Digboi Refinery Stages Late-Night Emergency Fire Drill

Guwahati: Digboi Refinery held a Level-2 Onsite Emergency Disaster Mock Drill late Friday night. Personnel simulated a dangerous naphtha fire to stress-test their response systems. The exercise began at 11:15 pm on August 21 following a reported leak from a 4-inch flange at the Naphtha Splitter unit. A flash fire and pool fire followed. Management escalated the incident to a Level-2 emergency by 11:22 pm.

Emergency teams and coordinators rushed to the scene. Staff from the refinery, CISF, Oil India Limited, HOEC, and AGCL joined forces. They pushed to test communication, firefighting, and site management. A Green Corridor moved one simulated casualty from AOD Hospital to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. This test proved vital for coordinating medical transport with outside facilities.

Chief Incident Controller Ran Moni Mahanta and Refinery Head Rahul Prashant called an all clear at 12:12 am. Prashant noted that the training ensures safety protocols actually work when seconds count. He told reporters, "The essence of such drills is to identify gaps before an actual incident occurs, strengthen coordination among all stakeholders and, above all, ensure the safety of our people, assets and the environment." The team now reviews these results to harden site security and response times.