Beyond the tick-box
Published: 01 January, 2008
It is a pleasure to visit an industrial facility and find an emergency response team that is utterly convinced that its level of readiness for the unexpected is world class – and after visiting SembCorp Utilities’ 2000-acre facilities in Teesside, northeast UK, it is possible to see where this confidence comes from.
SembCorp Protection (SembCorp) is a division of SembCorp Utilities (UK) Limited. It has 100 firefighters that are unique in many ways, not least in that they are trained in three key areas – firefighting, ambulance, and security – truly multi-tasking in a leading European chemical complex that includes five top tier COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) operators.
SembCorp provides its Wilton International Headquarters site (Wilton) with all capital equipment (including vehicles and control centres), as well as common procedures and training for emergency management/exercising, to a number of chemical manufacturers. It looks after £14 billion worth of high-hazard industrial assets across four sites, the biggest of which is Wilton.
At the centre of SembCorp’s service is a detailed core service definition which defines agreed critical service levels, KPIs, and flexibility for additional needs. “It is a very detailed document providing total clarity. The contract will have an element of training and planning, but if additional training or services are required – such as breathing apparatus during a plant overhaul or additional security etc, then there may be an additional cost which we call ‘take and pay’,” explains Business Development Manager Training & Consultancy – Judith Wong.
Standard risk reduction involves inventory of hazards, specific incident fire plans, fixed and mobile response, and electronic information systems. Risk reduction, emphasises Greg, goes significantly beyond the prescribed tick-box documentation that he feels is still the industry standard. “People think that if you are obeying the standards then you are managing risk. But unfortunately the result is that in some organisations risk management programmes have only been notionally tested. You could have as many as 100 firefighters in a plant, but the questions is, do they know what to do? You could have the right KPIs outlining – for example – that firefighters have to get to an incident in X number of minutes. A company could deliver that, but the main thing is knowing the appropriate response when you get there. I’m amazed by the lack of understanding that is endemic in this industry.”
A good understanding of risk improvement/ reduction programmes has brought benefits to SembCorp Protection’s customers. The ability to demonstrate eff ective emergency response and preparedness results in cost savings via reduced insurance premiums. “We have been able to factually demonstrate the reason for some substantial financial savings, which is one of the reasons why our customers keep renewing their service,” adds Greg. Pre-planning, exercise and testing Peter Burke, Operations Manager, explains that all training exercises include timed response, attendance times etc, often according to a company’s customised plans. “Certain organisations have pre-plans where they will have made an assessment of their risk, outlining where operations are more critical. This gives us a good indication of areas of concern, and tells us which critical areas require a quick response. All this information is embedded in our vehicle mounted data system (VMDS) electronic system, which is also accessible from our vehicles .”
Each exercise is followed by a full debrief, solution, and re-test. Then a report is issued to the customer. “When the insurance inspectors come in, they love to see these reports,” adds Peter. Historically, remembers Greg, there was no demonstrable evidence of how much water was actually available from hydrants, and at what pressure. “So we came up with a system to test the hydrants to NFPA 291 levels of simultaneous discharge and pressure measurements, with a robust reporting mechanism. We did the same with the sumps, both with a liquidator and a six-gun, to provide evidence of 3,000gpm.” Hydrant and sump capacity are critical, because SembCorp uses some highly specialised, heavy-duty equipment.
The star of the show is an E-One, American, industrial fire truck with a 6,000gpm capability. Also on site is an E–One 3,000gpm fire truck, three Volvo 1,000gpm industrial fire trucks, and one Renault 1000gpm fire truck.
Another vehicle is expected in May 2008. Built to SembCorp Protection’s specifications it will consist of a Volvo chassis with a multi media appliance consisting of foam, water and powder giving hydrochem technology.
The site has at its disposal the biggest stock of foam in the UK – 120,000+ litres of multi-purpose Angus Tridol foam, which replaces a similar amount of PFOS-containing foam incinerated in 2006.
