U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Manual Volume 6 - Oil Spill Response

S0300-A6-MAN-060very appealing to persons wanting to do a good turn. Adverse effects on wildlife increases theappeal. It is not unusual for a few hundred volunteers to come forward to help with a spillresponse. These volunteers may approach the response organization as members of organizedgroups or as individuals. There must be a plan for these people to work safely in concert with professionals.Turning them away loses many manhours of labor and much goodwill.A common issue is risk of personal injury to someone not trained or otherwise unfit to participatein the handling of oily debris. Volunteers should not engage in the actual cleanup of oil until theyhave had required training. Appendix G reproduces excerpts from the 29 CFR 1910 (OSHA)detailing training required for oil spill response workers. Eliminating the risk requires a screeningprocess, a simple security system and periodic advice from qualified persons. The screeningshould check for skills or training that may be of use to the response organization.Navy policy is to put volunteers under another organization whenever possible. Volunteer assignmentsshould be worked out with state representatives, environmental groups or others on scenewho have a relationship with volunteers. The Navy can draw on the volunteer’s sponsor organizationfor resources. Many volunteers have local knowledge useful to people in a hurry to get thingsdone.Legal and security issues require very quick, case-by-case handling. The person in charge mustmake contact with the local Navy facility or otherwise have immediate access to Navy personnelwho can give guidance.3-6 MOBILIZATION AND LOGISTICSTimeliness of equipment arrival at the spill site is an indicator of the potential success of aresponse. The sooner the response can begin, the smaller the oil slick and oil fouled area and thegreater the likelihood that the oil can be contained and removed. While personnel can be drawnfrom local commands and agencies or respond quickly to remote areas, special measures must betaken to move equipment quickly enough for it to be effective. Getting the logistics train movingis a crucial step in combatting an oil spill. Equipment requirements are proportional to spill size;equipment support and transportation requirements expand rapidly as spill size increases. The followingparagraphs deal with logistics requirements for SUPSALV (ESSM) spill response operations.Specific support requirements for ESSM spill response are discussed in Appendix C.Responders and equipment from other sources will have similar requirements.3-6.1 Mobilization. The ESSM oil spill response equipment is ready-for-issue (RFI) and configuredand packaged for mobilization by all modes of military and commercial transportation tospill sites worldwide. The primary staging sites for ESSM pollution equipment are the ESSMbases at Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Virginia and Stockton, California. An additional skimmersystem is at the ESSM complex in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Oil spill equipment can be positionedin all the Navy’s other ESSM bases—Aberdeen, Livorno, Singapore and Sasebo. Whenplaced on alert by notification of a major spill, ESSM contractors start around-the-clock operationsto mobilize personnel and equipment.3-20