EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Dealing with Disaster
Thankfully, major incidents involving fuel oil tankers are few and far between. But, should the worst happen, Scania and Hoyer UK Limited have joined forces to create a unique emergency response service
The Westoning disaster of 1976 is an event etched firm on the collective memory of the UK petroleum industry. By coincidence, it occurred on 9/11, a bright sunny day, the calm of which was rudely interrupted by a fuel tanker overturning, catching fire and exploding in the picturesque Bedfordshire village’s High Street. According to the records of the local Parish Council, eight houses and the village shops caught fire and 21 people were made homeless. A further 100 residents had to be evacuated from their homes. Although no-one was killed, several fireman attending the blaze were injured when their fire engine overturned as they rushed to the scene. And they
were hurrying with good reason, for at the time fuel was pouring into the drains. Soon after, manhole covers were seen blown sky high as the vapour ignited. In the aftermath, the lessons of Westoning were learnt. And while the fuel supply chain has worked tirelessly since then, continuously developing its safety systems and doing all it can to ensure such an event does not occur again, disasters can – and do – happen. So it is essential that the industry should be prepared for all eventualities. But that, of course, is easier said than done, as disaster can strike anywhere, any time, any place. To be effective, a
nationwide emergency response system capable of handling all and any situations that may arise needed to be put into place. From liaison with the appropriate authorities to mopping up any spillage to recovering stricken tankers, a complete solution was called for. For Hoyer UK Limited, one of country’s largest fuel distributors, the answer lay in working in close cooperation with Scania, one of its major vehicle suppliers, and the company’s UK network of petroleum industry specialist dealers. Emergency response While Hoyer has the expertise in terms of fuel distribution and all that goes with it with regard to product
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
“The worst-case scenarios from our point-of-view are accidents or rollovers. Of course, if there’s a fire, there’s little anyone apart from the fire service can do, but for all other instances we have it covered.” Barry Mitton, Scania Assistance
knowledge, management and handling skills, it recognised that Scania could provide essential additional assistance in the event of an incident occurring out on the road. “We were ideally placed to offer two key services,” explains Barry Mitton of Scania Assistance. “Firstly, our assistance service could provide the dedicated liaison facility service required. We have staff on duty 24/7, 365 days a year, so developing a system on permanent standby was never going to be a issue
for us. Secondly, our network already had Technicians experienced in petroleum work stationed in every area of the country. A number of those Technicians were then trained in the additional skills of handling an emergency response situation with a fuel oil tanker. This training was provided by, and in consultation with, Hoyer UK Limited. “With trained Technicians now in place, the challenge was to develop a system whereby those Technicians
could respond to any given incident at the drop of a hat. We needed them to be capable of attending the scene and recovering the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible.” Today that nationwide emergency response service is in place and fully functional. In conjunction with Hoyer UK Limited, Scania has developed a capability whereby any incident involving a fuel oil tanker can be managed and resolved safely and with minimal disruption. “The worst-case scenarios from our point-of-view are accidents or rollovers,” says Barry Mitton. “Of course, if there’s a fire, there’s little anyone apart from the fire service can do, but for all other instances we have it covered.” Simulated accident The theory was tested recently at a major demonstration organised by the Metropolitan Police, where a tanker (containing water rather than petrol) was overturned in order to represent a road traffic accident. Representatives
1 from more than 25 police forces, fire services and other authorities were invited to attend and witness the event. Les Slymn, Fleet Engineer for Hoyer UK Limited and the man responsible for overseeing the event on the day, picks up the story: “The exercise began with a police officer arriving at the scene. His first action was to call the emergency phone number given on the Hazchem plate on the tanker. All such calls go through to a dedicated line at Hoyer UK’s national control
