An Overview of Volunteer Efforts during the Refugio Oil Spill Incident in Santa Barbara, California

The ROS occurred on May 19, 2015, due to the failure of an underground 24-inch pipeline (known as Line 901) near Highway 101 north of Santa Barbara, California. The Responsible Party (RP) for Line 901 was Plains Pipeline, L.P. (a subsidiary of Plains All-American Pipeline). The pipeline failure caused crude oil to be discharged onto land, which subsequently flowed into the Pacific Ocean (Figure 1-page 14). The RP initially estimated that approximately 104,000 gallons of crude oil was released with 21,000 gallons reaching the Pacific Ocean. Later reports indicated that up to 142,000 gallons may have been discharged. On May 20, 2015, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County. Within the first hours of the ROS, Santa Barbara area community members used social media to organize groups who began to self-deploy to oiled shorelines. Some used buckets, rakes, and shovels, attempting to remove crude from heavily oiled shorelines.

To better understand how oil spill volunteers may be utilized in response activities, it is important to recognize the differences among various volunteer organizations and why certain volunteer groups may be deployed first. The types of volunteers include: OWCN Pre-trained, Affiliated, and Community Volunteers.

• OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers: The University of California Davis, Wildlife Health Center’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) ² maintains a cadre of pre-trained volunteers that are affiliated with one of over 35 Member Organizations. OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers receive training in oiled animal care and attend drills and exercises. Most are 24-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certified through the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal OSHA) and have completed a standardized level of Incident Command System (ICS) training. During an oil spill, OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers register with CDFW and complete a Volunteer Service Agreement (VSA). OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers are considered unpaid employees of CDFW and are eligible for coverage under the state’s workers’ compensation program. These are the first volunteers to be utilized during an oiled wildlife response.

• Affiliated Volunteers: These volunteers are affiliated with organizations that have a preexisting arrangement with a governmental agency and are covered by their organization’s workers compensation policies. In most cases, Affiliated Volunteers are trained for a specific role or function prior to a disaster. Affiliated Volunteer organizations must have an approved role in the oil spill response structure in order to be utilized. During an oil spill, affiliated organizations that have been pre-identified are placed on standby until needed or can be safely utilized. These organizations include, but are not limited to, CDFW-Natural Resource Volunteers (NRV), California Conservation Corp (CCC), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members.

• Community Volunteers: Also known as ‘spontaneous volunteers’, these are members of the public that express interest in supporting response efforts during an oil spill. Typically, these volunteers are not associated with any part of the existing emergency response system. If the Unified Command (UC) approves the use of Community Volunteers, a volunteer management system must be established that involves volunteer screening and registration, Site-Specific Health/Safety training, the identification of appropriate volunteer opportunities and deployment locations, and liability considerations.

Volunteer operations for the ROS began the afternoon of May 19, 2015. During the initial phase of the response, OSPR’s Operations Support Center (OSC), located in Sacramento, discussed the type of volunteers that could be safely utilized. OSPR’s Volunteer Coordinator conducted outreach to OWCN, CCC, and CDFW-NRVs to determine their availability. Concurrent with the initial response, numerous state agencies proposed that OSPR use Community Volunteers for oiled beach cleanup activities. However, due to safety concerns, oiled beach cleanup is not typically a preferred activity for volunteers. This is especially true when potential exposure to toxic components of oil is at its highest level. For the safety of all responders, site characterization of oiled areas must be completed prior to cleanup operations. It is for public health and safety that OSPR does not use Community Volunteers for oiled beach cleanup efforts until gross oil has been removed.

On the afternoon of the first day, a small number of individuals from the local community began to self-deploy, foregoing safety considerations and attempting to remove oil along the Santa Barbara shoreline. OSPR activated the CalSpillWatch-Volunteer Page and the Volunteer Hotline³ in an effort to address immediate concerns from the public and provide general volunteer information. OSPR managed the Volunteer Hotline from the OSC. Two VCs were deployed to the Incident Command Post (ICP), located in the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Upon their arrival, OSPR’s VCs briefed the Planning Section Chief and the UC regarding the deployment of OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers and established a Volunteer Unit (VU), as outlined in the LA/LB ACP NWVP. The VU included the following organizations: CaliforniaVolunteers, California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), University of California Santa Barbara, and County/City of Santa Barbara CERT members.

OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers were integrated into the ROS-Wildlife Branch on day one. The OWCN VC notified nearby Member Organizations and began requesting assistance for oiled wildlife Care & Processing, Recovery and Transport, and Field Stabilization operations. Management of OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers was coordinated by the OWCN VC and a representative from one of OWCN’s Member Organizations. OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers worked under the CDFW VSA, making them unpaid workers for the state. A total of 77 OWCN Pre-trained Volunteers from 21 OWCN Member Organizations assisted with wildlife operations. While members of the public are often utilized to support oiled animal care efforts at the wildlife centers, during the ROS, due to the relatively low number of oiled birds, members of the public were not incorporated into wildlife response at the International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Center in San Pedro, California.

On day two, the VC position expanded to a Volunteer Unit (VU) in the Planning Section. The VU members proposed the use of Affiliated Volunteers for various tasks: conducting crowd control, posting fishery closure signs, distributing fishery and beach closure flyers, providing ICP support, staffing the wildlife hotline, and distributing volunteer brochures. The VU explored other tasks, such as pre-impact beach cleanup, but due to beach grooming in Santa Barbara, this function was not needed. The VU developed the Volunteer Use Plan (VUP), which the UC approved and incorporated into the Incident Action Plan (IAP).

Affiliated Volunteers included the County/City of Santa Barbara CERT, UCSB, CCC, and CDFW NRVs. They participated in the following activities:

• County/City Santa Barbara CERT members were successfully integrated into the ICP to provide support to the VU and other ICS sections. (The ROS is the first oil spill in California to successfully integrate Affiliated Volunteers into the ICP.)

• UCSB’s CERT members posted fishery closure signs, provided crowd control at Refugio State Beach, assisted with community volunteer registration and trainings, and filled Strike Team Leader roles during tar ball deployments.

• CCC team (24-hour HAZWOPER Cal OSHA certified) deployed to Refugio State Beach staging areas for field support operations.

• CDFW-NRVs conducted oiled animal transport.

In response to the public’s interest in volunteering, the VU evaluated the use of community members and whether or not they could be integrated into the response.

Initial UC considerations on the use of Community Volunteers included the following:

• Ensuring volunteer safety

• Ensuring work sites contained only weathered oil (completion of gross oil removal)

• Establishing a workers’ compensation program for registered volunteers (provided by CDFW/OSPR)

• Identifying government authority willing to manage Community Volunteers (CDFW/OSPR Volunteer Program)

• Ensuring tribal/cultural concerns followed protocol

• Ensuring volunteer operations did not interfere with response contractors and oiled wildlife Recovery and Transport teams

On the third day and due to increasing public interest to assist in cleanup operations, the CDFW Director authorized OSPR to manage Community Volunteers for tar ball cleanup activities. As such, CDFW/OSPR assumed liability for the use of Community Volunteers and the initial cost for operations. Some of the costs were later reimbursed by the RP through the cost recovery process.

By day four the VU established an online registration process in order to enroll interested members of the community. The registration form was uploaded to OSPR’s CalSpillWatch-Volunteer Page. The UC/Joint Information Center (JIC) issued a press release with instructions for volunteer registration. OSPR Executive staff briefed the UC regarding the states’ commitment to manage Community Volunteers. The ROS is the first incident in which OSPR lead all efforts regarding Community Volunteers for activities outside of oiled wildlife care and processing.

The OSPR Industrial Hygienist (IH) confirmed that the physical route of exposure (touching or spreading the oil on clothing or shoes) was no longer a concern due to oil weathering. Additionally, air monitoring was not necessary for cleanup crews or volunteers as the majority of the volatile organic compounds associated with oil released from the pipeline would have already evaporated.

Other considerations included primary safety hazards (e.g., size, type, and toxicity of discharged oil), secondary safety hazards (e.g., weather, visibility, slips/trips/falls), and logistics and administrative support requirements (e.g., training, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), multi-jurisdictional coordination, public information).

Volunteer requirements included the following:

• At least 18 years of age

• In good physical health

• Able to communicate well in English

• Willing to volunteer one 4-hour shift

In order to meet Cal OSHA requirements for working on oiled shorelines, CDFW/OSPR provided several 4-hour Hazardous Communication (HAZCOM, a modified 24-hour HAZWOPER) training modules to non-wildlife volunteers, including CERT members, Community Volunteers, and tribal staff. The VU managed volunteer registration, screening, health and safety training; ordered all necessary resources; and coordinated with the Environmental Unit Leader to select appropriate tar ball cleanup sites for volunteer deployment. This coordination ensured that community volunteer deployments did not interfere with field operations, cultural and historical sites, or snowy plover nesting areas.

