Falck finishes Gulf clean-up
OFFSHORE: Falck is currently finishing the clean up after the disastrous Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Mexican Gulf. Thousands - some Falck's own people - have been trained by Falck in order to clean up after the oil spill.
Deep Water Horizon exploded in April and 11 people died while 17 were injured. Subsequently,the spill developed into one of the worst pollution disasters of all time. When it happened Falckwas asked to train staff so they would be equipped to clean up at animals' habitats, at the beach and on the ocean.
"We weren't told much in the beginning. They simply needed a large number of people to get this done. Since then we've had more than 5000 people at our training centre in Houma going through a four-hour course that we developed in cooperation with BP," says Morten Halager, Vice-president of Falck's American Training division and referred to as Falck Alford in the US.
At the course people are taught the rules that apply to battling pollution and trained in recognising and handling different chemicals and the handling of safety equipment. Falck quickly hired 200 additional people to help further with the clean-up, and Morten Halager calls the job the largest single personnel assignment Falck has had so far in the US.
"In the past we've sent everything from paramedics to firemen on jobs in the Mexican Gulf but we've never had an assignment of this magnitude. It has given us invaluable experience in handling disasters - experience that we can put to good use in the future," says Morten Halager.
Falck's training division, Falck Training, is the world's largest supplier of rescue and safety courses for, among other things, the offshore sector. Falck runs training centres in 16 countries on five continents.
In 2008, Falck bought 80% of the American Alford Group, the leading supplier of training and safety services for the offshore oil and gas industry in the US.
Source: Falck / maritimedanmark.dk
