FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Melinda Maas, ESI TOTAL FUEL MANAGEMENT
July 12, 2012 (703) 263-7600
ESI Total Fuel Management Statement on Diesel Fuel Security During “Derecho” Weather Catastrophe
Chantilly, VA – ESI Total Fuel Management, the leader in Diesel Fuel Quality Systems Management™, responded successfully to maintain diesel fuel deliveries on demand to new and existing customers in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., from June 29 – July 6, 2012. During that time, the U.S. east coast experienced one of its most severe, non-hurricane weather events, exposing data centers and critical power systems to latent, business continuity risks in diesel fuel systems. As grid reliability collapsed in spectacular fashion for private, government and commercial consumers, data centers and telecommunications facilities were forced to transfer power to backup generators. Some failed to do so because of mechanical or electrical system integrity failures. However, even for those who succeeded in transferring power successfully, the risks were not over.
“As is the case with all sudden disasters of this type, ESI’s Secure Fuel Delivery™ service activities increased as we were called upon to fill one of the most critical gaps in business continuity value chain management,” says Alex Marcus, ESI’s President. “Ninety percent of diesel generator failures are due to fuel-related causes, including the inability to locate, order, and secure delivery of reliable diesel fuel from reputable providers during unexpected catastrophes. I am pleased to announce that ESI performed all fuel deliveries as planned for those in need.”
Even though many data and communication facilities confirm mechanical and electrical system integrity with business continuity “checklists,” some centers were ultimately caught without adequate stores of diesel fuel because of the storm’s scale and severity. In the early stages of the disaster, facilities that failed to establish contact with overwhelmed fuel suppliers were successful when they were finally referred to ESI’s 24-hour emergency number. As demand continued to intensify over a relatively short period, it became apparent that facilities throughout Virginia and the D.C. Capitol region were unable to gain access to secure fuel deliveries on a large-scale basis, even from their regularly contracted fuel suppliers.
In an industry that is largely served by fuel delivery companies whose principle business is supplying heating oil to homes and diesel fuel to service stations, ESI’s Secure Fuel Delivery service is a unique model in the industry, purpose-designed for the rigors of critical power facility operations and business continuity planning.
There are inherent risks in the Diesel Fuel Supply Chain and infrastructure which are often inadvertently exacerbated by facility operators in their efforts to mitigate volatile risks such as the recent Derecho catastrophe. This occurs because of a critical gap in knowledge and expertise among facility operators.
“We were very busy in the first 48 hours of this disaster, ensuring that every critical power facility who called us had a secure link to reliable diesel fuel,” continues Marcus. “In fact, facilities prefer to contract with ESI because we assume the burden of risk from the facility operation and ensure a reliable source of diesel fuel during catastrophic events and extended generator runs. Additionally, ESI guarantees diesel fuel quality and type, while at the same time maintaining the DEQ required records. We consider this a best practice that all facilities should have in their business continuity plan. Business continuity checklists are no longer sufficient to deal with today’s threats.”
A Resilience Roundtable report, issued by the U.S. Resilience Project in October 2011, urges private sector business continuity professionals to “implement performance-based targets, not checklist standards” as a best practice for business continuity. The report explains that performance-based targets “describe a desired end state” for business resilience which, according to Marcus, is an appropriate model for managing what he calls the Diesel Fuel Lifecycle™.
“When it comes to reliable diesel power,” Marcus continues, “We at ESI Total Fuel Management go far beyond the mere checklist standards that many facility operators and business resilience managers find acceptable. Preventive measures such as periodically verifying day tank fuel levels and removing water from stored fuel – while basic needs – have proven time and again to be insufficient for serious emergency situations. Risks are present everywhere in the Diesel Fuel Lifecycle and can occur on-site or off-site. Having a provider of Diesel Fuel Quality Systems Management, such as ESI, who knows those risks, and takes responsibility for them, is the key to business continuity when it really counts.”
In addition, the customers who lease space from data center operators should conduct due diligence on their host facilities to verify that an uninterruptable link to diesel fuel supplies is in place. To ensure that the fuel supply link is uninterruptable, lessees should demand best practices equal to, or exceeding, those delivered by ESI.
“If you are a customer leasing space in a data center, ask lots of questions about the Diesel Fuel Lifecycle and how the facility is mitigating those risks,” concludes Marcus. “If they don’t have a clear answer, call ESI Total Fuel Management for guidance.”
For more information on Diesel Fuel Quality Systems Management or to secure an uninterruptable link to secure diesel fuel, facilities or their customers may call ESI Total Fuel Management’s 24-hour service at (703) 263-7600 (for a fuel emergency select “8”). To download ESI’s recent white paper on risk mitigation in the Diesel Fuel Lifecycle, please go to The Case For Investment In Diesel Fuel Quality Systems Management.
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About ESI Total Fuel Management
ESI Total Fuel Management’s mission is to eliminate diesel generator failure due to fuel-related causes. ESI Total Fuel Management is the proven industry expert in reliable diesel fuel filtration and lifecycle risk management, providing effective Diesel Fuel Quality Systems Management to diesel generator critical power systems worldwide. ESI is the first and only company to address both internal and external risks throughout the Diesel Fuel Lifecycle while including diesel fuel access and delivery as a standard competency. In addition to maintaining quality diesel fuel and providing secure fuel delivery through a nationwide network of suppliers, ESI also manufactures the ESI Clean Fuel System™, a patented standard in fuel polishing design which revolutionized the critical power and marine industries. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, ESI Total Fuel Management delivered over 1 million gallons of emergency diesel fuel to government, private and commercial customers when other providers could not.