Oil spill response training is more than an annual on-water project for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC).
It’s community education project that has spread over the years to Cordova, Homer, Seward, Valdez and Whittier.
The program came to Kodiak on April 6-7, bringing out more than 40 members of the public, including students from Kodiak High School and Kodiak College. They were invited to join PWSRCAC on one of several tours to observe how local vessel operators are trained to use the oil spill response equipment.
The local fishers participating in the training are contracted by the Ship Escort Response Vessel System, also known as SERVS, to respond in the event of an oil spill in the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound. SERVS is Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s oil spill removal organization and coordinates annual spill response exercises in multiple Southcentral Alaska communities.
The event helps keep communities informed on what oil spill prevention and response measures are in place in Prince William Sound and downstream communities. This past week Kodiak residents learned about oil spill response technology, tactics, safety and the role of local vessels in protecting regional resources. Narrators from both the council and Alyeska were on hand to describe the activities so that participants could better understand the training.
Kodiak resident Alicia Flores was among those participating in the tour. She said she was interested in increasing her knowledge of what could happen on the island and anything she can do to help prevent something happening to the environment.
“Having local people involved is important when this is where we live, where we enjoy fishing and recreational activities,” she said. “We want to keep this for future generations; to keep it as it was before we got here.”
Alyeska’s contracted fishing fleet is the backbone of their oil spill response system. A major lesson of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was that incorporating local mariners into the spill response system helps ensure a quick, efficient and effective response.
Since the inception of SERVS after the Exxon Valdez spill, the council has been highly supportive of annual oil spill response training for local fishers and mariners. PWSRCAC says Kodiak mariners have the most intimate knowledge of, and connection to, the waters in and around the region.
“I had heard of the SERVS program, but I didn’t know what it was or what it meant,” said Celeste Ossowki, another of the community participant on the tour. “I didn’t realize there are so many people in Kodiak that are part of it. It’s great to learn about what our people are doing and how you can get involved.”
PWSRCAC, with offices in Anchorage and Valdez, is a federally mandated, independent nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and the oil tankers that use it.
The council’s work is guided by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and its contract with the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The council’s member organizations are communities in the region affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, as well as commercial fishing, aquaculture, Alaska Native, recreation, tourism and environmental groups.
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