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Emergency responders train for fuel spill scenario

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erica Crossen
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The 375th Air Mobility Wing Inspector General's office conducted a fuel spill exercise here to ensure the readiness of emergency responders Sept. 25.

Members of the 375th Civil Engineer Squadron, including bioenvironmental, fire protection, fuels and hazardous materials flight assembled to navigate through steps to mitigate the spill. They focused on the actions they would realistically take in the event of spilling fuel, which is not only a potential environmental issue, but fire safety risk as well.

Paul Kempton, 375th CES Deputy Fire Chief, said, "It went well, it's important that the Wing Inspection Team does the best they can to give an accurate picture of the scenario for it to be a valuable learning experience for everyone. The biggest thing for us is following what the simulation is asking for and seeing how everyone has a role in tackling the situation."

With their actions under scrutiny, members of Team Scott converged to quickly resolve the problem, which was located at the 126th Air Refueling Wing bulk fuel storage facility.

The 375th Air Mobility Wing Inspection Team observed the actions of the participating players and suggested the players approach the scenario just as they would do in real life to get the most out of the exercise.

William Johnson, 375th CES Fire Station Captain, one of the first members on scene, confirmed the fuel spill was caused by a simulated deteriorated seal. Once the first responders determined the cause they relayed the information. Then they analyzed the area to see where the fuel had reached, if it went into the water drainage system nearby and honed in on where exactly the leak was coming from.

Firefighter Michael Johnson said, "The players weigh as many options as they can to fix the issue quickly without contaminating firefighters or the fuel assets."

Then, the team of responding experts had to decide how to tackle the issue. The solution was to close a valve to cut off further flow of fuel once the scene was safe and also respond rapidly with dump trunks of dirt to further mitigate the