We flew into Tampa on Tues getting in around 2pm, was picked up by Skip from Tampa Sea Tow and went to the shop. Loaded up a boat and equipment that was going with us and hit the road. Made the run up to Mobile Alabama arriving around 1230am
In the morning we went to the ramp on Daulphin Island and launched the boat we brought and transfrered the equipment from the boat going back to this one.
The next few hours we spent getting our BP Id card, our Security CLearance card and atttending a safety class.
Spent the next couple hours touring the various work sites and getting briefed on the procedures.
We will have to be at the work site at 0600 to atend a daily safety meeting, we then go to our task force safety and assignment meeting. The boat will then be trailered from the work site to the ramp on Daulphin Island where we will be working out of.
The day will be spent then responding to oil sightings or patroloing to find oil. When oil is encountered we will put out booms and either skim the oil with a skimmer or vacum it up with a suction hose onto a storage tank on our boat.
You then have to go to an off load bardge where they siphon out your tank. You then go to a decontamination Bardge where your boat is lifted onto the bardge via sling and then decontaminated. Then it is gas up and back to the ramp. Any contaminated booms, rags, etc has to be bagged and disposed of in a seperate facility.
We are part of Task Force 36 which has 24 boats, the boats work in pairs. Crew on the boat is a Captain, a Deckhand and an Oil Reclamation Laborer.
Lots of rules and regs to abide by which really hamper forward movement.
Would like to say that 3 times today we were approached by local residents who thanked us for coming to their aid, and offered drinks, meals, etc if we needed.
While the econemy has taken a big hit on one end, it is also getting a shot in the arm on another end.
Will give reports and pics as I can. If weather/heat hold our workday is from 0600 to 600PM
