Our industry is in the midst of media revolution and we are all along for the ride. As a fueling site owner, have you ever wondered what steps to take in case of natural disaster? Do you have a recovery plan? In light of the recent catastrophic flooding in the Midwest, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a few quick reminders:
Here’s what to do if your convenience store fuel dispensers are involved in a flooding situation:
- Check out MDE-4097B on Gilbarco’s GOLD or ask your distributor for a copy. This document includes Recovery and Prevention procedures.
- DO NOT RESTORE POWER! As you will see in the above MDE, it is imperative that NO electrical power be restored to dispensing equipment until after a certified Gilbarco ASC and certified electrician are able to inspect all electrical connections and site safety systems.
- JBOXes need to be inspected and dried out.
- Dispenser sumps need to be inspected by hand and verified to be free of water/fuel and compliant with local regs.
- Any resulting fuel/water mixtures in sumps need to be disposed of properly and in compliance with local regs.
- If dispenser electronics have become submerged, it is truly 50:50 as to whether or not the equipment is:
- Recoverable at all
- Recoverable in a cost effective manner
- Able to be properly diagnosed, in which case it may not be recoverable at all
- There is not a general guideline here, just case by case basis
Please contact Gilbarco or your local Gilbarco distributor for more information.