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If you have additional questions, please email Sarah Boyle, Response Equipment Specialist at sboy461@ecy.wa.gov.
What is the Oil Spill Response Equipment Grant?
In the 2006 Legislative session, the Department of Ecology proposed and was granted $1.45 million to implement a state-wide oil spill response equipment caching grant program. The purpose of the program is to pre-position (pre-stage) response equipment caches throughout the state. The equipment will include oil spill containment boom and absorbent materials loaded into pre-packaged trailers. In the event of a spill, this equipment can then be rapidly mobilized and deployed to contain the spill or to protect important local resources. Additionally, this equipment will add to the state’s inventory or response equipment in the event of a large spill requiring regional response equipment resources.
Who can apply for the equipment grant?
Any local public agency or tribe in Washington State, including cities, counties, tribal nations, fire departments, Port Districts, Public Utility Districts, and Emergency Management Departments.
Who will receive the equipment grant?
In order to be considered, agencies must have a substantial threat of an oil spill occurring in their jurisdiction. Grant awards will be selected based on the agencies ability and willingness to deploy spill response equipment, the resources to be protected, the proximity of existing nearby response equipment, and regional partnerships that enhance the value of the equipment.
Are there any fees associated with the equipment grant?
There are no matching funds associated with receiving the equipment grant. Licensing of the trailer is required, which may incur a slight fee for the recipient. Providing insurance coverage is optional, and is may be covered under existing policies.
What are the specs for the trailer?
Please contact Sarah Boyle or David Byers for specific details about the trailers.
Who can I contact for help?
Contact Sarah Boyle, Equipment Specialist at (360) 407-6086 or sboy461@ecy.wa.gov or David Byers, Spill Response Manager at (360) 407-6974 or dbye461@ecy.wa.gov.
How long is the training?
Training will be eight hours in length and will be performed in one day.
What will the training consist of?
The training will consist of basic safety and equipment deployment including:
Health and safety concerns when deploying equipment on oil spills
Equipment familiarization
Care, storage and maintenance of the equipment
Booming techniques
Local Geographic Response Plans and other pertinent strategies
Spill reporting and notification
Decontamination of personnel and equipment
A practical hands-on deployment of the equipment
Limitations of the equipment
Some jurisdictions are supplementing this training on their own with HAZWOPER/HAZMAT training and water safety/boat operations training.
Who should be trained?
The people deploying the equipment should be trained. Additionally, individuals or organizations who are first responders in the region where the equipment will be stored and/or deployed may participate in training. Some jurisdictions are planning "train-the-trainer" arrangements to pass knowledge on to other staff.
Can someone who has not been trained deploy the equipment?
Once an organization has ownership of the equipment trailer, it is in their discretion to determine who may deploy the equipment. For the safety of all personnel, anyone who may deploy the equipment should be trained.
Who will provide the training?
Training will be provided by Global Diving and Salvage, Incorporated. All training will be conducted by qualified, experienced staff. Whenever possible, a member of the Washington Department of Ecology will assist in the training class.
How does our organization schedule training?
Equipment training will be scheduled by Global Diving and Salvage, Inc. Whenever possible, training will occur on the same day that the equipment is delivered.
Will I receive a certification by participating in this training?
Certifications will not be issued by Global Diving and Salvage, Inc. or by the Department of Ecology. Individual agencies may elect to issue participants a certificate of attendance or completion. The training provided is familiarization and deployment training with Ecology issued oil spill response equipment.
Are funds available for backfill staff during training?
The grant will cover the cost of Global Diving and Salvage, Inc. to provide the training. No funds are available for backfill staff during training. It is the responsibility of each individual agency to handle staffing issues during the scheduled training.
What type of equipment is available?
A typical equipment cache will consist of:
Ten-foot or eighteen-foot trailer
400’ to 800’ of containment boom
Absorbent pads, boom, and sweeps
Boom tow bridal, anchors, rope, floats, and navigation lights
PPE including responder protective clothing and safety equipment
Decontamination equipment
What is the difference between the types of available equipment trailers?
The available equipment is divided into three trailer categories:
General purpose – see previous description of a typical cache
River boom – contains boom for deployment in water with moderate currents (up to about 5 knots)
Boom vane – deploys boom with currents of 1 to 5 knots; eliminates the need for boats or anchors to deploy and maintain the position of boom.
How do we determine what type of equipment to apply for?
Consider what you would like to protect if there was a spill in your area. The Department of Ecology can help you determine what assets/resources/property would best be served, but really the purpose of the grant is to provide equipment for local agencies to protect what is important to them and their communities.
