Nova ScotiaThe company that runs a large fuel storage facility in downtown Sydney, N.S., has bought a trailer for spraying firefighting foam on fuel spills and is allowing Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s fire department to store and use the gear.Gear bought by the company will be used by municipal firefighters to spread special foam after a spillTom Ayers · CBC News · Posted: Sep 10, 2025 2:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoOne of J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport’s special fire trucks sprays foam onto Imperial Oil tanks and into earthen berms around them after a major gasoline spill in July 2022. (Tom Ayers/CBC)The owner of a large fuel storage facility in downtown Sydney, N.S., has purchased new fire protection equipment that will benefit the wider Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Imperial Oil bought a trailer for spraying firefighting foam on fuel spills and is allowing the municipality’s fire department to store and use the gear, Deputy Chief Chris March told council on Tuesday.”We can use that unit at our leisure for both training and should we need it for emergency. It will be held with us at our fleet division so it’s readily accessible,” March said.”The only expenses we will be responsible for is if we use it, of course, to make sure it’s in good condition, and any foam that we do use.”March said Imperial Oil is also paying to send two regional firefighters for training in the United States on how to use the gear.The move comes three years after around 600,000 litres of gasoline spilled out of Imperial Oil’s tank farm, leading to the evacuation of some nearby homes and businesses.Coun. Eldon MacDonald, whose district includes the downtown fuel storage facility, says it’s a relief that the company will be better prepared in case of future spills. (Tom Ayers/CBC)It took hours for a specialized firefighting foam truck to come from the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport about 15 kilometres away.The facility stores much of the gasoline, diesel and home heating oil for Cape Breton Island.Coun. Eldon MacDonald, whose district includes the downtown fuel storage facility, said it’s a relief that the company will be better prepared in case of future spills.”It was a major concern to the residents in the community at large that that should be available through Imperial Oil and I know it’s been a couple of years,” he said.Coun. Gordon MacDonald agreed.”The fact that the foam trailer has arrived at Imperial Oil is great news, because … residents that I know down there personally [still have] those fears and concerns on how that [gear] should be down there.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORTom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 39 years. He has spent the last 21 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at tom.ayers@cbc.ca.
Imperial Oil adds to CBRM firefighting gear with trailer built to suppress fuel spills
