Porvoo Refinery

OIL REFINERY FIRE STATION ON STANDBY DAY AND NIGHT

An information board at the main gate of the Kilpilahti industrial estate says that the last accident here happened 13 days ago. "It was a slip and fall, like most of the accidents that happen here," says Esko Koho, property manager at Neste's Porvoo refinery.

He takes us on a tour of the huge refinery site, one of the most modern in Europe. In addition to the oil refinery, there is a power plant, a harbour, a railway terminal, a technology centre, a fire station, a petrochemical plant and a Borealis plastics factory.

"Safety at work is a top priority in a place like this and we pay particular attention to it. If something happens, everyone in the area needs to hear the alarm and instructions to act quickly over the loud noise," says Koho.

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COLLABORATION BRINGS BENEFITS

When the Porvoo refinery's population warning, exit alarm and security audible alarm system was replaced, Elektro-Arola and Audico Systems supplied the equipment. Audico Systems supplied Audico Avec G2 intercom amplifier centres installed in various buildings in the area. Elektro-Arola was responsible for the YLLI system interface units and the outdoor alarms, i.e. high-powered sirens, which were installed in high places such as masts and building roofs. Elektro-Arola was also responsible for the VORO software solution, where both indoor and outdoor systems are controlled by a common user interface. The digital system uses the Kilpilahti IP security network as its communication link.

"Cooperation proved its strength in this project. Together, the two Finnish companies were able to provide the total solution the customer wanted, which also required new product development. Alone, we might not have been the strongest in such a demanding project," says Kalle Arola, CEO of Elektro-Arola.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS TO SUPPORT ALARMS

A fire station is located in the centre of the site, where work is carried out around the clock. Every Monday at 12 noon, alarm master Teemu Hämäläinen runs a weekly test run of the public address system from the central control room to test that the system works. The alarm sounds throughout the industrial area and, depending on the wind direction, often also in the outskirts of the area in Porvoo and Sipoo.

The refinery's fire brigade has 45 employees. They had 460 assignments last year. Of these, 367 were emergencies, when an ambulance and two fire engines are dispatched in addition to the fire chief on duty.

Urgent tasks include automatic fire alarms, fires, arsons and first response and backup tasks. The fire brigade is equipped with heavy-duty demolition and oil spill response equipment, as well as truck-mounted high-powered pumps that produce 20 000 litres of water per minute. If necessary, the refinery's fire brigade can call on the assistance of the fire brigades in Porvoo and the surrounding area.

Are Oy is responsible for the maintenance of the buildings of the Neste Porvoo refinery. Jorma Huttunen, systems expert at Are, says that the area is in a state of almost constant change. Old buildings are being renovated or demolished and new ones are being built. As a result, alarm systems are also being expanded and updated.

"Modern alarm and public address systems have come a long way from the days of buzzers and fire bells. A clear step forward in terms of safety is the fault diagnostics of the new system. It will tell you if an alarm is not going somewhere and the equipment needs maintenance," says Huttunen.

According to Teemu Hämäläinen, the fact that the supervisor can use the screen to direct the alarm or alert to a specific destination only increases speed and accuracy in an emergency. This is important because not all alarms affect the whole area. Nowadays, alarms are also accompanied by announcements telling people exactly what to do.