- All staff at the refinery participated in the annual general drill, which recreated an accidental fire in a tank
- The exercise involved the participation of CECOES, CECOPAL, the Tenerife Fire Department and SUC.
CEPSA has today successfully carried out its annual general emergency drill at its Tenerife refinery, which tests the energy company's ability to respond to incidents and accidents. This extensive operation involves the deployment of a large number of human and technical resources, involving the center's entire staff as well as staff from auxiliary companies.
The drill simulated a fire in one of the tanks adjoining the El Hierro ravine, caused by a gas leak in the roof, the vapors of which caught fire when they came into contact with air and reached ignition point. By activating the refinery's Internal Emergency Plan, the fire was controlled and extinguished by fixed and mobile means, and all personnel were evacuated.
The drill relied on the cooperation of the Canary Island Government's CECOES (Centro Coordinador de Emergencias y Seguridad — Safety and Emergency Coordinating Center) 1-1-2 service, CECOPAL (Centro de Coordinación Operativa de la Administración Local — Local Administration Operational Coordination Center), the Tenerife Fire Department and SUC (Servicio de Urgencias Canario — Canary Islands Emergency Services).
There were two people injured in the scenario, one with a broken leg and one having fainted. They were both attended to by the refinery's own medical staff and the SUC, and were then transferred to the Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria University Hospital.
All extinguishing means were tested, including the devices affixed to the affected tank, the cooling of adjacent tanks and the center's two high-capacity fire engines.
This large-scale annual drill, which is carried out in addition to weekly exercises, ensures the proper functioning of contingency plans, coordination with the authorities and emergency services, and training for Cepsa staff and subcontractors.