• HAZMAT Spill Response and Incident Management
• Emergency Spill Response and Containment
• Site Cleanup, Remediation and Restoration
• Soil Excavation and Treatment
• Hazardous Materials Testing, Management, and Disposal
• Impermeable Area for Contaminated Soil Storage
• Level A, B and C Personal, Protective Equipment (PPE)

Upon arrival found that the train had approximately 20 cars including 5 tank cars that had derailed. The fire department chief advised that one of the tanks was leaking Sodium Hydroxide. A representative from the train company was contacted and the Minuteman supervisor was advised that 2 of the tankers contained Sodium Hydroxide.

The technicians suited in level B with SCBA to assess the extent of the accident and to devise a containment strategy. The technicians also wanted to visually inspect the entire scene for any additional potential hazards and to document the tankers that were involved. There was the potential that the Methanol tankers could have product of a varying residual quantity; therefore extensive air monitoring was conducted.

When the technicians arrived approximately 100 feet from the first overturned tanker they witnessed a brownish colored pool of liquid approximately 20 feet wide. The product was tested for PH and a reading of 12 PH was documented. The location of the spill was documented and marked to examine if the spill was growing and needed additional containment. The Sodium Hydroxide tanker appeared to have been punctured by a steel rail underneath the tank. The technicians conducted extensive air monitoring around the outside of the tankers and only normal readings were observed.

The atmosphere inside a breach in the one Methanol tanker was extracted with a probe and high readings were experienced and alarm observed.

Due to the proximity of the derailed train to the Susquehanna River the decision was made to have our river deployment equipment on stand by.

Decision was made to remove remaining bungs to release pressure and then to move drums to containment area inside plant.

Absorbent was placed on area that was saturated with liquid to absorb liquid and to reduce vapors.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett visited Minuteman Environmental Service’s Milton Industrial Park headquarters on February 9, 2012, calling the company an “American success story”.

The Governor praised the company for their innovation, employment growth, and the leadership of President Brian Bolus.

What started in 1991 by Bolus with one employee and one truck now employs more than 150 Pennsylvanians in multiple locations and has a fleet of 200 trucks.

The company started out as a towing company, but in August of 2010, the business started evolving into what it is today – Minuteman Environmental Services.

Minuteman Environmental Services is widely respected among industry operators for providing safe and environmentally-friendly drilling support services. They provide vacuum truck services for waste disposal, spill cleanup, product transfers and tank cleaning. The company also offers a full range of transportation services including short and long haul trucking, container management and specialty transportation.

Corbett selected Minuteman as the location for his budgetary press conference because the company illustrates how economic opportunity can work in the state of Pennsylvania under the right conditions.

“Minuteman is a home-grown, family business that is playing a large role in the economic growth of this region,” said Corbett. “My budget supports small and large businesses and positions the commonwealth as a partner with companies like Minuteman in growing job opportunity for our fellow Pennsylvanians.”

News Coverage about Corbett’s Visit:

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-governor-new-budget-promotes-growth-20120208,0,5840896.story

http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x1391759618/Corbett-Low-taxes-help-generate-jobs

http://www.newpa.com/newsroom/governor-corbett-discusses-budget-proposal-praises-local-milton-business-success

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogNo2uIWnBI

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/574347.html

http://www.ccn-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3849:governor-corbett-visits-milton&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=74

Brian Bolus, President of Minuteman says, “It was a natural fit to bring Les onto our team. We met him when Minuteman was going through the PEMA certification process, and we had a mutual respect for one another. One of our main goals is to bring a Class One Hazmat Response Team to this region. With his combination of experience, personnel training, and the right equipment, Les will take our Hazmat response capabilities to the next level.”

Gordon comes to Minuteman Environmental Services with more than 40 years of firefighting and EMT experience and nearly 20 years of Hazmat and emergency response expertise.  Most recently, Gordon was employed for 2 years by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) managing the Hazardous Materials Response and Certification Program.

Prior to PEMA, Gordon served for 16 years as Assistant Chief and then Chief of Penn State University’s and Centre County’s Hazmat response team.

While Minuteman already has a PA-certified Hazmat response team, the company’s goal is to “take the team one step further, to be the best, and to be a resource for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” according to Gordon.

Gordon says, “We want Minuteman to be the Response Team the state calls when they need assistance. We want to be and will be a resource that local government, county government, and state government looks to.”

Gordon is a life member of Logan Fire Department in Bellefonte, PA and the Centre Hall Fire Department in Centre County.

For more information about Minuteman’s services, go to www.MinutemanSpill.com.