FY2015 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2015 | Page 17

FY 2015 Accomplishments
LABC Gas Well Incident
In April 2015, Vantage’s Lake Arlington Baptist Church (LABC)
natural gas well site in west Arlington experienced a gas well
operation emergency that resulted in the release of frack fluid
during a fracking operation. Residents living in an 1/8 mile radius
of the well site were asked to evacuate as a precaution. Arlington
Fire’s Gas Well Response Teams were dispatched to the site for
emergency control operations. Effective partnership and
coordination with Vantage and industry response teams resulted in
a successful outcome of the incident while keeping the local
community safe. The response to this emergency included several
City departments and multiple State and Federal agencies. The
gas well incident occurred just days before
a proposed state law, House Bill 40, came
up for debate in the Texas Legislature. The
bill, which bolstered state control over
urban drilling, was modified after City
officials objected to key elements of the bill
during committee hearings in Austin. During the LABC incident,
Arlington’s state legislators visited the site with Chief Crowson.
After the visit, the state representatives returned to Austin and
during the House Bill 40’s legislative floor debate they helped
assure that local fire departments retained authority to regulate
surface gas well activities th