2 centre in Huddersfield which immediately puts our emergency plan into action. Nature and severity “The staff at the control centre begin by asking a prepared set of questions in order to ascertain the nature and severity of the event. Their task is to determine whether there are any injuries or product leaks and if any other services, such as fire or ambulance, are required. They will alert the appropriate Hoyer Incident Controller (Hoyer have
around 30 such controllers who are fully trained, located across the UK and provide full 24/7 cover). Dependent on the answers to these prescribed questions the decision on the next steps will be taken. “The Incident Controller has the power to call upon any services needed, which in this case involved the Scania emergency response system. A single call to Scania Assistance is all that’s needed, they handle everything and work closely with the Incident Controller. It’s an
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
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4 1. The Scania emergency response team arrives at the scene of the incident 2. Hoyer’s Incident Controller briefs the team of specially trained Scania Technicians 3. The spillage-containment boom is prepared 4. With the boom in place, Hoyer’s Les Slymn briefs the observers as to how the trans-shipping process will work 5. The Scania team prepare a portable pump for product trans-shipment (Sequence continues overleaf)
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“Scania’s specialist teams have been fully trained by Hoyer and in my opinion are the leading experts in their field. They know exactly what is expected of them and how to work in conjunction with our own personnel to best effect. It’s a great partnership.” Les Slymn, Fleet Engineer for Hoyer UK Limited
excellent service which gives us confidence as we know everything will be taken care of efficiently, professionally and proficiently. “Scania’s specialist teams
have been fully trained by Hoyer and in my opinion are the leading experts in their field. They know exactly what is expected of them and how to work in conjunction with
our own personnel to best effect. It’s a great partnership. “This particular situation called for a recipient tanker to take the load from the vehicle that had turned over.
Fuel tankers are liable to lose their structural integrity in the event of a rollover, so it is essential to trans-ship any product before any attempt to right it is made.” Team briefing On arrival at the scene, the Scania team were briefed by Hoyer’s Incident Controller. The tanker was not leaking, but the offloading process would require a hose to be connected to the tank, an action which in itself could cause a spillage. “So the team began by
placing an inflatable boom around the tanker to contain any product that might be lost,” explains Les Slymn. “Once that was in place, the hose was connected to a pump and the load trans-shipped into the recipient tanker. For today’s exercise we had just 5,000-litres of water in the tank, but in a real incident a fuel tanker may contain up to 42,000-litres. Throughout the incident, the Scania Assistance team remain in constant contact with the control centre through the Technicians.
At the appropriate time, the vehicle recovery crew is a called in. Here, Scania has a nationwide agreement with Upminster, Essex-based D&G Cars, which provides a service whenever and wherever needed. “It’s an excellent working relationship,” says Barry Mitton. “D&G Cars offer a response time of just 45 minutes and have proven themselves to be a partner we can rely upon. Like ourselves, they have all the specialist skills needed to manage their part of the job effectively and
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
8 with the minimum of fuss.” When the overturned tanker had been offloaded and was safe to recover, D&G Cars moved in. Within 20 minutes, the vehicle was back on its wheels and ready to be taken away for a detailed safety inspection. “The whole event was a resounding success,” says Metropolitan Police organiser, Chief Inspector Duncan Morley. “Everything went like clockwork and all of us observing were most impressed by the professionalism of the teams
from Hoyer, Scania and D&G Cars. What’s more, they worked with our own personnel seamlessly. “Today was all about showing how a potentially disastrous situation can be recovered safely and efficiently – which is exactly what was achieved. It certainly gives us, and our colleagues from other forces, great confidence for the future. “Our congratulations and gratitude therefore go to all concerned for a most impressive display.”
6. With the product off-loaded, D&G Cars move in to right the tanker 7. Fingertip controls allow for precision recovery of the stricken tanker 8. Inflatable cushions help raise the tanker to a point where the truck-mounted cranes can safely take over 9. Chief Inspector Duncan Morley (in white shirt) debriefs the observers at the end of the successful recovery operation
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Scania (Great Britain) Limited Delaware Drive Tongwell Milton Keynes MK15 8HB
SL5451337
www.scania.co.uk/emergencyresponse