By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    As joint responders to the Portland International
Jetport and Portland Harbor, South Portland Fire Chief Kevin Guimond
said his department is well trained in combating petroleum fires. Now
the department is also well equipped to deal with such incidents.

    On Wed. July 11, the South Portland Fire Department
and representatives from seven oil terminals gathered at Exxon Mobil,
located on Lincoln Street, to display more than $350,000 worth of new
fire fighting equipment.

    Gulf Oil, Exxon Mobil, Global Companies, Portland
Pipe Line Corporation, Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Citgo and
Sprague Energy, which collectively own more than 150 tanks in the city,
purchased seven mobile foam firefighting trailers. In addition, the
South Portland and Portland Fire Departments jointly purchased a
trailer and two pickup trucks for transporting the trailers through a
federal port security grant.

    “Foam is the only way to put out an oil fire,” said
Guimond during last Wednesday’s press conference. “It’s a quick, easy,
down and dirty way to go to battle.”

    The new equipment was purchased in response to a
South Portland ordinance amendment in July 2005 that required all
trailers in service that were 25 years or older to be replaced within
24 months.

    The department had foam trailers in each terminal
already, but Guimond said they are outdated. Until last Wednesday, the
department had among its equipment, a foam trailer dating back to 1956.


    The foam itself was also outdated, Guimond said last
Thursday. The department was using protein foam, which Guimond said
works very well, but it is less concentrated than the AFFF foam in the
new trailers, requires extra equipment for aeration and poses an
environmental threat to the river. The AFFF foam is easier to dispense,
easier to clean up and more environmentally friendly, he said.

    Guimond said the majority of South Portland’s
firefighters have attended offsite programs such as the firefighter
training school at Texas A&M University.

    Lieutenant Rob Couture, who has participated in the
training, said firefighters have the chance to experience a fire on a
tank farm.

    “You need to know you have the product on hand before you start [fighting the fire],” he said.

    In South Portland, Couture said Portland Pipe Line’s
crude oil tanks located near the high school have floating roofs that
could be a safety hazard if they were to tip or be struck by
lightning. 

    Sprague Energy Terminal Manager Larry Laverriere
said when the terminal representatives were meeting with Guimond, they
considered the worst-case scenario: two tanks burning at the same time.
Laverriere said the department now has enough resources to handle such
an incident.

    “I think it’s going to be great,” said Sprague
Terminal Manager Larry Laverriere. “If we had an issue-what we had
previous was antiquated. Economically, the terminals had to step up. I
think it’s our responsibility as good neighbors.”