09/05/2025
“Recently, Sector Ohio Valley hosted an Inland Spill Response Course in Pittsburgh, PA, bringing together over 30 participants from six Coast Guard units across the Heartland District and Great Lakes District. Representatives from Sector Ohio Valley, Sector Houston-Galveston, MSU Huntington, MSU Pittsburgh, CGC Osage, Sector Northern Great Lakes, and Sector Eastern Great Lakes joined forces with state partners from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and industry partners including Enviroserve, Miller Environmental, and McCutcheon Enterprise for this comprehensive four-day training event.
The course featured a combination of classroom instruction, interactive labs, and hands-on field exercises designed to enhance oil spill response capabilities. Topics covered included the properties of oil, boom nomenclature, booming strategies, boom deployment techniques, knot tying, anchor assembly, response equipment and methods, fast water recovery techniques, and resource demonstrations.
During the on-water field exercises, teams applied their practical knowledge to demonstrate containment, exclusion, diversion, and U-booming strategies. Participants also practiced oil skimming operations, underflow dam construction, berm and barrier creation, oil herding techniques, and shoreline protection strategies.
The course concluded with live-scale exercises simulating an oil spill scenario. Teams utilized the skills and strategies learned throughout the week to deploy various response techniques aimed at containing and recovering the simulated oil. This collaborative training effort strengthened partnerships and enhanced readiness to respond to inland oil spill incidents effectively.
Sector Ohio Valley would like to extend a special thank you to CWO4 Dana Fleming and Mr. Matt Tilimon for their outstanding efforts in organizing and delivering this course each year. Their dedication and expertise continue to play a vital role in ensuring the success of this invaluable training opportunity.”