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We trained all day…then this happened.

May 3, 2019

Fires at gas stations are rare, when you consider the large number of UST sites and the number of people who fill up every day. Proper signage, on-site safety equipment, alert UST operators and a smarter public all help to keep disaster away from most fueling operations.

So it came as a shock last week that, not 30 minutes after Ben Thomas of UST Training left a daylong Class A/B UST operator course, he got the call that disaster struck. One of the Class A/B students drove from class back to his site, parked the truck at the island and had just walked inside, when someone ran in and said his rig was on fire.

Fortunately no one was injured and the dispensers weren’t damaged. (A faulty engine engine block heater currently under recall by GM is being investigated.)

First question (because Ben had literally reviewed the steps earlier that same day):

What did you do first? Shut down the power.

What next? Get everyone away.

What then? Grab the fire extinguisher and call 911.

Could this happen to you? It might be a good idea to do a drill exercise at your UST site to see what you would do if a fire started. Discuss a scenario like the one above. Do staff know:

  • What steps to follow?
  • Where the shut off switch is located?
  • Where the fire extinguishers are located and how to properly use them?
  • How to direct customers to safety?

Our Class C courses include a section on responding to fires. If you’ve taken our Class C training, log in and review again. It’s free for our existing customers. If you’d like to take our Class C training, click here.

 

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