Thompson Pump emergency response team fought Gulf oil spill
Within a few days of the incident on British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil rig, Kansas City, Kan.-based Thompson Pump Co. mobilized its Emergency Response Team (ERT) to provide pumping equipment, supplies, manpower and tactical knowledge to areas devastated by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The company supplied pumps and equipment throughout areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida affected by the oil spill.
Thompson Pump branch locations in Hammond, La.; Jackson, Miss.; Pass Christian, Miss.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Panama City, Fla., were all directly involved with the project to aid in the environmental restoration efforts. “Although this challenge is significant and extensive, Thompson Pump has the experience and equipment necessary to assist in the long-term restoration of our waters and our shoreline,” said company president Bill Thompson. “We are allocating enormous resources to attack this problem with the intention of enabling the citizens in the affected areas to resume their normal lives as quickly as possible.”
Thompson’s ERT skimmed in both deep and shallow waters throughout the Gulf, as well as in rivers and streams in the bayous and marshes, to help minimize the devastation. Thompson Pump had as many as 100 pumps, along with hoses and specialized skimming devices, to facilitate oil containment, recovery and transfer.
A 40-year veteran in disaster relief, Thompson Pump has facilitated numerous cleanup efforts over the years, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. Members of the specialized ERT are trained to respond quickly and effectively to major catastrophes, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.