SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA June 6, 2025 – This week, the Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA) hosted a two-day training that pulled together volunteers and representatives from numerous federal, state, tribal, and local agencies and a handful of spill industry partners to practice oil spill response strategies. Staff from the County’s Department of Emergency Management, Environmental Stewardship Department, and Communications program participated in the training.
“San Juan County is a remote location for oil spill response so it’s important that we have a local team ready to step up and serve,” said IOSA Director Elaina Thompson who initiated the training.
The training set forth a hypothetical scenario – an oil spill between San Juan and Lopez Islands that is threatening the shoreline near Jackson Beach. This situation prompted responders to plan containment and removal strategies, coordinate crews on the water, deploy equipment such as spill booms and drones, and activate protocols and equipment deployment for wildlife deterrence. Over 50 people from over 16 different groups participated in the training, bringing together skills and expertise from around the state.
“This training is really boosting our community’s capacity and knowledge,” said the County’s Emergency Management Director Brendan Cowan, looking out across a beach of busy volunteers. “We have industry and agency partners helping us build that capacity, and the relationships and skills built today will certainly serve us into the future.”
Mitigating Impacts to Wildlife
The Environmental Unit, comprised of representatives from the Whale Museum, the County’s Environmental Stewardship Department, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Ecology, reviewed wildlife deterrents that direct birds and marine mammals away from the spill.
“We use a combination of Breco buoys and Oikomi pipes to drive wildlife away from dangerous areas,” said Frances Robertson, San Juan County’s marine program manager.
Breco buoys emit sounds and flashing lights that deter seabirds from landing in the area and they have the capability to follow the leading edge of an oil spill with a GPS tracking system. Oikomi pipes, hung off the sides of response boats and struck with a hammer, create a curtain of noise to drive marine mammals - particularly southern resident killer whales - away from the spill. Crews learned about the activation protocols and deployment of both for the exercise at Jackson Beach.
Containment and Removal Strategies
Training exercises included deploying two WA State Geographic Response Plans (SJI-03 and SJI-04) which required multiple vessels along with 1,000 feet of spill boom - a long floating curtain to contain oil on the surface of the water. The team also used drones to assess the surrounding area and monitor operations from above.
In addition, participants toured the Marine Spill Response Corporation’s (MRSC) 123ft oil spill response vessel, Shearwater. Equipped with a massive skimming system, the vessel can extract and hold up to 57,000 gallons of oil. In the event of an oil spill in the islands, MRSC would be one of several responding entities.
“I’m blown away by people’s willingness to participate,” said Thompson, reflecting on the event. “These people aren’t being paid, they aren’t checking a required box – they are choosing to spend their time here to support San Juan County’s oil spill response and IOSA. It’s so encouraging to see and I’m truly thankful for everyone who chose to come out here today.”
Emergency Preparedness in the Community
Emergency preparedness isn’t just for IOSA volunteers and first responders – YOU can take steps to prepare for natural disasters and emergencies in the islands. “The island way is to be prepared” says the County’s ‘Islands Ready’ website: https://www.islandsready.org/
Islanders are encouraged to visit the site to learn more about preparedness resources and what to do in the event of earthquakes and tsunamis, extreme storms, oil spills, wildfires, and more. Use the preparedness calendar to set monthly goals, find specific information for senior citizens, and sign up for alerts.
Thank you to the following participating organizations: 
The US Coast Guard, the WA State Department of Ecology, the WA State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Marine Spill Response Corporation, Leading Edge, Republic Services (NRC), Global Diving, Focus Wildlife, the Lummi and Swinomish Tribes, BP, Marathon and HF Sinclair Refineries, The Whale Museum, San Juan Island EMS, the Port of Friday Harbor, San Juan County’s Department of Emergency Management, IOSA, and more.
Questions about oil spill response or emergency preparedness?
Elaina Thompson, IOSA Director: elaina@iosaonline.org
Brendan Cowan, Emergency Management Director: brendanc@sanjuancountywa.gov
Photos by Conor Barnes, Program Manager for Leading Edge Environmental and Emergency Services
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