Inundators

BP Whiting Refinery (IN) Fire Department aims to improve risk management with new Ferrara apparatus

I have written many columns over the past 16 years describing target hazards, what they mean for a fire chief who may be in the process of designing a new fire apparatus, and the target hazards that the apparatus will have to conquer to get the job done. The BP Whiting refinery is no exception to that statement. Let me give you an overview of this vast complex.

The BP Whiting refinery is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal in the Indiana communities of Whiting, East Chicago, and Hammond. It sits on 1,400 acres. With a production capacity of 430,000 barrels per day, the Whiting refinery is BP’s largest refinery and the sixth largest refinery in the United States. It was established in 1889.

An Inundator ladder with an 85-foot Schwing boom; a 5,500-gpm high-flow pump; and a 750-gallon foam tank. (Photos by Ferrara Fire Apparatus.)

This vast complex would probably strain the resources of most fire departments in the country should a major fire take place. However, those associated with and responsible for fire protection in these vast industrial complexes will tell you that proper planning and adequate resources on hand will hold and extinguish these types of fires.

Recently, BP’s emergency services and security department was in the planning stages for replacing and adding two new pieces of apparatus, a pumper and ladder truck. No big deal, you might say, but in this case both had to have high flow rates of foam and water.

Department Setup

The department responds with various types of equipment, including the following:

• Two foam pumpers.
• One foam tanker.
• One foam tower.
• One rescue vehicle.
• One foam tender.
• One foam trailer.
• Two quick attacks.
• Seven haz-mat and oil spill trailers.
• Five oil spill response vehicles.
• Boats and numerous utility trucks.

The department operates out of two stations. The recently built emergency services building houses the majority of the equipment, a dispatch center, workshops, classrooms, and offices. The second station houses additional equipment and foam.

All apparatus carry five-inch and three-inch hose and one-percent foam. A project is in place to upgrade the engines from five-inch to six-inch hose and change out all five-inch Storz to six-inch Storz.

Most units carry a similar amount of hose, foam, and equipment. Each apparatus carries the following:

• Hydrant assist valve (Oasis).
• Five-way manifold (street hydrant).
• Two BlitzFire, a Crossfire, and a Hemisphere monitor.
• 95 and 350 eductors.
• Standard tools, fittings, and equipment.

Risk Management

The refinery engages in a very comprehensive, multilayered approach to risk management and the implications for resourcing. With the addition of several new process units and new complexities, the department used a comprehensive approach to review these risks and their associated capabilities. After these thorough reviews, the department decided to upgrade its apparatus, both pumping capacity and equipment capability.

“Most industrial fire apparatus are replaced based on a combination of age of the apparatus, their existing capability, and the amount of continuous maintenance required to keep them in proper working condition,” a BP spokesperson says. “The department uses National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, as a guide when looking at the appropriate time to replace an apparatus.”

The vehicle rear showing the Schwing boom and large intakes and discharges.

The team sought input from shift fire chiefs, fire inspectors, and engineers. They also held a series of meetings around current and future refinery needs with input from several of the corporate emergency response and fire leadership personnel.

According to BP, they use a competitive bid process on all capital purchases, as most large corporations must do. “After gaining input from everyone involved, we went out to bid. Ferrara won the bid, and we began working with engineers directly at the factory on the industrial side. They were very responsive to our questions, and the preconstruction conference provided time to discuss the details of the process and equipment,” says a BP spokesperson.

Apparatus Improvement

Ferrara has been building large industrial pumpers and ladders over the past several years. However, it came up with its new line of Inundator vehicles in the past two years. The meaning of the word “inundator” describes the refinery’s two vehicles perfectly: to flood with water or overwhelm. These two vehicles definitely perform these two functions.

“These two vehicles will be an upgrade of what we presently have. Both units will have the capability of supplying eight-inch lines that are carried on a hose unit,” says a BP spokesperson.

The pumper has a single large-flow monitor with the capability of flowing two 8,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) lines from the chief monitor, and it will have dual Monsoon monitors.

The rear of the pumper with three large monitors, a large-diameter hose intake, and discharges.

The aerial has the capability of flowing 5,000-gpm from the Schwing boom and chief monitor and has dual Monsoons monitors.

As you can see, members of the BP Whiting Refinery Fire Department did their homework in preparation for the design of these two unique pieces of apparatus. They were proactive in the design, gaining input from several people in the company who had different backgrounds and areas of expertise. In the long run, it helped immensely in designing these unbelievably functional rigs.

Ferrara Specs

Inundator Aerial

• Inferno custom chassis.
• Extruded aluminum body.
• Schwing 85-foot articulating boom aerial.
• US Fire Pump 5,500-gpm Foam Pro AccuMax 3300 pump.

750-gallon foam tank.

• Inundator Super Pumper
• Inferno custom chassis.
• Extruded aluminum body.
• US Fire Pump 5,000-gpm Foam Pro AccuMax 3300 pump.
• 500-gallon water, 500-gallon foam tanks.
• 1,000 feet of six-inch, 1,000 feet of three-inch, and 600 feet of 1¾-inch hose.

Department Info

The Emergency Services Department provides both security services and fire/rescue/haz-mat/oil spill response, including the Whiting Fire Department. The refinery works 12-hour rotating shifts, and the department follows the same schedule. The fire department is composed of a fire team lead that supervises four shift fire chiefs and seven fire inspectors. The security side is composed of a security team lead that supervises two security captains and 18 security patrol officers. The security side is responsible for not only security but also emergency medical response within the refinery. An additional five personnel support the organization’s compliance, training and inspection, testing, and maintenance responsibilities.

The fire department includes more than 70 volunteer members-all BP refinery employees. The majority of volunteers come from plant operations and maintenance and represent both hourly and salaried personnel.

The rear of the pumper with three large monitors, a large-diameter hose intake, and discharges.