API Publ 4740:2005 pdf download.In- situ Burning A Decsion-maker’s Guide to In- situ Burning
Approximately 20,000 gallons of a medium-weight crude oil has been discharged into the environment. Earlier you were asked by the Unified Command (UC) to identify options to remove this oil that will also minimize the potential impacts to the environment (see boxes on pages 2 and 3). Based on the circumstances, you recommended that burning the oil in place, in-situ burning (ISB), would provide the greatest value in terms of removing the threat of liquid oil to resources at risk in and on the ground and water. Now，the On-scene Coordinator (OSC) needs additional information. You have been asked to provide more information on in-situ burning including the operational issues and concerns associated with conducting an ISB, worker and public health issues, and monitoring. Your research will help the OSC verify the appropriateness of this removal method for the incident- specific spill conditions and determine if the requirements for an in-situ burn are achievable within the recommended window of opportunity. As always, the OSC wants the information as soon as possible. You have had basic oil spill response training, and you have heard of ISB, but this is the first time you have been involved in an ISB response. During your training, you remember that there were several guidance documents that have been developed to assist responders in understanding the concept of ISB.
During a response to an oil spill, in many cases there are several federal agencies as well as state and local agencies from the affected area that become involved with the response efforts. The Incident Command System (ICS) is a response tool that has been almost universally adopted by state and federal agencies as the method of rapidly organizing a coordinated response to an incident, such as an oil spill. If all agencies involved in the incident are using the same categories to address critical needs to manage their agency, the cooperative effort of all the agencies will increase dramatically. The Unified Command structure is a necessary tool within the ICS for managing multi-jurisdictional responses to oil spills or hazardous substance releases. When planned for and practiced, ICS/UC is viewed as the most effective response management system to address discharges or releases. The ICS/UC is an integrated and flexible structure that emphasizes cooperation and coordination in local, state, and federal responses to complex multi-jurisdictional, multi agency incidents. Within the ICS/UC, there is a requirement for a single individual, or Incident Commander (IC) to be the final decision-maker for the efforts of the response. The UC is a structure that brings together the“Incident Commanders” of all major organizations involved (federal, state, local, and Responsible Party groups) in the incident in order to coordinate an effective response while at the same time carrying out their own jurisdictional responsibilities. These “Incident Commanders” are typically referred to as On-scene Coordinators (OSC)- those individuals who have the pre-designated legal authority to make decisions for their agency during an incident, including the access and disbursement of funds to address their agency’s response needs. There may be Federal On- scene Coordinators (FOSCs) from EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard; the affected State(s)’ On-scene Coordinators (SOSCs); and Local OSCs representing their local jurisdictions.