oils, including gasoline, jet fuel, naphtha, gasoline, diesel fuels, asphalt, and crude oil, and talks about the hazards associated with oil during the different phases of the spill, including fire risk, toxicity, mechanical dangers, and environmental threats. "Initial Response" also tells what agencies must be notified of a spill, and discusses how spills behave and the factors that will cause one spill to behave differently from another. Other topics covered include sizing up the situation, site control, responder safety, incident management, and mounting a non-intrusive response. 28 minutes (27 min.) "Countermeasures
on Land"
The second part of the series, "Clean-Up on Land," focuses on the ecological impact of oil spills on land and along the shoreline. It explains the basic elements of a contingency plan, and covers control activities and spill countermeasures for land spills, including low and high pressure washing, sand blasting, steam cleaning, soil washing, physical removal, mechanical removal, vacuum pumping, use of sorbents, degradation and bioremediation. "Clean Up On Land" also discusses the potential impact of various treatment methods, and covers appropriate safety precautions that must be taken by responders, including use of protective equipment and safety plans. Other topics examined include how land spills behave, how to prepare for an approaching spill, how intrusive clean-up methods can be detrimental and can delay natural recovery, and the special problems of shoreline clean-up. 28 minutes "Countermeasures on Water"
Program three of Oil Spill Response is "Countermeasures on Water." This tape studies the factors that challenge responders to water spills, including weather, wind, sea conditions, and currents. It examines how oil weathers when spilled on water, and what factors affect the weathering rate. Resources for enlisting aid are outlined, and the importance of tracking spills in order to predict ecological impact is stressed. Managing the response effort is outlined, and countermeasures discussed in depth, including booms and barriers, skimming, herding, absorbents, in situ burning, chemical treatment (dispersants and gelling agents), and bioremediation. Other topics covered include basic safety precautions for emergency responders, and dealing with contaminated wildlife. 28 minutes
A very important part of managing the response to an oil spill is handling recovered oil and other hazardous wastes resulting form the clean-up effort. This is the topic of the fourth tape in the series, "Waste Management." This program outlines waste management priorities: eliminating the waste, reducing the amount of waste, recycling the waste, treating the waste, and disposing of the waste. It also discusses standards waste oil must meet for recycling, temporary storage options for bulk oil, oil/water separation, and use of vacuum trucks. Other topics covered include extracting emulsions, separating oil and debris, and disposal and reclamation, including thermal desorption, incineration, land farming and landfill. 22 minutes "Unified
Command"
When a spill occurs, many agencies will become involved in the response, from local fire departments, to private professional clean-up organizations, to multiple state and federal agencies. A good response management response system is necessary to blend these diverse agencies together into an effective, cohesive response team. This is a unified command response. This new addition to the Oil Spill Response series explains how a single organizational structure is formed through the mutual agreement of cooperative agencies. It explains who the key players in the response will be, the responsibilities of each, and how resources are integrated successfully.
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