Mangalore: IOC conducts onsite mock drill to check preparedness

Mangalore, Sep 19: A siren went off from the Indian Oil Corporation Mangalore Terminal at Panambur at sharp 3 pm on Thursday, with a tank lorry filling (TLF) operator rushing out raising an alarm 'fire..fire' from the place where oil was filled into the tanker. Soon the area was engulfed by a vapour and subsequently a fire was spotted, posing a threat of it developing as an inferno at any time. But, the operator at TLF bay opened the fire extinguisher to contain the same.

Meanwhile, the fire combat team rushed to the spot with the Fire Chief Officer instructing to operate water cum foam to extinguish the fire based on wind direction. Simultaneously, to avert the spread of fire, the adjacent petroleum tanks were acted upon fixed water cooling system.

Soon, the auxiliary team also reached the spot supplying more foams, hoses etc to support the fire combat team. The rescue team searched for any mishaps and found the injured truck driver and he was soon shifted to the safety zone in stretcher.

After the first aid treatment, he was rushed to the nearby hospital. In the meanwhile, three fire brigades from Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF), Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) and New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) reached the spot to strengthen the fire extinguishing process. After extinguishing the fire, the Fire Chief declared, 'All clear' which has been again communicated through another siren.

The 12- minute long onsite mock drill conducted under 'emergency response and disaster management plan 'on Thursday tested the IOC's preparedness to face any emergency situation and it has been a success, said the Chief Terminal Manager S K Chaudhuri.
The IOC Mangalore terminal, situated in 25 acre of land has a storage capacity of 1,22,452 kilo litre petroleum products such as Motor spirit, Kerosene, High speed diesel, Ethanol, Naphtha etc. It is catering to the needs of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada districts.

Safety measures
Chaudhuri said that as per the recommendations of M B Lal committee, which was set up by the Centre in the aftermath of Jaipur fire accident in 2009 to look into the safety features of IOC terminals across India, projects worth Rs 32 crore has been sanctioned in Mangalore terminal and the implementation is under various stages.

Installation of latest technologies like Hydro carbon detectors, Automated rim seal fire protection system, High volume long range monitors (HVLR), Medium expansion foam generator (MEFG), Double block and bleed valve (DBBV), Remote operated shut off valve (Rosov) are included in the project, he elaborated.

At the review meet, post the mock drill, participants pointed to the flaws of NMPT fire tender service reaching the spot minutes late, rescue workers running through the foam and initial confusion among the fire service personnel when they entered the main gate of the IOC.
Deputy Director of Factories and Boilers K G Nanjappa, City Police Commissioner R Hithendra, Assistant Director of Factories H Suresh, MRPL, KIOCL, NMPT, MCF representatives took part.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Udupi: SDPI leaders booked for holding ‘Ambedkar jatha’ without permission

News Network

December 11,2024

Udupi: The police have booked a case against the office-bearers of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) for holding 'Chalo Belagavi - Ambedkar Jatha’ without permission and thereby disrupting the movement of vehicles on national highway at Hejmadi.

The SDPI held a jatha on December 10 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. According to the police, the group had unlawfully gathered near the National Highway toll gate in Hejmadi. Despite instructions from the PSI to disperse, they failed to act and disrupted the traffic on the national highway.

The police have booked case against SDPI state secretary Riyaz Kadumbu, leaders Haneef Muloor, Nooruddin Mallaru, Firoz Kanchinadka, Thoufeeq Uchila, Majeed Uchila, Ibrahim Kanchinadka and others under Sections 57, 189(2), 189(3), 281, 285 and 190 of the BNS.

About 75 to 100 people commenced a procession --without obtaining permission -- in cars and two-wheelers shouting slogans. They caused inconvenience to the vehicles moving on the national highway, police said.

The jatha, which was launched in Udupi on December 10, is expected to cover Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Davanagere, Haveri, Koppal, Bagalkote, Hubballi, Dharwad and reach Belagavi on December 16.

Comments