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Element 4 Fire Protection and Emergency Response
NEBOSH International Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety
© RRC Training
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Leak and Fire Detection Systems: general considerations • Adequate number of detectors and location (vapour density, air flow, etc.) • Maintenance and testing • Uninterruptible power supply • Manual backup • Minimisation of spurious alarms (voting systems) • Zoning (just like with alarms) © RRC Training
• Fire and Explosion in the Oil and Gas Industries • Emergency Response
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Leak Detection, e.g. gas/vapour from pump seal or from storage tank into bund • Select/Calibrate for specific substance (s) in use • Mostly for gas/vapour leaks - some instruments can detect liquid HC leaks • CCTV with auto-sensing software - for visually spotting liquid leaks • Optical beam oil mist detectors (pinhole leaks of pressurised HCs) © RRC Training
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Fire Detection
Smoke Detectors
3 basic types, for:
• Ionisation detectors – use a radioactive compound to ionise the air in a chamber.
• Smoke • Heat • Flame
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
• Optical detectors – types Light scattering or obscuration
Smoke detector
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Heat Detectors
Flame Detectors
Operating principles: fusible links or expansion
• Sensitive to UV, visible or IR radiation
Can activate at pre-set temperature or sensitive to rate of rise of temperature (or both)
• Must maintain ‘line of sight’
Configurations: Spot (or point) vs. Line
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries • Passive fire protection “coating or cladding arrangement or free-standing system which, in the event of fire, will provide thermal protection to resist the rate at which heat is transmitted to the object or area being protected”. • Active fire protection “equipment, systems and methods which, following initiation, may be used to control, mitigate and extinguish fires”.
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries PFP temporarily provides and maintains 3 things: • Integrity – should not allow flames or smoke through • Stability – maintain structural strength of what it is protecting • Insulation – prevent significant heat transmission Protection is short-term – typically 30 mins – 2hours
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Passive Fire Protection (PFP) comes in many forms, including: • Preformed, e.g. boards, cladding, linings, pipe shells • Prefabricated, e.g. fire barriers, walls and partitions • Spray coatings, e.g. epoxy resin-based intumescents, cement based plasters and endothermic coatings. • Enclosures, e.g. around ESD valves • Seals/sealants, e.g. intumescent door seals, fire-stopping • Flexible jackets, etc.
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Fixed Water and Foam-Based Fire Protection Systems comprise:
Active Fire Protection (AFP), e.g. • A fire-water source • Fixed – sprinkler or deluge systems, using water, foam
• A fire-water pump
• Portable – fire extinguishers
• Fire-water mains (dry or wet) • Discharge point – sprinkler heads, open heads (deluge) monitors, hoses Fixed foam-based installations basically same as water – except a foam concentrate is injected into the water system
© RRC Training
© RRC Training
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Water systems Work by cooling a fire
Foam systems work by smothering a fire
Can be dangerous used on HC fires
Can be effective with HC pool fires but not jet fires
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Deluge systems are used for: • General protection of an area • Specific protection (cooling) of, e.g. critical vessels • Water curtains, e.g. protecting an escape route
Common types of water and foam based AFPs are: NB Use large amounts of water ! • Sprinkler systems • Deluge systems © RRC Training
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries • Water-Mist Systems –used as alternative to gaseous inerting systems. Very fine mists effective on most types of fire, including flammable liquids
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Dry Chemical-Based Fire Protection Systems • Fixed or portable
• Monitors (fixed or portable) – like a water/foam cannon • Hoses (fixed or portable) – connect to fire water mains
• Can be used on most fires, including HCs • Work by smothering the fire • Danger of re-ignition
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Gaseous Inerting Extinguishing Systems • CO2 and Argonite used for, e.g. electrical, comms, machine rooms. • Less mess/damage than water, foam and dry powder
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Mobile/Portable Equipment • Portable extinguishers:
Foam Water Carbon dioxide Dry powder
• Work by smothering fire • Danger of suffocation of personnel if not evacuated • Portable hoses and monitors (attach to fire water mains)
• Used where water based systems unsuitable (risk of electrocution) © RRC Training
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Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries Specific examples of fire protection measures that might be applied:
Look at some examples of protection systems
Example
Fire Protection Measures
NB, use in addition to good design features such as:
Fixed roof tanks
foam injection (overhead or sub-surface); water deluge sprays for cooling. Fixed foam installations (around rim seal). Monitors and water cooling sprays also used Gas leak detection; overhead foam deluge; foam monitors and water hoses/hydrants
• bunding around tanks • pressure relief systems
Floating roof tanks
• over-filling alarms • siting (separation and spacing)
Process modules
• emergency shut-off devices • control of ignition sources © RRC Training
© RRC Training
Fire and Explosion in The Oil and Gas Industries
Emergency Response A 3-part strategy to prevent major accidents:
Example Spheres
Fire Protection Measures Gas leak detection; spray-on passive protection on structures and supports; water deluge and monitors for cooling Gas turbines and compressors Gas leak detection; enclosure in fire-resisting shell; fixed water mist or CO2 sprinkler installations
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• Identification of an installation as a major hazard installation
• Prevention and control
• Mitigation – emergency planning
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Emergency Response Emergency Response
The ERP will consider:
Role and Importance of Emergency Response Plan (ERP) • Specific foreseeable emergency situations
• Communicates to all parties what action to take, responsibilities, resources, etc.
• The organisational roles, authority, responsibilities and expertise
• Demonstrates forward thinking
• The emergency response actions / procedures may need to coordinate with other connected installations)
• Documentary evidence or preparedness for regulator (may be a legal requirement too!)
• Sufficient resource provision (including external services) • Evacuation procedures
• Prompt action separates incidents from catastrophes • Communications (may have to consult with regulators, etc.)
