Learning together enhances emergency response capabilities in Utah

During the LEPC Conference, equipment is staged for field training demonstrations, including a portable underflow containment dam (yellow) and a drum skimmer used for oil spills on water.

Key Points

• Utah first responders from the public and private sectors teamed up to benefit statewide readiness at the Local Emergency Planning Committee Conference.
• Teams listened to presentations, received classroom instruction and attended field training demonstrations involving a variety of potential situations.
• Marathon Petroleum Corporation received two awards, including one for its Salt Lake City refinery's coordination of a 2024 response drill with 130 participants.

First responders from municipalities and counties in Utah are working with their private industry counterparts to further enhance the state's emergency response capabilities. Almost 200 responders from across the public and private sectors took part in Utah's recent Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) Conference.

"The conference allows attendees to build relationships, share best practices and benefit from classroom and field training," said Brock Carter, employee engagement strategy lead at Marathon Petroleum Corporation's (MPC) Salt Lake City refinery and chair of the Utah State Emergency Response Commission.

Sections of containment boom are stacked ahead of field training demonstrations at the LEPC Conference that were led by representatives of MPC's Emergency Preparedness Group. The LEPC Conference's Partner Excellence Award recognized a joint effort to coordinate a worst-case scenario drill in 2024. Posing with the award are (l-r) MPC Salt Lake City Refinery Fire Chief Brandon Phillips, Salt Lake City Refinery Employee Engagement Strategy Lead Brock Carter, Co-Chair of the Utah State Emergency Response Commission Kelly Johnson and Daniel Lemmon, an assistant fire chief with Chevron.

The conference's classroom sessions addressed topics such as spill reporting procedures, tabletop emergency planning exercises, and lessons from responses to past hazardous material and spill incidents. Field training included demonstrations of how to manage a chemical spill and deploy booms and skimmers for an oil spill on water.

"The training reinforced collaboration between departments that would be vital during an incident that warranted providing resources or support to each other, such as through mutual aid agreements," Carter said.

MPC received two honors at the LEPC Conference, including the Supporting Business of the Year Award. It recognized assistance in facilitating the conference from MPC employee volunteers, including Advanced Senior Emergency Preparedness Professional John Gross, who was the keynote speaker, and Emergency Preparedness Manager Kelly Codlin, whose team led field training demonstrations.

MPC also shared the Partner Excellence Award with another refining industry team for their joint efforts to coordinate a worst-case scenario drill in 2024 at the Salt Lake City refinery's training grounds. This event involved 130 participants, including several refining industry teams, area fire departments, LEPC members and state and federal agencies.

"The drill simulated the impact of an earthquake on a refining facility," Salt Lake City Refinery Fire Chief Brandon Phillips said. "We drafted 5,500 gallons-per-minute of water from the Jordan River to practice responding to a large crude oil tank fire. We also placed booms in the river, conducted a simulated rescue and established a mobile command."

During the 2024 response drill that was recognized at the LEPC Conference, firefighters drafted water from the Jordan River to simulate the response to a large crude oil tank fire that was part of the scenario.

Carter suggested that MPC's level of involvement with outside teams and departments reflects the fact that emergency response is never about trade secrets or competition.

"This really shows how committed we are as a company to supporting the communities and facilities around us," Carter said.

MPC participants in the 2024 response drill walk from the field to the command post. During the 2024 drill, the drone team from MPC's Salt Lake City refinery used live video streams to provide incident information.