BELTON FIRE DEPARTMENT: Colonial Pipeline Tank Fire Seminar

On Saturday, April 9th, the Belton Fire Dept. along with Colonial Pipeline, other local fire departments and emergency services welcomed Battalion Chief Jim Robinson to the area for a very informative seminar in handling Tank Farm fires. Chief Robinson works with the Greensboro Fire Dept. and his department responded to a fire at the Colonial Pipeline facility in Greensboro last June. The fire was a result of a lightning strike to one of the large fuel tanks. The Greensboro Fire Dept and Colonial Pipeline did a great job in handling this emergency and we felt our local agencies could benefit from the knowledge gained during that response. Chief Robinson arrived on Friday and a walk-through was completed of the Colonial Pipeline and Marathon Terminals. Several representatives were on hand from both companies to answer questions and review hazards associated with each location. During the seminar Saturday, Chief Robinson reviewed their fire response and the challenges they faced. He also informed us of what worked well and some things they could improve on. Future training and pre-planning is underway now for the local terminals. Special thanks to Brandon Grooms (Colonial Pipeline), Mike Rowland (Marathon Oil), Chief Billy Gibson and Tim Williams (County Fire), and especially Chief Jim Robinson for sharing his knowledge. Also thanks to Pastor Ron Culbertson and Cedar Grove Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facility.