The Fire Department, the Belize Defense Force, the police and Belize Emergency Response Team today conducted a fire simulation. The scenario was that a gas tanker unloading fuel at the shell one-stop service station had sprung a leak and a fire developed. It's one of the worst fire scenarios imaginable in a densely populated area, and Assistant Fire Chief Ted Smith says that difficult simulation scenarios like these help authorities respond more effectively in real-life situations.
Ted Smith, Assistant Fire Chief
"The purpose of the exercise was to refresh our operational readiness in dealing with fuel spills. Each petroleum service station within this city receives fuel almost everyday and there's an element of risk that is involved. I am not saying the system is not safe, the system is extremely safe the way the arrangement is set up. However accidents can occur and we must prefer ourselves should one occur so we are able to effectively deal with it. Today is just one such exercise. We rehearsed, we practiced the spilling of fuel and the developing of fire from one of the tanker trucks."
