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Emergency Response Plan for Oil & Gas Facilities
Maintaining an Emergency Response Plan for an Oil & Gas Facility
Because of the volatile nature of oil and natural gas, the first seconds of response to an emergency can make the difference between a minor incident and a fire that consumes the entire facility. Is your Emergency Response Plan (ERP) up-to-date and familiar company-wide?
An Emergency Response Plan must be customized for each oil and gas facility, and it establishes a planned response for any type of emergency. The plan considers location, proximity to other facilities, and the potential for natural disasters, among other factors.
It incorporates industry standards and local building/fire codes, everything needed for your team to work together with first responders on the widest possible number of threats. Your Emergency Response Plan must be available to local emergency teams and, depending upon the facility, it may need to be submitted to a number of Federal agencies.
No one likes to live on that razor-sharp “edge” of impending doom. That is why planning ahead of time is so important and why keeping the Plan up to date is so vital. A booklet in a file folder locked away in a cabinet will not be very helpful in the event of a real emergency. Here are five steps to help you make your Emergency Response Plan as useful as possible should your facility need to respond to an emergency.
Step 1: Review Your Existing Plan and Become Familiar with Details
Whether you are opening a new oil or natural gas facility or assuming responsibility for an existing facility, developing an
ERP is a top priority. Read it thoroughly, then walk the facility with a copy of the plan in hand to identify sites and equipment that are vital to the response. If not reviewed often, equipment might be damaged, moved, or might need to be replaced. Every employee will have a role in this plan; observe whether the plan engages the appropriate personnel and the right number of staff to accomplish needed tasks.
Review industry-mandated changes or local ordinances that relate to your facility. Enlist the help of operators with expertise in specific areas or functions. Spend some time, ensuring the Plan is viable and updated.
Step 2: Review Using the Worst-Case Scenario
Once you have an updated version of an Emergency Response Plan, review it with the most catastrophic series of events in mind. What would make this Plan fail miserably? Are sprinklers in the proper location? Is the water pressure sufficient?
Are our pumps and hoses located properly to be effective? If one piece of equipment was knocked out of commission, would the whole Plan fail? Are there adequate communication redundancies? Be relentless! Be brutal! Lives may depend upon a diligent review.
The Plan must be detailed enough to include maps and diagrams as needed. The illustrations must be clear enough that a first responder that has never visited your facility will readily locate emergency equipment. Engage with the local fire chief and review the Plan together to put another set of eyes on it.
No one likes to dwell on such terrible matters and the chances of all that could go wrong happening at once are remote. However, if you have taken the time to prepare for the worst, you will be ready should such a tragedy happen.
Step 3: Test Your Equipment
Your ERP will rely heavily upon safety equipment. To ensure your Plan has a chance of success, you need to test and evaluate the equipment.
- Some fire suppression equipment needs to be independently tested, such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems.
- Some equipment will need to be tested in training scenarios that simulate real-life situations.
- Evaluate pump capacity and available water pressure
- Ensure your foam capacity and delivery system
- Ensure that hoses are long enough and placed properly
- Ensure that water cannons have adequate reach
- Test communications systems and the redundancies needed.
Whenever your facility changes or grows, the ERP must change with it to include fire safety, suppression, and communication equipment. The new equipment must mesh with existing equipment and reach the new areas.
Step 4: Train Your Staff
With an EPR prepared and the property equipment on hand, be sure to train your entire team. Training should include:
- Providing a copy of the ERP for every team member. In that worst-case scenario, it may take “all hands on deck.”
- Complete training scenarios that reflect real emergencies, using the equipment on hand and the emergency communication devices that would be used during actual emergencies.
- Whenever possible, include local emergency responders in your training. This creates a dual benefit—first responders train with your staff and your staff works directly with first responders.
- If appropriate, invite leaders from immediate neighbors to training events.
- The more realistic your training, the better your team will be prepared.
Step 5: Schedule Regular Training
As you know, a one-time training event is not sufficient preparation. Here is why:
- Your facility will change over time. As your facility changes, the equipment changes, and you will need to train for the new footprint.
- Your staff will change over time. New employees will need to be just as prepared as veterans, so ongoing training will be required.
- Expect turn-over among the first responder teams as well. Make them acquainted with your facility should an emergency arise.
A fire event at an oil or gas facility can be devastating and spread rapidly. The risk is great. A current Emergency Response Plan kept up to date is essential. But proper preparation will include frequent equipment evaluation and training that simulates real-life fire events.
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