One of the most beautiful places in California is Avila Beach. If you’ve been there, I’m sure you’d agree. And yet, now, after the Gulf Oil Spill, nearly everyone who lives near the coast has probably thought about the possibility of something similar happening to their favorite beach. So when the county Sheriff Department asked us to participate in a HazMat Recovery training session at Avila Beach we were excited to be a part of something that would directly benefit our local area. I can only imagine how it looked to the sight-seers out that day. There was a fairly sizable group making up the dive team and they had set up a command post directly behind the “spill”. The task for that day was to recover a large steel drum that had ended up onshore and was leaking a mysterious bright green fluid (dye, for training purposes).
After containment booms were put in place and anchored, our FiberDuck absorbent booms were linked together and attached to the containment boom. The bright yellow roping and clips made it easy for the divers to make sure it was attached at the proper intervals. FiberDuck absorbent pads were used inside the containment area as well to remove the ‘contaminant’ from the water’s surface. The drum was then recovered and the cleanup activities were finished up. Overall, it was comforting to see the local authorities practicing and training to respond to an oil or other hazardous spill. We would like to thank the SLO County Sherrif’s Department for inviting us to participate, share our expertise, and supply the products to be used in this very important training to protect California’s beautiful coastline.
