[StBernard] Reconnaissance Operations Conducted in Chandeleur Islands/Lake Machias Area

[Westley Annis]

Reconnaissance Operations Conducted in Chandeleur Islands/Lake Machias Area

40-Hour HazMat Class Being Held for all St. Bernard Parish Vessels of
Opportunity Fishermen - Call 504-569-1905 to Schedule for Training

 

Two vessels each manned with two members of the Coast Guard deployed today
in St. Bernard Parish waters. Both vessels conducted reconnaissance
operations and pollution investigation with one deploying to the Chandeleur
Islands and the other to Lake Machias area, as well as some of the Breton
Sound area. These vessels were deployed to coordinate rapid assessment and
response as needed. 

 

The Coast Guard found no oil in any areas inspected today. Additionally,
five more boats that were deployed for reconnaissance in other areas of St.
Bernard Parish waters found no oil.

 

Six vessels deployed today in St. Bernard waters to trawl for tar balls, but
the crews found no tar balls. Thirteen large vessels and 27 small vessels
deployed from St. Bernard Parish command centers to perform either boom
maintenance or boom deployment.

 

Today, 38,200 feet of soft absorbent boom was deployed to various strategic
areas in St. Bernard marshes and waters in the past 24 hours, including
32,000 feet, which went to the Lake Machias area. 

 

A total of 156,650 feet of 18-inch hard boom, and 266,020 feet of soft
absorbent boom have been deployed so far in St. Bernard waters.

 

Three-day, 40-hour HazMat training classes are now being held for fishermen
involved in the St. Bernard Vessels of Opportunity Program. Please call
504-569-1905 to schedule for this training. Captains and deck hands can call
this number to schedule for training between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a daily
basis. Refer to the Team Rotations available on the sbpg.net website before
scheduling for HazMat training to ensure your work rotation is not
compromised. Captains must have the names of their deckhands available, and
those deckhands also must attend the training. Captains should provide these
names to the Call Center so that deckhands can be scheduled for the
training. 

 

Captains and the deckhands they have identified must call to be scheduled to
be enrolled in the classes. Only those enrolled will be allowed to attend.
No one should go to the training unless they have been scheduled to attend
that day's class because classes have a limited capacity.

 

Fishermen attending the training classes will be paid $200 a day to attend.
Anyone who is late will not be admitted. Classes start at 7 a.m. each day at
the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center Grand Ballroom at 3220 Jean Lafitte
Parkway in Chalmette. The class last three days, and fishermen must attend
every day to receive their certification.

 

Fishermen participating in the program need to have passed a drug test and
medical screening before they can receive their HazMat card, but it does not
need to be done before they begin training. Fishermen who already passed a
drug test as previously ordered do not need to submit to another. The drug
test will be done as part of the medical screening. Medical screenings are
being done at the Industrial Medicine Building at 8101 W. Judge Perez Drive
in Chalmette. The office accepts walk-ins, and the phone number is
504-281-2800. There is no cost to the fishermen for the screening or drug
test, and the visit should only take 10 to 20 minutes. 

 

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