As for mobile equipment, the site has two skid pumps (3,000 gallon output), five hose trailers (five inch volume hose), and six foam barrels (20,000 litres per barrel). “We have also taken delivery of a brand new water support unit (two km five inch hose) with automatic retrieval,” adds Greg.
As you’d expect in a site like Wilton, there are a number of monitors including two six-gun, 6,000gpm hydro-foam monitors, three Patriot II 2,000gpm, and three Patriot I 1,000gpm. Large volume monitors are also on site, but Greg points out that according to NFPA 11: 5.2.4.1.1 monitors are not to be considered as the primary means of protection for fixed-roof tanks over 18m in diameter.
An impressive tool that is part of SembCorp’s emergency response armoury is a sophisticated Vehicle Mounted Display System that uses in-house developed software. This allows critical information to be displayed on route to a callout, including fire hydrants, pipelines, and layout plans. But the GPS-based system does much, much more.
The system is viewable on a huge LCD screen in the Emergency Control Centre. “On the map we can plot the placing of monitors and hose reels. It also has basic information on the chemical hazards in the area, and we have taken photos of every critical valve in the plant. A firefighter going into a building can print off a particular area, put the print in a waterproof pouch and take it with him inside. The system also has a gas dispersion model.”
Training and competencies
Peter Burke explains how 1993 saw the introduction of a four-week course in ambulance technician training and SembCorp Protection is still, today, the only organisation with Ambulance Technician training outside the National Health Service (UK healthcare service). “Last year we dealt with 300 ambulance calls, and I can say that we have saved lives.” Training includes a two-day International Trauma life Support course (re-accredited every two years), dealing with the trauma side of callouts.
In terms of operational training, the team complies with NFPA 600 accredited by JOIFF, says Peter. “We train in Washingon Hall in Chorley, Lancashire (northwest UK) where they allow us to use our own equipment. We use the internal training centre at Teesside airport, and Serco on occasion. We spend in the region of £100,000 ($200,000) per annum on training, which works out at £1,000 per member of staff. We have 13 qualified in-house NVQ assessors, and we are the first industrial brigade to have issued an NVQ Watch Manager qualification in-house.”
In addition, operational staff receive Security Industry Association training and are fully licensed. Officer development includes Williams Foam Technology Workshop training (Texas), Breathing Apparatus Instructor course, various JOIFF courses (Team Leader, IFE Technical Certificate etc).
Emergency planning
“I think we have proven from our track record and exercise management that we have the most sophisticated system in the UK, particularly as regards emergency procedures.” A strong statement from Kevin O’Hare, Emergency Planning Manager, especially considering the complex infrastructure of the site, “As we provide power to each chemical plant, there can be a domino effect because all plants are interlinked. So our role is not only about incident management but also business continuity.”
In excess of 400 exercises have been conducted across chemical parks on Teesside, including 45 live play events involving mobilisation and deployment of key emergency resources and equipment. “We are now on first name terms with all the public emergency response officers in the surrounding communities,” adds Kevin.
However much preparation takes place, there will always be problems. “The control and flow of communication is vital during the course of an incident – because there are three headquarters, plus our Control Centre. The biggest problem is clarity – we may say four casualties but someone else says eight. We have to ensure accuracy so we are trained only to pass on information that we know is right.”
In the event of an emergency, SembCorp Protection provides 10 members of staff in the Emergency Control Centre. Before these 10 staff walk into the room, they are briefed and given the tools and information they need for their particular role eg engineer, health and safety, environmental, etc.
The Centre is fully equipped (40 telephone lines), and every chair and table is marked for a particular function from the local authorities; Cleveland fire brigade; police; ambulance; health and safety manager; technical manager of the affected side; etc. “We also provide public relations services to most of our customers.” A separate room contains a number of TV screens where news channels can be monitored and recorded for post-incident analysis purposes.
Kevin summarises SembCorp Protection’s approach in one sentence. “For us, none of our customers should ever have to say, ‘if only we had been better prepared’.”
