02/10/2010: "Free Training To Be An Oil Spill Responder"

Islands’ Oil Spill Association is offering another free class for islanders who would like to be trained to help in the event of an oil spill in the San Juan Islands. IOSA is a non-profit, community-based oil spill response organization and the only spill response group in the San Juan Islands.

IOSA’s “HAZWOPER Safety Training” will be on Saturday, Feb. 13, on Lopez Island from 1 to 5:45 pm. We’ve timed the class so that people from other islands can walk on the mid-day ferry, get a ride to and from the class and get back home in the early evening.

This class is one of two required by the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in order to be certified to help in the event of an oil spill. The focus will be HAZWOPER (Hazardous Materials Operations & Emergency Response) and will provide training for wildlife rescue and spill containment responders, including an oil spill scenario, all the logistics involved in a response in San Juan County and the many ways you can help during a spill.

Class size is limited (and our last class a few weeks ago filled up) so please call IOSA at 378-5322 to register. Please help IOSA with our commitment to do everything we can to protect this precious place in the middle of the Salish Sea -- come to the class and learn how you can help.

IOSA offers spill responder training several times a year so if you can’t make it to this class, let us know your mailing and email address and we’ll make sure you’re notified of upcoming trainings.

And check out our website at http://www.iosaonline.org for a complete training calendar & other information about IOSA.