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OOGA keeps ‘safety first’ as it educates producers, responders

T-L Photo/JENNIFER COMPSTON-STROUGH David Moody, senior vice president of Well Control Operations for Wild Well Control, speaks to local natural gas and oil producers and first responders Tuesday at Belmont College. The Ohio Oil and Gas Association provided the presentation.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Safety first, safety always – that was the premise that attracted local natural gas and oil producers and area first responders to learn about Wild Well Control on Tuesday.

Mike Chadsey, spokesman for the Columbus-based Ohio Oil and Gas Association, said the program was the first in a series of two-hour presentations his organization is launching across the state. Previously, the association has offered daylong seminars on such topics, but he said he believes this format will be more convenient for attendees and may draw a greater response.

The program presented by David Moody, senior vice president of Well Control Operations for Wild Well Control, took place inside Belmont College’s Horizon Hall. It included Moody’s talk as well as an interactive case study conducted over lunch.

Moody told attendees about his firm, which has been helping to prevent and resolve well control events around the world for more than four decades. He also offered advice on how companies can be prepared for any incidents that may happen.

With more than 30 years of experience working with well control events, Moody has helped to cap numerous onshore and offshore blowouts and fires around the world. He has worked in the United States, Kuwait, Australia, Nova Scotia, India, Bolivia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Among the topics he touched on Tuesday were:

∫ Making site-specific plans, such as knowing how to manage water storage, who should have access to a well site during a dangerous incident and where local resources such as hospitals and emergency responders can be found.

∫ The duties of those on site during a well control incident, including securing the area and all personnel, assessing the situation, updating responders and the public, containing pollution and conducting any necessary evacuations. and

∫ Dealing with the civilian population around active wells and well control incidents.

Moody provided some highly technical information about methods his company uses to remove compromised wellheads and to extinguish well fires. He also touched on best practices, such as battling blazes at well pads during daylight hours only, for safety reasons. He also shared some anecdotes from his own experiences, including working in the highly populated Beverly Hills area after some wells there were essentially abandoned by a company that left the property owner, a school district, to ensure they were safe.

Among the energy producers present to hear the presentation were representatives of Ascent Resources, Encino Energy, Gulfport Energy Corp. and Antero Resources, Chadsey said. The Belmont County Emergency Management Agency and other first responders also took part.

Chadsey said the OOGA is happy to provide such educational programs and activities for producers and emergency personnel, since education leads to awareness, which further leads to understanding of important issues. He said providing information on the latest technologies and best practices is an important function of the association.

Knowing what resources, tools and expertise are available helps producers “quickly respond” in an emergency, Chadsey added, and leads to the “safest, most efficient operations” possible.

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