• Needs to be specific to the installation © RRC Training
• Training for personnel and drills to test the emergency plan © RRC Training
Emergency Response Emergency Response Fire and Explosion Strategy (FES) (the record of a specific fire and explosion risk assessment, which feeds into ERP)
Alarms
FES would consider, e.g. :
• Automatic vs. manually operated (call points)
• Foreseeable fires/explosions
• Can be incorporated into fixed fire-water installations
• Likelihood of occurrence and likely severity (depends on e.g. location, nature of fuel, handling, complexity)
• Fire and gas detection systems can also initiate alarms and control actions
• Human factors (behaviour in a fire)
• Audible and/or visual warning
• Installation remoteness, etc. • Most appropriate fire prevention/control/mitigation measures © RRC Training
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
ALARMS Alarm type
Primary
Supplementary
Muster
Intermittent signal of constant frequency
Flashing yellow
Prepare to abandon
Continuous signal of variable frequency
Flashing yellow
Toxic
Continuous signal of variable frequency
Flashing red in affected area
Offshore installations also commonly have status lights: • Green - normal operation • Yellow - indicates low level alert – gas • Red - indicates high level alert – gas • Blue - indicates abandon platform
Primary alarm is audible, supplementary (in very noisy areas) is visual
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
Medical Emergency Planning should consider:
Levels 1 & 2 First-aid
• The range of likely medical emergencies
• An adequate number of trained first-aiders.
• The personnel – level of training, numbers needed
• First aid equipment First-aid kits, specialist treatments; recovery room; (AEDs)
• The need to transport/evacuate to off-site medical facilities Proportionate, tiered response for on-site provision: Level 1 2 3
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Description Basic first-aid provision Advanced first-aid provision Medics/paramedics with remote support from other medical professionals
Level 3 typically • Medics/paramedics capable of administering drugs, advanced wound treatments, etc. • Some equipped with extensive facilities such as X-ray, and staffed by nurses and medics
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Emergency Response Emergency Response
Principles of Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER)
Medical Evacuation and Back-up
Escape routes should be:
Procedures need to consider:
• Wide enough – (at least 1 metre wide)
• Health risk to the patient – urgency of transfer and risks associated with this. Needs medical assessment.
• Sufficient in number (including alternative routes)
• Scale of the emergency – single vs. multiple casualties • Resources needed and available – vehicles and accompanying personnel (first aiders)
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
• Protected against the effects of fire/explosion
Evacuation Off Site (in case of off-shore installation)
• Clearly designated and illuminated
• Primary method – normal non-emergency method, e.g. ship
• Maintained clear of obstructions. All doors should open in the direction of travel
• Secondary method – backup if primary not available, e.g. lifeboat, situated close to temporary refuge. Allow at least 50% spare lifeboat capacity
• Lead to muster points or temporary refuges
• Tertiary methods – final options; personal equipment – lifejackets, life rafts and survival suits
• Evacuation off-site if incident escalates © RRC Training
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
Recovery and Rescue
Roles and Operation of Fire Teams
Recovery from the sea will be required when, for example:
• Have specific responsibilities to fight fire and respond in emergencies (search & rescue, first aid, etc.)
• A tertiary evacuation method has been used • Also called Emergency Response Team (ERT) • A helicopter has had to ditch into the sea • Someone has fallen into the sea (overboard) from the installation
• On-shore Major hazard installations tend to adopt command structure similar to the fire brigade – with IC and MC
• Certain secondary evacuation methods have been used, such as assistance for survival craft
• Off-shore – OIM is in charge
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© RRC Training
Emergency Response Typical onshore installation roles in emergencies: Incident controller (IC) – will: • Determine if an incident (of which they have been notified) is serious (or likely to be) • If serious, will initiate emergency plan • Assume some main controller (MC) responsibilities, if MC absent, e.g. ensure alert external emergency services
Emergency Response Main controller (MC) – has overall responsibility. • Reviews incident continually as it develops (keeps records of events and decisions made, and preserves evidence) • Ensures injured people treated quickly and welfare needs addressed • Liaises with external agencies • Traffic control
• Co-ordinate incident response activities, e.g. search & rescue, fire fighting
• Deal with the media
• Establish and maintain comms (with MC in ECC, etc.)
• Post incident recovery and clean-up
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Emergency Response Offshore command structure OIM is in overall charge, assisted by: •
2 on-scene commanders (one from drilling; one from process) A permit controller A radio operator An offshore installation supervisor (OIS)
• • •
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Emergency Response This team will have direct contact with onshore and the coastguard, especially important offshore are: • Monitoring the weather conditions • Monitoring the position of the standby boat • Maintaining communications with the fire teams in action
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
Training and Drills
Examples of specialist training, depending on role:
Basic instruction (all personnel):
Role Fire team
•
Raising the alarm
•
Evacuation routes
MCs, ICs, OIMs, OISs
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Where to muster
Control room operators
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Use of life-saving equipment and basic first-aid
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Helideck crews
Training to cover e.g. fire behaviour, fire fighting techniques, BA, search & rescue, comms accident analysis, decision making, evidence recording etc Radio operation in emergencies (mayday calls, etc.) Specialist helideck emergency training
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Emergency Response
Emergency Response
• Refresher training needed to maintain competence
Liaison with External Support Agencies, e.g.
• Drills needed to check people WILL respond as trained
• • • • • • • •
• Table-top drills help with problem solving • Practical exercises involve personnel in mock incident • Drills carried out every 7 days
Fire brigade Ambulance and air ambulance Coast guard Police Local authorities Health authorities EHS regulatory authorities Utility services (gas, water, electricity, telephone)
• Major exercise every 2 – 3 months Some resources may be pooled (shared) among sites.
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