Portland Pipe Line donates trailer and supplies to serve area towns - This story was written by Jim Beers

Christmas came early for the town of Raymond and its residents, in the form of a fully, basic equipped emergency response trailer, donated by the Portland Pipe Line Corporation. Inside Raymond's Fire Department garage bays on Friday, town officials were on hand as Boom Technologies, (a 24-hour emergency response organization), backed in the newly donated trailer stocked full of emergency supplies. The garage was abuzz with fire department employees, firefighters, some EMS personnel, Fire Chief Bruce Tupper, Town Manager Don Willard, and Director of Operations for Portland Pipe Line Corp, Tom Hardison. 

"It’s a much needed resource for the town and surrounding area," Chief Tupper said. "A lot of people live here and even more come thru this area to enjoy this part of the state year round." As part of its ongoing commitment to a safe and environmentally conscious operation, Portland Pipe Line Corp. (PPL) came up with this donation that will not only be a valuable asset to the town of Raymond, but to all other areas in the Lakes Region as well, as it a shared asset. "All hazards, truck rollovers, homeowner spills, water emergencies, oil/hazardous spills, we are happy to be able to donate this to Raymond, it has been a great partnership," said Hardison. 

The trailer came stocked from front to rear, top to bottom. Some of the emergency supplies include: A 10' Jon Boat, 55-gallon open top drums, 600-foot spool of half-inch sink rope, bail absorbent pads, rebar posts, three 100-foot sections of oil containment boom, roll sweeps, bail snares, spill gloves and booties. "It's set up well with the side door and back hatch with ramp to get the boat out quickly," Hardison said. "In the last 40 years there have been no pipeline issues, but with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection's number one call being oil spills, we want to be ready if ever such a situation arises in this area," he added. 

Along its 236 mile route from South Portland, Maine to Montreal, Canada, the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line, (PMPL), runs through the town of Raymond. The pipeline has been in service since 1941, and it has pumped over 4 billion barrels of oil to Montreal refineries. The pipeline is the primary reason that the Port of Portland is the largest volume oil port on the eastern seaboard, as more than 200 tankers deliver oil to the pipeline marine terminal annually. With a focus on safety and environmental responsibility, the PMPL has become well respected in the industry for their commitment to operate with the highest integrity. 

When asked what it meant to the town of Raymond, Willard had this to say, "It enhances our emergency response capabilities. The material is useful for oil clean up, virtually any type of hazardous containment in our water bodies, on our roadways after vehicle accidents, PPL has gifted us this owned asset of the town and we couldn't be happier." With the garage smelling of fresh muffins, donuts, cider and apples, (donated by Raymond Village Donuts and Chipman Farms), the mood was of excitement over the items the trailer came supplied with. 

"Some bundles absorb carbon fuels only and contain the spread of such fuels, while other bundles mitigate the spill. Every inch of space in the trailer is jam packed, ready for any type of hazardous spill or leak, we are hoping for only homeowner issues though," said Tupper jokingly. "This trailer allows us to get equipment and trained personnel to the scene immediately and start working on the issue at hand," he added. 

The mission of the PMPL is to be dedicated to dynamically meeting customer and community needs. They are proud of their 72-year legacy of supporting good jobs, community engagement and providing reliable energy. The PMPL is the 2011 and 2012 recipient of the Distinguished Safety and Environmental Award, given by the American Petroleum Institute for excellence in safe and environmentally conscious pipeline operation. With the donation of this emergency response trailer to the town of Raymond, they are leading the charge in keeping Maine safe in these situations. 

"We've had two major training sessions with PPC," said Tupper, "including Jordan Bay scenarios, where that is the direct feed to Sebago Lake." "It’s great for this region to have a trailer like this housed centrally here," added Tupper. "Again, it's not just for us, it's for all our neighbors too," he said. Tupper also has under ice emergency training sessions scheduled with PPC in January. "Portland Pipe Line Corporation has solidified its great relationship with Raymond and the Lakes Region by donating this valuable resource to us, we are incredibly grateful, and look forward to working with them for many more years to come," said Willard.