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MDE recently took to the waters of Baltimore Harbor for a dry run – helping emergency workers from throughout the region to be ready for an oil spill.
Training offshore the Port of Baltimore, site of nearly 150 petro-chemical shipments a year, MDE’s Emergency Response Divisionshowed more than 100 local emergency responders the right way to stop oil from spreading.
For many local emergency responders, it was a chance to learn how to drop containment boom in open water. MDE’s emergency personnel had trainees deploy a thousand feet of "harbor" size boom. The boom used for the training was made up of 10 linked sections, each 100 feet long and weighing about 300 pounds, with a depth of 12 inches. Participants worked in various spots in the Harbor including the waters surrounding Fort McHenry and the Korean War Memorial in Canton and in the shadows of old cargo vessels near Lazaretto Point.
The training exercise prepared emergency responders for environmental situations that could potentially arise near the Port. First responders must act quickly to keep spilled fuel from harming the environment. The training also provided agencies from around the region with a chance to build relationships and improve lines of communication.
Emergency teams from Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Annapolis City, Anne Arundel County, Harford County and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department participated. The training took place over 14 days in October, with MDE training as many as 15 emergency responders per day to accommodate each jurisdiction’s various shifts.
Maryland is prepared for a range of oil cleanup situations. MDE maintains over 13,000 feet of containment boom, sorbent material and four boats to respond to incidents anywhere in the State. Six spill-response trailers housed at local fire departments provide local jurisdictions with the capability to deal with spills until MDE can arrive.
MDE’s Emergency Response Division responds to more than 400 oil spills a year. Most are small spills associated with highway incidents. MDE has also responded to larger spills, such as the April 2000 pipeline rupture at the Chalk Point Power Plant that released more than 140,000 gallons of oil and affected wetlands and beaches in the Patuxent River.
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