Italian author Natalia Ginzburg wrote, "The fates of men are so intimately linked to one another that a disaster for one is a disaster for everybody." Penning those words, she did so with the intention of the statement withstanding the test of time. A disaster in our industry intimately links and impacts our communities, families, companies and the environment.
Those words were never truer than on March 23, 2005, when the BP Texas City Refinery disaster occurred. Explosions and fires killed 15 people and injured another 180. According to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's (CSB's) report, "The impact was felt throughout the community and resulted in financial losses exceeding $1.5 billion. A shelter-in-place order was issued that required 43,000 people to remain indoors. Houses were damaged as far away as three-quarters of a mile from the refinery." On the 15th anniversary of the incident, the CSB further noted, "The disaster at BP Texas City was the most serious refinery accident ever investigated by the CSB."
Training, safety processes and new technologies are all paramount in preventing disasters of this magnitude. However, history has shown that there still exists the unforeseen in prevention. The unknowns of technological advancement, mechanical failures and human error will occur.
The prevailing questions are, "How do we prepare for these incidents? Have we equipped our teams with the right training and equipment for success?" Assurance of success is relied upon by in-house emergency response teams, mutual aid agreements and private emergency response contracts, but is that enough? To answer this question, I recall what Chief Jerry Craft once said: It is always of most importance to "make your friends before you need them."
US Fire Pump is your "friend before you need us." Our primary mission is "protecting the lives of the public and fire industry personnel while limiting property damage."
We have proudly amassed the largest global fleet of standby emergency response equipment. Deployment from multiple locations in Texas and Louisiana ensures quick response with the ability to flow more than 100,000 gallons per minute from our world-class standby equipment. Strategically stored foam in six locations across the globe allows deployment to the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Coupled with our robust array of equipment, US Fire Pump employs over 60 industrial firefighting specialists. Our specialists are experts with a wide range of experiences from flammable liquid bulk storage and flammable/combustible gas bulk storage to onboard ship firefighting. Experienced Haz-Mat specialists prepared for hazardous material identification are equipped for mitigation assistance during emergencies and post-extinguishment operations.
The US Fire Pump team has recently responded to and successfully extinguished the largest fire events the U.S. has seen in decades. In operations outside the U.S., our team has been called upon to advise and respond with emergency assistance.
For more information, contact Jonny Carroll at jonny@usfirepump.com or call (504) 235-2938. For 24/7 emergency assistance, call (225) 209-6551.
