OSU Fire Service Training Discusses Expansion with Industry Partners
Friday, January 10, 2014
(Stillwater, Okla., January 10, 2014) – Oklahoma State University’s Fire Service Training (FST) is expanding its training capability and has invited industrial partners to be a part of this growth. Representatives of numerous organizations attended the Industrial Emergency Response Team (IERT) Symposium held by FST on November 20, 2013, to learn about the current training capabilities of FST and to discuss future expansion that will be of particular interest to industry.
FST has focused efforts the past several years to develop relationships with industry partners and broaden relationships with Oklahoma businesses that have industrial emergency response teams. The IERT Symposium, the first large industry-focused event of its kind for FST, grew out of these efforts.
The symposium was held at the OSU Fire Service Training Professional Skills Center located six miles west of Stillwater on Highway 51. Attendance exceeded 120, more than double original estimates. Attendees included representatives from manufacturing, first responder organizations, local government organizations and regional OSHA and educational entities.
Future plans for expansion of FST’s Professional Skills Center were discussed and included establishing a training facility to simulate sites for gas and oil wells, which would be used by local emergency responders in training for well site fires. A facility to simulate a refinery storage tank for crude oil is also being planned. This site would teach emergency personnel how to safely respond to fires on tanks of all sizes and how to safely apply foam in these types of emergency situations.
The symposium included professional presenters in the area of emergency response planning coordination. Speakers for the day included Catherine Cross and Bart Snyder of Phillips 66 and Troy German and Ty Owen with Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Topics included reviews of an actual emergency response scenario at the Phillips 66 refinery in Ponca City, Oklahoma, highway patrol response on Oklahoma highway situations, a mission update on Oklahoma Incident Management team and process plant planning, and a response to Presidential Executive Order 13650, which deals with security at chemical facilities in the United States. In addition, the emergency response team from Phillips 66 Ponca City conducted live burns to demonstrate current training capabilities of the OSUFST Professional Skills Center.
Planning for the IERT Symposium began back in the Spring of 2013 under the guidance of a planning team headed by Scott Willis, safety manager for Phillips 66 Refinery located in Ponca City, and Erick Reynolds, PhD, professional services manager for FST.
Speaking on the need for industrial training facilities, Willis said, “Every company has a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, customers and contractors and to ensure its activities don't negatively impact the community or the environment. And every company in Oklahoma relies on emergency responders to help them meet these responsibilities. OSU IERT recognized this need and, working with industrial partners, continues to create a world-class emergency response training facility. I was happy to attend the first symposium and I am excited to be part of this initiative.”
Willis continued, “The unique hazards associated with multiple businesses create many opportunities to provide specialized, basic and advanced training for company-paid, municipal and volunteer emergency responders. Industrial companies in Oklahoma can provide students, funding and knowledge while responders learn and create specialized training opportunities that the OSU IERT campus can host in a safe environment.”
Reynolds stated, “We are excited about the attendance at the IERT symposium. We are always looking for ways to develop closer relationships with Oklahoma companies that can use our services. This was an opportunity for us to showcase our training capabilities and the great staff that works at FST.”
As Oklahoma’s legislatively designated state fire training academy, FST is one of the most prolific outreach programs at Oklahoma State University, delivering nearly 2,000 direct training courses and reaching over 37,000 students annually. In 1997, FST created its industrial section, which designs fire training programs to meet the needs of emergency responders in commercial, industrial, institutional and governmental entities.
To learn more about how Oklahoma State University’s Fire Service Training designs programs to meet industry needs, contact Erick Reynolds at (405) 744-5727.
Oklahoma State University is a multi-campus public land grant educational system committed to improving the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach.
The instructional mission of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology includes outreach education through a variety of services in all 77 counties of Oklahoma. These services include: support for small businesses; providing professional development for educators teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics; training and publications for fire and safety; new product development center; inventors’ assistance; support for rural manufacturers; the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association; and training and technical assistance to employees of county offices, tribal governments, rural and state agencies.
RELEASE CONTACT: Renee Rhodes | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-3477 | renee.rhodes@okstate.edu