SOUTHWICK – Several town officials gathered Thursday morning at the Emergency Operations Center in the lower level of town hall for an LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) meeting.
Dave Slowick speaks about oil spill response with some of his equipment that is used in the background. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Dave Slowick, the Section Chief for the Emergency Response team of the Western Mass. Regional Office for Mass DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), gave an overview presentation of spill responses to those in attendance.
With personnel that are on-call 24/7, Slowick noted that his team does a lot of long-term clean ups. According to the information presented, there are about 300 spills per year and around 200 complaints a year.
Some of the steps that the Emergency Response team takes when dealing with a spill are: containing the release, protecting the environment and habitat not to mention the preemptive action of dealing with any threat of release.
An example that Slowick’s team discussed was an oil spill that occurred on the morning of Jan. 3 on Route 116, right near the South Hadley and Granby town line.
A Peter Pan bus hit the back of a fuel services truck, which created a gash and allowed oil to start spewing out of the tank. The tank had about 2,800 gallons in it. The Emergency Response team was able to recover roughly 2,000 gallons.
Slowick and his team spoke about the different pieces of equipment that they use for a spill response like the incident on Rt. 116. The team usually begins their work with spills by using absorbent pads and then booms, which is a floating barrier that can help contain an oil spill. Slowick’s boom trailer has 800 ft. of boom in order to be prepared for all types of spills.
Southwick town officials who were present for the discussion and presentation from Slowick and the rest of his Emergency Response team were very appreciative for the information they obtained.
“We were very fortunate to have that agency come out,” said Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart, who is also the Chairman of the LEPC. “It was invaluable for our public safety agencies.”
Other departments and boards that were represented at the meeting included Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Police, Fire, DPW, Select Board, and Council on Aging.
