From the Tri-State Oil Programs OILED WILDLIFE LOG (OWL)
Tri-State’s state-of-the-art oiled wildlife response facility in Newark, Delaware, could serve as the primary care center for wildlife responses that occur within an approximate 300-mile radius. Our response range is east of the Mississippi River, primarily from the Mid-Atlantic through Atlantic Canada. As you could imagine, this will often lead to questions about where our other facility locations are. It takes many resources to maintain a fully operational oiled wildlife response facility, so maintaining multiple facilities is not an approach we have taken.
Being properly prepared and ready to react quickly is a priority of Tri-State’s Oil Programs. In order to be prepared across the Eastern Seaboard, the Oiled Wildlife Response Team has pre-identified facilities from which it may be suitable to manage a wildlife response. Tri-State works with industry and agency partners, along with local wildlife rehabilitators, to strategically pre-identify facilities across the East Coast. In the past five years, suitable locations have been pre-identified in South Carolina, New Hampshire, Maine, and in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. A suitable pre-identified facility should be secured from public access, have ample indoor and outdoor space, access to heat, water, and ventilation, or be able to be retrofitted to meet these requirements.
Pre-identified Facilities & Training
Response readiness is more than having the necessary equipment stockpiled or facilities pre-identified. It is also about making sure that responders are comfortable and trained in using these spaces. This fall, team members traveled to Maine and worked with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) staff and local wildlife rehabilitators to practice standing up an oiled wildlife response in a National Guard Armory that was pre-identified in 2018. Similar training has taken place at other locations, with a focus on training local resources in order to practice working within this space.
No one can ever be fully prepared for an oil spill incident, as each comes with its own set of challenges. However, training and practice builds confidence within individuals and across agencies so they are as prepared as they can be during a real-world event. Although some facilities have been pre-identified, there is more work that needs to be done to fill in the remaining gaps. We look forward to continuing to build relationships and increase the oiled wildlife response readiness along the Eastern Seaboard.
by Michelle Knapp, Oil Programs Manager
Tri-State Oiled Wildlife Response
Examples of Requirements for a Pre-identified Facility
- Approximately 15,300 sq ft total of interior and exterior space
- Secure location with limited public access
- Interior temperature control
- HVAC system with increased air exchange rates to 10-20 exchanges per hour
- 6,750 gallons of hot water use each day for animal decontamination
- 23,000 gallons of cold water use each day for housing clean animals and pool use
- Water hardness between 2.5-3.5 grains per gallon
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