Ohio Oil Field Emergency Response

The use of a specialized web site supports oil and gas wellhead emergency response efforts in the State of Ohio.

Need/Opportunity

• Oil and gas wellhead emergencies pose significant human and environmental concerns
• First responders require rapid, ready access to wellhead information
• Wellhead operators need to know reporting requirements if an event occurs

Emergency responders historically have not been provided with specialized training or assistance for handling spills and fires at oil field sites.  This lack of training has led to potential safety hazards for responders and, in some cases, inappropriate response efforts. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Ohio oil and gas industry, conceived a multimedia program to provide training and information resources to emergency responders and response planners. EVS, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Petroleum Technology Office, developed an innovative interactive web site that provides responders, planners and site operators with the online information they need in the event of a wellhead emergency.

Approach

• Internet access to State of Ohio oil and gas permitting databases
• Dynamic Internet mapping capabilities
• Reporting; requirements; module
• Resources module with links to supporting government agencies

In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, a specialized web site was developed to support oil and gas wellhead emergency response efforts for the State of Ohio. Three modules allow responders and planners to rapidly obtain information about well sites.  The "Find a Well" module combines multiple graphical information system (GIS) layers and the Ohio Risk-Based Data Management System (RBDMS), allowing users to identify well owners and operators, and the proximity of wells to roads, streams, and schools, and other important features. EVS's Maps and Data (MaD) Java applet provides users with detailed, interactive township maps using standard web browsers. Reporting and Resources modules provide site operators with information on reporting requirements following a spill or fire, as well as access to other government and private information resources.

Results

• More than 1,000 Ohio Township maps converted into MaD format
• More than 30,000 production wells accessible via MaD maps and Ohio's RBDMS database
• Emergency information available via standard commercial browsers

The Ohio Oil and Gas Well Emergency Response System became fully operational and available for public use on the Internet in November 2000. The web site is being hosted by EVS while the Ohio DNR obtains the necessary hardware and software to serve the site. More than 1,000 detailed Ohio Township maps showing roads, rivers, lakes, schools, hospitals, and production wells are available. More than 30,000 oil and gas production wells contained in Ohio's RBDMS database are accessible from the site via maps, location coordinates, or permit number. The web site was designed to address download speed concerns and potentially slow modem connections.

Benefits

• First-responders can quickly determine emergency locations and information critical to successful intervention
• Well operators can identify their reporting requirements after an event
• Planners can use the site to improve emergency response preparations

Responders can use the web site to obtain valuable information during or immediately following an event as well as identify the location of a problem well and contact persons. The Reporting module simplifies the emergency reporting process for site operators by posing several questions that assist in identifying the appropriate reporting requirements and specifying the types of information the operator will have to submit. Contact information for local, county and state agencies is also provided. The web site offers a powerful resource tool to emergency response planners. For example, a county emergency response manager can use information gathered from the web site to develop a plan for staging spill supplies at remote locations selected on the basis of the distance from the storage location to the highest concentration of wells. The web site provides information to educate new employees about oil and gas well locations within particular districts. All of this information is available on the Internet using standard commercial browsers with no additional software or plug-ins needed.