As a lifelong resident of Hoquiam and its former fire chief, I care deeply about our community.

I’ve been listening closely to the conversations on crude oil by rail and Westway Terminal’s expansion proposal.

Most of what I’ve heard has centered on derailments, spills and other types of accidents or failures. I’m writing this letter to bring attention to another side of this topic. That is the ability, or more accurately the inability, of our fire crews to safely and effectively control a large scale spill, fire or explosion.

The construction of the Imperium Renewables biodiesel refinery in 2007 gave the company the ability to store 18 million gallons of methanol or other bulk liquids. In 2009 Westway Terminal Company was built next door and currently operates a methanol storage facility with a total capacity of more than 13 million gallons. The planned expansion of Westway to handle, store and ship crude oil, would add an additional 42 million gallons of class 3 flammable liquid.

While it’s true that these facilities are built with modern fire and spill prevention features, history has proven that they can fail.

I have great respect for the members of the Hoquiam and Aberdeen fire departments, as well as other departments throughout the county. They are dedicated individuals who work hard and take their job seriously. However, the risks associated with a project of this size and scope would increase exponentially and in my opinion are unacceptable. I believe our fire crews are under-staffed, under-equipped and under-trained for this type and size of facility.

It is my hope that the leaders of the City of Hoquiam will realize that this project is an extremely poor fit for our area and will say no to the proposal.

Ray Pumphrey

Hoquiam