“It only takes one accident to start a fire” is the strapline of the latest Fire Kills National Advertising campaign and this is as true offshore as it is in the home.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has served a number of notices since the start of the year regarding faulty fire suppression systems.
This is what Energy Voice reporter Ryan Duff kept in mind as he took part in firefighting training at 3t’s base in Dyce.
Those trained to fight any fires that break out on platforms are the first line of defence on installations that can be miles from any further support.
With this in mind, it is understandable why 3t Training’s instructors put so much emphasis on proper procedure.
Following 28 years in the fire services, Nigel Strachan has spent the past 18 years training North Sea workers on how to respond to fires on platforms.
Fire training instructor Strachan told me that it’s “vital” for offshore workers to be trained in firefighting because “the guys are isolated”.
“They are the fire team, there is no backup initially, that will come much later once the incident has developed so these guys are first call,” he added.
The oil and gas industry is no stranger to fires and it is all too familiar with the dangers of incidents escalating or getting out of hand.
This makes it all the more shocking that Dana Petroleum, Apache and Repsol have been served notices for sub-par fire safety infrastructure by the UK’s safety watchdog this year.
Strachan commented: “What’s vital is the fixed systems offshore, the sprinklers, the deluge systems, they’ve got to work efficiently as well.
“They need to be maintained and tested on a regular basis. They’re first attack and the fire team will come in secondary.”
He later added that it is “critical that they maintain these systems.”
What it takes to be an offshore firefighter
While at the training facility in Dyce, Duff strapped on an oxygen mask and joined a class that was preparing to fight fires offshore.
In pairs, delegates entered a mock offshore installation, found a casualty near a fire, safely extinguished the blaze and carried the injured person out of danger.
This gave the Energy Voice journalist an insight into the planning fire response teams must have in place before encountering any incident.
Delegates were given a brief and once in the simulated rig, had to communicate as effectively as possible to ensure safety.
Strachan commented: “The training here is a bit more realistic because the offshore environment is very difficult to try and create these conditions, obviously, having live fires offshore is a big no-no.
“So, this is the only chance the guys get to deal with a live fire.”
Making sure a blaze does not cause a crisis in the control room
However, there are some incidents that are too dangerous even for the highly trained firefighters to deal with.
A platform, or vessel, central control room will call the shots, making decisions relating to when fire teams should be mobilised or if they can handle a situation.
“The installation manager then has a decision to make whether or not it’s safe to actually deploy a fire team out to deal with that,” explained 3t crisis management team leader George Loudon.
“If it’s unsafe to do so then the installation manager has the responsibility to hold people back until he has made things as safe as possible before he puts anybody out to deal with a fire.”
Loudon explained that the course he teaches equips offshore managers with the skills needed to handle dangerous situations.
There is a lot to consider, including when to set off alarms or activate sprinkler systems.
“If there’s gas on the platform, for instance, it’s incumbent on the installation manager not to send anybody out until there is a safe environment to do that,” he added.
“The main priority is always the safety of people when they’re dealing with these types of incidents.”
Loudon, a former police officer, explained that the North Sea is a “high-risk environment at the best of times.”
While on the crisis management team leader’s course, delegates can work on managing “a fairly straightforward fire in the accommodation area, straight through to major gas escapes, fires and explosions out on the process plant” and scenarios that lead to the full evacuation of a facility.
He said: “There’s nowhere for them to go. Depending on the magnitude of the situation, they have to deal with it with what they have onboard and the manager has to ensure that everyone is equipped to deal with that.”
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