BASF’s crisis management and emergency response teams at its Wyandotte, Michigan site participated in a coordinated effort with Marine Pollution Control (MPC), a Detroit-based private spill clean-up company, to simulate an oil spill in the Detroit River.

The August 11 drill allowed emergency response personnel an opportunity for hands-on training and preparedness in the event there was ever a real emergency.

During the exercise, MPC responded to the Wyandotte site and deployed temporary floating barriers called booms, used in containment and clean-up efforts of oil spills. The team implemented their boom deployment plan and tested a portion of the U.S. Coast Guard’s plan.

The drill tested BASF’s crisis management plan, equipment and the capabilities of the response team, while keeping site employees, the community, and environment protected.

“Safety is a core value at BASF and we take our responsibility of emergency preparedness seriously,” said Greg Pflum, Vice President and General Manager of BASF’s Midwest Hub. “We conduct emergency drills regularly to provide additional training and ensure BASF and our community’s emergency preparedness systems are well-designed and understood.”