Texas State Guard Trains In Oil Spill Response - Hundreds More To Be Trained By End Of Year
Maj. Michael Sullivan, TXSG Public Affairs
2010/09/17
AUSTIN, Texas – With the effects of the Deep Horizon disaster still lingering, 30 members of the Texas State Guard recently received specialized instructor training in oil spill response strategies from the Texas Engineering Extension Service. By the end of 2010, a significant portion of the TXSG will be trained in oil spill response.

The course, funded by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, provided participants with the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage an oil spill response operation.

With 691 drilling platforms on the Texas coast and 9 million acres leased offshore for exploration, the risk for a major spill is real, said Brigadier General Robert Bodisch, commander of the Texas State Guard Maritime Regiment.

“The Texas Maritime Regiment (TMAR) of the Texas State Guard is honored to participate in oil spill response training with the Texas Engineering Extension Service,” said Bodisch. “Following the recent BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico, it is important that we are properly trained and prepared to assist when called upon. This training exercise advanced our skills and knowledge for such an occasion.”

The hands-on training was conducted at Lake Bastrop in Texas, which is operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority. The classroom portion of the course was held at Camp Swift, a Bastrop training site for the Texas Army National Guard.

State Guard officers and enlisted men learned response strategies and techniques. They also participated in a simulated spill situation, assuming leadership and operational roles. Specific course topics included containment, clean-up and recovery of oil, sorbents, boom deployment, skimmer operations, and oil sampling and documentation techniques, as well as shoreline protection, clean-up and restoration.

The Texas Engineering Extension Service, operating under the authority of the Texas A&M University System, has delivered oil spill prevention and incident management training for the U.S. Coast Guard and the petrochemical industry since 1975. They are experts in oil spill control and response recently developed the curriculum and delivered instructor training for workers, contractors and volunteers involved in the Gulf cleanup operation following the BP Deepwater Horizon incident in April.