| Contacts: | Erin Curtis, Public Information Officer, 970 244-3097 | |||
| Skye Sieber, Public Information Officer (970) 625-6864 |
Third Annual Wildland Fire Safety Summit
RIFLE, Colo. – Western slope firefighters are teaming up with the energy industry once again to host the annual Wildland Firefighter Oil and Gas Safety Summit. The event will take place April 1 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College’s West Garfield Campus in Rifle.
“This is the third year that we have held the summit in cooperation with the oil and gas industry,” said Doug Paul, education and mitigation specialist with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit. “The goal of the summit is to ensure the safety of the public, industry workers and firefighters when wildfires impact the oil and gas fields.”
In addition to a gas/oil field safety orientation and hydrogen sulfide training, a new session on powerline safety presented by White River Electric Association will be on this year’s agenda. In the afternoon there will be an optional GasBadge training presented by Industrial Scientific. GasBadge is a portable device commonly used in oil and gas production areas to monitor and detect unsafe levels of gas such as hydrogen sulfide.
The safety summit is co-sponsored by Rifle Fire Protection District and Williams Production. “Williams is pleased to support and participate in this important annual conference,” said Kevin McDermott, safety coordinator for Williams. “We have a strong commitment to ensuring that our operations are safe and continually work with outside agencies to ensure their safety should they respond to an emergency that involves our facilities.”
This year’s event is expected to draw firefighters from around the state and region, including New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. “Since this effort began in 2007, we have been sharing the safety practices that we use here in western Colorado with other firefighters,” said Paul. “These practices are now common standards used nationally by wildland firefighters.”
The 2010 Wildland Firefighter Oil and Gas Safety Summit is a free event sponsored by Colorado Mountain College, Garfield County, Rifle Fire Protection District, Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management, White River Electric Association, and Williams Production. Advance registration is recommended. For more information, contact Doug Paul, (970) 244-3106.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.