CT gets new emergency clean up vehicle

In its latest step in environmental management, Community Transit has introduced an Incident Response Vehicle. Using a retrofitted retired vanpool vehicle, the agency will carry large quantities of materials needed, ready to roll, in the event of a large scale fuel or oil spill.

Operators of large fleets of vehicles have to be prepared for spills of motor oil, transmission fluid, fuel or other fluids. While most of spills are very small – a quart or less – Community Transit has a responsibility to keep these materials out of storm drains and water systems.

The van is stocked with 100 absorbent pads, 200 quarts of absorbent material, a boom to keep a spill out of storm drains, baking soda to neutralize acid from a battery leak, brooms and other clean-up materials. It also has cones to cordon off work areas, a flashing yellow light bar on the back to warn passing drivers and regular lights for illuminating a clean-up site at night. Having all the materials mobile reduces the time it would take to select materials and load a vehicle after an incident.

The Incident Response Vehicle comes in addition to Community Transit supervisor vehicles that already carry small supplies of pads and absorbent material to clean up spills. Preparing for potential larger spills, requiring a bigger response, is the purpose of the new vehicle said Colleen Murphy, a risk management analyst.

“We have had spills that have tested our capabilities, given the supplies on the supervisors’ vans,” she said. “With this response vehicle we have what we need to protect the environment and the public safety.”

The van can be staffed by people from several different departments, including Risk Management, Facilities Maintenance and Vehicle Maintenance, depending on the situation. That will provide the flexibility to properly respond, Murphy said.