Sunoco Refinery Alerts: Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and Sunoco Refinery Join Forces for Public Notification

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and Sunoco, Inc. are partnering to provide text alerts to the public involving incidents at the company’s Philadelphia refinery that may impact the community.

Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management MaryAnn E. Tierney said, “Both the Sunoco Refinery and the Office of Emergency Management agree that our goal is to keep the public informed when an incident occurs at the refinery, whether it is an emergency or not.”

The “Sunoco Refinery Alerts” group will be used when an incident has a public impact, whether or not it is an emergency. Public impact is defined as an incident that may cause 
odors, noises, or visuals that are not normally present in the community. The group will also be utilized to provide alerts about unusual events or activation of the siren system. Alerts may be sent in anticipation of or during an incident. For example, an alert may be sent in advance of construction activity or during the release of an odor.

To ensure that the public is provided timely and accurate information, Deputy Managing Director Tierney encourages those who live and work in Philadelphia to sign up for these alerts at www.phila.gov/ready. Click on the ReadyNotifyPA logo. Select “Click Here to Register.” After you’ve completed the registration process, select “Sunoco Refinery Alerts.” It’s that easy.

ReadyNotifyPA is used by the City of Philadelphia to send emergency text alerts, notifications and updates directly to your cell phone, pager, BlackBerry, PDA, iPhone and/or email account.

In the event of an emergency – such as a major fire, severe weather, or road closures – local officials can send important alerts and updates right to your cell phone, other mobile device or email account. With the addition of “Sunoco Refinery Alerts” to ReadyNotifyPA, you can now sign up for notifications specifically about the Sunoco Refinery. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management has provided training to key Sunoco officials who also have the ability to send text alerts when an incident occurs at the refinery that may impact the community.

“Sunoco takes its responsibility to the community very seriously. Partnering with the Office of Emergency Management to provide text alerts is an important example of our ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor,” said Thomas Golembeski, Sunoco’s Manager of Media and Public Relations.

ReadyNotifyPA is just one tool that the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) uses to get information to the public. In addition, residents should also tune to local TV and radio for important information, updates and instructions in the event of an emergency. They can also follow OEM on its social media networking sites – Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Blogger which can all be access from the OEM website at www.phila.gov/ready.

Mrs. Tierney reminds residents that it is important to prepare now for any kind of any emergency by developing a family emergency plan. The plan should include knowing how to shelter in place, knowing what to do if you need to evacuate, putting together an emergency supply kit, developing a family communication plan to keep in touch with loved ones during an emergency, and knowing how to stay informed during an emergency. 

For more information about how to prepare for emergencies and ReadyNotifyPA, visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management’s website at www.phila.gov/ready.

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