Highways Agency

• Traffic Incident Management Bulletin

June 2007

Introduction

An article was featured in April's issue of the TIM Bulletin (Area 12 Fuel Spillage) regarding a large spillage that had occurred in the Highways Agency's Area 12.  The article detailed a particular method which was used to clear a diesel spillage.  This method was used due to a number of constraints experienced at the time of the incident.  As a result, the recommended hazardous spillage management practices developed by the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) were not followed.
 
This article will provide a summary of the recommended practice, and will also make reference to the statutory duties contained within the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, and the Protocol between the Environment Agency (EA) and the Local Government Association and its Welsh equivalent on Fire and Rescue Services issues.

National Practice: Diesel Spillages

The FRS’s recommended national practice for a diesel spillage is as follows:

• Stem the leak,
• Deploy a boom around the source and block drains,
• Apply absorbant granules / sand across the carriageway,
• Sweep the carriageway,
• Scrub the carriageway using a mild detergent.

Any attempts to move vehicles from the carriageway onto the roadside without having stemmed the fuel leak and ensuring that any additional spill occurring during the movement of the vehicle can be contained. This will prevent any diesel from seeping into french drains or soft verges and potentially causing ground contamination.

Any effluent produced from Stage 5 must not be washed into surface water drains as it is an offence under the Water Resources Act. 

The FRS national guidance for a diesel spill is NOT to apply water, as this only exacerbates the situation as diesel is not miscible with water. The application of water spreads the contamination and can potentially carry it off site and into surrounding drainage systems, thus increasing the potential for adverse environmental impact.

Case Study 1 - May 2006 Diesel Spillage

The incident referred to in the April 2007 TIM Bulletin, occurred at approximately 05:20 on Wednesday 10th May 2006. A diesel tanker was traveling Eastbound on the M62 between Junctions 22 and 23 when it began to leak diesel from a burst pipe. The Traffic Officer Service (TOS) were first on scene and with the support of the Police, implemented a closure of lanes 2 and 3, leaving lane 1 open.  The FRS was also in attendance.  Incident responders observed that the spillage was heading towards the gullies located at the central reserve thus creating a potential threat to the environment.

• Incident Congestion Map (75 KB JPEG) 
• Closure of Lanes 2 & 3 (97 KB JPEG)

In accordance with the guidelines, the recommended course of action would be to attempt to stem the leak whilst also deploying a boom around the leak.  In this case study, the boom could have been deployed around the leak in lanes 2 and 3.  This would enable the diesel to be contained whilst removing the risk of environmental damage.  The carriageway would also be kept open via the use of hard shoulder and lane 1 running as appropriate.

• Deployment of Boom (80 KB JPEG) 

Finally, absorbent granules would be applied to the area of the carriageway affected by the spillage followed by road sweeping, mild detergent scrubbing and resurfacing as appropriate.

National Guidelines

Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004

Although the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, places no statutory duty on FRS to protect the environment. It does allow a:

‘Fire and Rescue Authority to take any action it considers appropriate – (if) the event or situation is one that causes or is likely to cause harm to the environment (including the life and health of plants and animals’.

The FRS must also comply with the requirements of environmental legislation, in particular, the Water Resources Act 1991.

National Protocols and Memorandum of Understanding

Environment Agency – Fire and Rescue Services

The FRS work in partnership with the EA to prevent environmental damage. This partnership is underpinned by a protocol between the Environment Agency and the English and Welsh Local Government Associations, as the funders of the FRS. The protocol sets out the roles and responsibilities of the Environment Agency and the FRS when working together, with the aim of protecting the environment without compromising the fire and rescue services role in protecting people. The Protocol is supported by local agreements - based on the National framework set out in the Protocol - between individual FRS and EA Regions

Some of the key issues covered in the Protocol are:

Training

The EA works closely with Local FRS and the National Fire Service College to train fire fighters so that they can deal effectively with incidents that threaten the environment, including those on the Highway.

Pollution Equipment

The EA supplies pollution prevention equipment to all of the FRS in England and Wales. This includes:

1. Spill Kits (referred to as Grab Packs) which are carried on front line engines - Picture 1 shows an overview of the components within a Grab Pack.

Items carried are (from top centre clockwise):

• green weatherproof carrying case
• user aide-memoir
• 10 metres of plastic polyboom to contain spills on a roadway or water courses
• absorbent pads
• roll of warning adhesive tape stating 'waste material for collection - do not touch'
• large clear heavy duty plastic bags with cable ties and labels
• 2 clay drain sealing mats
• 1 tub of seal leaking paste
• 2 oil absorbent dollies
• pack inventory

There are other items shown in Picture 1 that are not within the standard Grab Pack issue but have been added to the pack as part of a local Nottinghamshire Fire Service initiative.  These are:

• 10 kgs of oil absorbent granules in black weatherproof holdall
• 2.5 kgs chemical spill binding powder

2. Specialist Equipment deployed on an incident support vehicle, to deal with larger/more hazardous spills. Examples include large self erecting pools, transfer pumps, overdums drums, pipe blockers and lengths of heavy duty booms.

In addition, as part of the protocol, the FRS are required to notify the EA when they become aware of spills above set reporting thresholds, e.g. 25 litres of diesel.  It also recognises that there maybe cases when the EA could ask the FRS to attend incidents, if resources permit and they are not already on site, to undertake Pollution Control Work.  General Service priorities with respect to spillages are to stem leaks at the source and to contain leaks by deploying booms and/or other pollution equipment. The Traffic Officer Service are then able to clean up the spill.

The above protocol allows the EA to request the FRS to act as the EA’s contractors after the ‘first aid’ phase is completed in some instances, (i.e. when no other suitable contractor is available or equipped to deal with the incident) and if so it states that we would cover FRS costs for such an activity.

Environment Agency – Highways Agency

There is also a MoU between the EA and the Highways Agency with regards to the Highways Agency’s role in minimising environmental risk.  For further information, please follow the link to a previous article within the TIM bulletin.

Hazardous Material Fire and Rescue Service Officers

All FRS have hazardous material (hazmat) officers who undertake a 5 week specialist training course at the Fire Service College.  Upon completion of the course one of their roles in an incident is to liaise with the EA and the Highways Agency to discuss both, environmental protection and clean-up options.

Further Information

Further information on this subject can be obtained from:

Bruce McGlashan
Technical Advisor - Fire and Rescue Service and Major Stakeholders
Environment Agency
Tel: 01903 832117

David Hanlon
Fire & Rescue Service
Environmental Protection National Lead
Tel: 07788 183050