VU and OSPR staff oversaw volunteer tar ball beach cleanup at the dates and locations below:

• May 26, 2015 - Goleta Beach;

• May 27, 2015 - Haskell’s Beach;

• May 30, 2015 - Gaviota State Park Beach;

• May 31, 2015 - Ellwood Beach (due to large amounts of fresh oil washing up onshore, which could have posed an inhalation safety threat, the OSPR Safety Officer ceased the use of Community Volunteers for tar ball beach cleanup during this deployment).

The VU and CERT members provided for volunteer set-up, volunteer sign in/out, and CERT members filled ICS Strike Team Leader positions. Tribal and Cultural Monitors provided oversight for cultural/historical concerns. The RP provided food, water, and equipment in order to complete volunteer missions. OSPR ensured volunteer decontamination was conducted as per Cal OSHA requirements and oiled resources were disposed of properly. OSPR Wildlife Officers were provided to ensure volunteer safety; no volunteer injuries were reported.

Volunteer debriefs were provided and thank you notes were distributed after each deployment.

On August 30, 2015, OSPR hosted Volunteer Appreciation Day for the Community Volunteers. All attendees received gifts of appreciation and information about becoming an OWCN Pre-trained or Affiliated Volunteer before the next oil spill happens in California.

Two separate “lessons learned” sessions were conducted by OSPR regarding the ROS VU. Feedback was also received from the public, via a survey distributed by the VU. The Volunteer Unit Leader (VUL) participated in the Non-Government Organizations’ (NGO) “lessons learned” session, which was helpful in understanding the public’s perception during the initial phase of the response. From these sessions, the following findings and recommendations were developed for continued improvement of the NWVP:

• The San Francisco Bay & Delta and LA/LB Area Committees should develop volunteer messaging and an outreach plan to be incorporated into the NWVP. Volunteer information needs to be provided to the public early so that the affected community has a better understanding of how oil spill response is conducted. This includes the hazards of oil, the phases of response, types of volunteers, and how volunteers may incorporated into oil spill operations. Unfortunately, this kind of information was not provided during the ROS in a manner that was meaningful for the public.

• The VU should be expanded to include a Social Media Volunteer Coordinator to work directly with the JIC, providing volunteer press releases and monitoring social media outlets (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) for potential conflicts with the public.

• Public Health and Safety is primarily the responsibility of local government. The local Public Health Officer should provide early messaging about the hazards of oil and the risks of removing oil without proper PPE and training.

Local government agencies, NGOs, and the general public lacked knowledge about oil spill response and volunteer protocols. This was highlighted during the CDFW/OSPR - NGO ROS Hotwash. NGOs were unaware that OWCN pre-trained and CERT members were utilized on day one of the ROS and that the use of pre-trained volunteers is standard procedure during oil spill response. Further, NGO representatives seemed to have little or no knowledge about the LA/LB ACP-NWVP. The following recommendations were developed:

• NGOs and interested stakeholders should participate more fully in the LA/LB ACP meetings, including participation in workgroups and subcommittees, to gain a better understanding about the planning process for oil spill response.

• OSPR should use this momentum to continue building relationships with local government agencies and NGOs. Likewise, it is recommended that Santa Barbara County OEM expand their partnerships to include NGOs and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) within their county. These types of organizations are known for supporting and responding to community needs in all phases of disaster response and recovery

• OSPR should present an overview to Santa Barbara County, NGOs, and others to facilitate a better understanding about OSPR’s prevention, preparedness and response activities. (This was completed on September 21, 2016.)

• OSPR should conduct outreach and cross training with other state agencies, such as CaliforniaVolunteers and CalOES.

OSPR currently has three fully-trained VULs, with previous experience working with volunteers and two additional staff training to assist in the VU. In the event that community volunteer efforts are managed by OSPR, current staffing will not be sufficient. OSPR is evaluating how to expand its capacity for managing volunteers during oil spill response. This will include filling critical roles such as VUL, VC and support positions within the VU.

The ROS illustrated the criticality of effective and prompt public information dissemination to the overall success of a response. At the beginning of the response the public lacked timely information about ongoing cleanup efforts; therefore, some took it upon themselves to take action. The UC reacted by empowering the VU to establish a management system to incorporate both affiliated and spontaneous volunteers. This in part resulted in a response objective that was in conflict with one of the primary tenets of volunteer management: volunteer opportunities should be developed out of need, not out of the public’s desire to volunteer. In all, more than 350 volunteers were utilized for various tasks from May 19 through July, 2015. Various academic institutions, state, local, and city governments provided valuable support and cooperation within the VU. Moving forward, OSPR will continue to offer education and outreach in order to expand and strengthen partnerships within the volunteer community, and to plan for the need to again manage volunteers in large spill events.