Can I make a special request for equipment?
Yes. We have designed standardized trailers so that all trained responders can use any trailer during a spill. Some jurisdictions may or may not need all of the equipment available with the trailer. In these circumstances, the Department of Ecology will work with you to design the equipment cache best suited to your needs.
Where should the equipment be stored?
It is up to your organization to provide storage for the equipment trailer. Many agencies will store the trailer in a secure location near the water. Since the trailer can be moved, it may also be staged at a centralized location that can be easily accessed.
Do the trailers need to be stored at a fire department or marina?
Not necessarily. You decide where you want to store the equipment trailer. Fire departments are in a prime position to deploy the boom because of their 24-hour presence, staff numbers, training and equipment (boats). It is often beneficial to store the trailer at a marina because responders and equipment can be staged at one location.
What are the response commitments and/or obligations if we receive a trailer?
There are no commitments or obligations to deploy the equipment. You can use the equipment whenever and wherever there is a spill, and may choose not to deploy the equipment in response to a spill in your region. If the Department of Ecology responds to a spill in your region and you have not deployed the equipment, we may ask to use the equipment during our spill response.
How do we determine the strategies needed to deploy the equipment?
The Department of Ecology can help you develop protection and response strategies that work best for your jurisdiction. The Department of Ecology has identified response strategies in areas that represent our priorities for the public resources that we are charged to protect, but our strategies and priorities may not be the same as yours. For more information about Ecology’s Geographic Response Plans (GRPs), visit: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0508007.pdf.
What happens when we use the equipment?
If the equipment is used for a response action and Ecology is notified and responds (any significant marine or inland aquatic oil spill), we will decontaminate your boom and replace any expendable equipment used. Ecology will replace or decontaminate the equipment at the spiller's expense through our cost recovery authority.
Will Ecology or Global maintain the trailer?
No. You will own the trailer and equipment; therefore the maintenance will be your responsibility. Ecology will try to help with maintenance by conducting an annual inspection and replacing expendables as our budget and staff availability allows, but we can't make any formal commitments on this due to budget uncertainty (this is a one-time funding package that expires June 30, 2007).
Do the trailers need to be insured?
Insurance coverage for the trailers is up to each jurisdiction. You will own the trailers and equipment, which can easily be added to an existing insurance policy.
What happens if something breaks?
As the legal owner, the recipient is responsible to maintain the trailer. If the equipment breaks unrelated to a spill event, it is up to the owner to repair the trailer. If the equipment breaks during a spill or when in the possession of Ecology or our contractors, we will repair or replace the equipment.
If we use our boats to deploy the equipment, who do we bill for the cost recovery?
Ecology has cost recovery authority that extends to state agency costs. This authority does not extend to local government or tribal costs for responding to spills, therefore staff labor and/or vessel use expenses can not be recovered by Ecology. Local jurisdictions that incur these expenses are always free to seek cost reimbursement of these expenses directly from the spiller through their own authorities.
These equipment caches are designed to provide an effective first response to spills for oil containment and protection strategies, and are not intended to fill the need for large spill product recovery or clean-up. This remains the responsibility of the spiller and/or the Ecology in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
What happens to the equipment when it is exposed to sunlight for a long time?
Prolonged exposure to sunlight will decompose the PVC fabric of the containment boom. The boom and other equipment should be stored in a well ventilated environment out of the sun. The training provided to grant recipients will cover this and other equipment care considerations.
When do I report a spill?
Any time that any amount of oil or hazardous materials enter the waters of Washington State, you should report the spill. Replacement equipment will only be available when a spill is reported and Ecology is involved in the spill response.
How do I report a spill?
When a spill occurs, report it by calling these two agencies:
The National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802
WA Emergency Management Division at 1-800-258-5990 OR 1-800-OILS-911
You can also call the appropriate Ecology Regional Office:
Northwest – (425) 649-7000 – (Island, King, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties)
Southwest – (360) 407-6300 – (Clallum, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties)
Central – (509) 575-2490 – (Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima counties)
Eastern – (509) 329-3400 – (Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties)
What information do I need to report a spill?
You may request that the information you proved when reporting a spill be kept confidential. Please have as much of the following information as possible:
Where is the spill?
What spilled?
How much spilled?
How concentrated is the spilled material?
Who spilled the material?
Is anyone cleaning up the spill?
Are there resource damages (e.g. dead fish or oiled birds)?
Who is reporting the spill?
How can we get back to you?
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