Marcus Hook Industrial Complex Welcomes the T-Rex
The Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery, in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, was one of the largest crude oil processing plants in the United States until 2013.
The plant was purchased by Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas-based pipeline company, which converted the plant for the storage of butane, propane, and ethane. Fracking in Pennsylvania brings the product by pipeline to the facility where it is stored in refrigerated tanks and then transferred to tanker ships docked at the plant and transported domestically and internationally.
After doing a global fire protection study, William Kelly, the senior manager of emergency services at the plant, says, “A decision was made to acquire an aerial device. Our tanks are 165 to 170 feet in height, and the main working parts for the operation of the tanks are on top. Our employees have to operate at this height to make repairs. We had to find a way to remove them in case of an emergency without climbing or using ropes.”
1 Marcus Hook Refinery’s articulating platform is built on a Rosenbauer Commander chassis with twin front axles for better maneuverability. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer America.)
During the planning to repurpose the Marcus Hook facility from an active refinery into a hub, an analysis was conducted to identify potential fire suppression requirements. Multiple fixed and mobile components were identified, including a specialized fire/rescue response capability. Specifically, this need was for an apparatus that could not only provide mobile fire pumping capacity but also perform water delivery from an elevated platform along with assisting in any rescue from structures including the refrigerated storage tanks.
The primary function of the aerial platform is equally shared between rescue of injured or ill persons from the top of the tanks or other elevated structures within the process area and the application of water to fires in elevated areas that may be outside of the reach of the plant’s fire brigade’s primary apparatus. In addition to these important functions, the unit needs to be in service within minutes and with minimal staffing. “Since we didn’t have to go out to bid because of our unique requirements, Rosenbauer built the highest platform in the U.S. for our demands,” says Kelly. “Thus, we acquired the Rosenbauer T-Rex articulating platform. The Rosenbauer chassis and cab are American products manufactured in Minnesota, while the aerial device is a German design. Some of the platform installation was completed in Italy, but all of the complex design and installation were under the supervision of trained Rosenbauer technicians.”