In keeping with our longstanding commitment to safety, Kinder Morgan has launched a new training program to support local fire departments in protecting the communities near our terminals.
The idea for the program, now called the Kinder Morgan Municipal Firefighter Training program, came organically from Senior Fire Protection Engineer Jonathan Kainer, who saw an opportunity to connect Kinder Morgan’s resources and specialized knowledge with the first responders likely to arrive at the scene of an emergency.
“I saw the need for this training after realizing that local fire departments often lack sufficient training in how to respond to our type of facilities,” said Kainer. “There’s a common misconception that if a Kinder Morgan facility has an incident, we would call 911, and the fire department would show up and have all the knowledge and equipment they need to handle the incident. That’s just not the case.”
The program launched its first cohort of firefighters earlier this year, and by November 20, four cohorts will have completed their training. This program allows firefighters to gain hands-on industrial firefighting experience alongside Kinder Morgan’s Terminals Gulf Liquids and Gulf Central Emergency Response Teams at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX) Fire Training Academy in College Station.
To get the program started, Kainer reached out to Kinder Morgan facility supervisors and managers across the country to pitch the idea. Facilities that were interested sponsored their local firefighters to attend. The training costs about $2,000 per firefighter, with each session accommodating roughly five to seven firefighters over a three-day period.
Each class begins with a classroom course focused on industrial firefighting. Later, participants engage in hands-on training in which they confront a variety of live fires involving flammable liquids and gases. Examples of some of the scenarios the firefighters are faced with include a liquids rail rack fire evolution, a bulk terminal fire, and an evening fire.
“They have really excelled,” Kainer said. “It turns into a competition between the municipal firefighters and those from Kinder Morgan. After tackling a few smaller fires at the beginning, the trainees quickly learn and hit the ground running with larger fires. It's impressive to see the training click for them.”
After receiving positive feedback from participants, Kainer stated they plan to continue the program next year. Kainer recalls feedback from a 30-year firefighter from Bedford Park, Illinois, who shared, “This is the best training I’ve ever attended.”
