Volunteers signed up and ready to help with oil spill--BP declined their help

With nearly 7,000 volunteers registered into their database in just over four days, the founders of www.OilSpillVolunteers.com , are appealing to management at BP to make use of the resource they have developed and to assist them in coordinating a more proactive response to the effects of the destroyed Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

Don Abrams, a retired engineer who developed the website, is frustrated at the lack of significant response.

“We have a database that identifies individuals with oil spill clean-up experience, identifies those who have HAZWOPER training as required by OSHA, and identifies volunteers with boats. I gave a first list identifying trained volunteers to BP representatives Sunday morning,” Abrams stated.

Abrams, along with his neighbor Melanie Allen, have worked to bring national governance and media attention to the disaster, developing their website into a recognized resource for the public to get information, links to resources, and volunteer for a proactive response to what they see as coming.

“Organized and proactive is our mission,” said Allen. ”Don and I do not want to wait before training and education comes to the community.”

Abrams offered BP representatives an opportunity to work with him on an oil containment ”Boom Monitoring Network” utilizing volunteers to track the conditions of the booms deployed in the four state region. When his offer was declined by BP, Abrams released the system himself, and it is now available at the website.

Allen has identified on-line HAZWOPER and hazardous material training courses.

“There is limited need to set up venues for this training. It is available online right now. Let’s deliver the education to the public in the most effective and efficient manner to expedite the process. We want to be proactive, not reactive. Let’s reduce the lag time between the event and the constructive action plan. An OSHA spokesman said Monday that adequate hazardous materials training and protection is foremost. We agree and are ready to assist in facilitating that process.”

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/only_on_fox10/daily_dot_com/website-seeks-volunteers-for-oil-spill


If BP is a sloppy in containing and cleaning up the Gulf oil spill as they were cleaning up the Exxon-Valdez spill, they probably don't want expert eyes watching them. Over 20 years later in Alaska's Prince William Sound, about 23,000 gallons of oil remain on its beaches, and oil globules are still found in its waters.

State specific volunteer opportunities:

Louisiana: http://www.volunteerlouisiana.gov/
Mississippi: http://www.volunteermississippi.org/1800Vol/OpenIndexAction.do
Florida: http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/
Alabama: http://www.servealabama.gov/2010/default.aspx


Volunteer Hotlines:

Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information:
(866)-448-5816

Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system:
(281) 366-5511

:patriot:

themselves to liability. No company getting competent legal advice could agree to it.