Enterprise Fire Company Trains for Gasoline Emergencies

Members of Hatboro’s attended a training session at the at the corner of Byberry and York roads.

Three employees from the Sunoco Corporate Headquarters in Lester visited the fuel station to teach Hatboro firefighters what to do in the event of a gas spill or fire at any of the borough’s three gas stations.

Mark Melesky, Sunoco's maintenance manager, stressed that gas is a dangerously flammable substance and said caution is to be used when dealing with incidents at gas stations.

Firefighters learned about what procedures are best when dealing with a gas pump that is knocked over.

Also explained to firefighters was the location of the emergency shut-off valve that would stop the flow of gasoline in case of a fire or fuel spill.

Procedures used to stop a gas spill were discussed at the training session. Officials told firefighters that the company operates a 24/7 emergency call center and once a situation at a gas station is reported, a team of hazmat contractors and Sunoco officials would respond to the scene to help mitigate the spill.

The Sunoco team said the biggest threat comes from customers who are not following safety rules that are posted around the station. These dangers include talking on your cell phone while pumping gas, leaving your car on while pumping and not paying attention while fueling up.

“This training was helpful because this is always something that’s in the back of your mind,” said gas station owner Jim Heilman, who helped organize the training session.

Len Velkey Jr., Sunoco’s senior health/safety consultant, said the company holds a few of these training sessions for fire companies every month.

“This will help the guys know the built-in safety features at the pumps and what to do if something were to happen,” said Enterprise Deputy Fire Chief Chuck McElroy. He also added that in his 19 years at the fire company he can only think of three to four fires at any of the borough's gas stations.

“We’re happy to do this training because now the fire department has more knowledge,” said Sunoco’s Senior Safety Specialist Bill Sanickyi.