News Release 223

DEPARTMENT CREDITS KENNETT FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH QUICK ENVIRONMENTAL THINKING

Firefighters prevent spread of diesel fuel after truck accident

Volume 36-223

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, APRIL 23, 2008 -- Quick action by the Kennett Fire Department Tuesday prevented the flow of an estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel into a Pemiscot County creek, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The Department of Natural Resources' Environmental Emergency Response section was contacted shortly after noon Tuesday by the fire department concerning a tractor-trailer that had jackknifed on Highway 412 five miles east of Kennett.

The truck, owned by Wild Weasel Express, Paragould, Ark., lost an estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel into the highway median ditch, which was full of running water from recent rains in the area. Firefighters' quick action in constructing an underflow dam on the ditch stopped the fuel from making its way into a nearby unnamed creek.

"This is a good example of how important local fire departments and other first responders are to environmental protection," said the department's On-Scene Coordinator Art Goodin, who was dispatched to oversee the cleanup. "Because we can't be everywhere, it's important that they recognize environmental hazards and know how to contain them."

An underflow dam allows water to pass while trapping the petroleum product that is floating on top of the water. Firefighters also placed absorbent booms and pads at the site of the dam to soak up the trapped fuel.

Goodin, who had been dispatched from the department's Southeast Regional Office in Poplar Bluff, remained on site Tuesday to oversee the cleanup, which was conducted by SEMO Environmental, an environmental cleanup company hired by the trucking company.

From July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, vehicle accidents accounted for 15 percent of the environmental emergency incidents reported to the department, and petroleum products accounted for 43 percent of materials released during environmental emergencies.

The department's Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department's 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the spill line at
573-634-2436. For more information, contact the Department of Natural Resources at
800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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