Page 46 - SAPREF 50 year

“The role of an industrial fire department is to ensure that the
1500 pieces of portable fire-fighting equipment work and that people know how to operate them. ”
A world-class emergency response service
A refinery that can process 180 000 barrels of crude oil per day had better have a world- class Emergency Services department.
SAPREF’s Emergency Services department with its 10 people, six fire engines, six support vehicles and a lot else besides, certainly does. In fact it is held in high esteem by all
oil industry players and municipal authorities throughout South Africa and even further afield.
Says Bradley Hlubi, Emergency Response Manager and Fire Chief, “We are actually in the business of fire prevention, but should people have to use fire-fighting equipment, they expect it to work. Thus, the role of an industrial fire department is to ensure that the 1500 pieces of portable fire-fighting equipment work and that people know how to operate them.”
Most staff at SAPREF receive fire-fighting training every year — even the Leadership Team from time to time. Special attention is given to production shift personnel who are likely to be the first responders in the case of a fire. SAPREF has a response team of about 12 to 15 people per shift. These people have
received specialised training in fire-fighting, rescue, oil spill response and medical response. They perform a specialised role as part of the dedicated Shift Fire Crew whilst doing their normal duties in the plant. The shift supervisor also plays a crucial role and his decisions, particularly during the first 30 minutes, are crucial in managing the impacts of an incident.
SAPREF also has a mini-fire-station at Island View with one fire engine and all the operators at Island View are trained in fire and emergency response.
Concludes Bradley: “SAPREF’s expertise and the quality of its training programmes is considered some of the best in the industry. That’s why every year we host fire-fighters from local authorities within the greater Durban area, from the Port and from our neighbouring refinery, giving them specialised fire-fighting and ER training. We offer this training in fighting petro-chemical fires as a service to the community.”
Expert training ensures that all SAPREF fire crews are always ready for any incident.
SAPREF: FUELLING SA FOR 50 YEARS
42