Charlotte Fire firefighters descend stairs along the exterior of a fuel storage tank during a training operation at Tank Town. Hands-on training allows crews to better understand site access and movement during potential emergency responses.
Charlotte Fire has received a grant from Marathon Petroleum that will fund specialized firefighting equipment designed to strengthen emergency response capabilities at one of the region’s most complex industrial areas, a fuel storage and distribution hub commonly referred to as Tank Town.
The grant will allow Charlotte Fire to purchase a tank firefighting hemisphere nozzle and a foam wand, equipment specifically designed for incidents involving large above-ground fuel storage tanks. The tools are intended to improve early intervention during tank-related fires, helping crews contain incidents before they escalate into large-scale emergencies.
An aerial view shows multiple fuel storage tanks at a distribution facility known as Tank Town in west Charlotte. Charlotte Fire conducts ongoing training in the area to prepare for complex, low-frequency, high-risk incidents.
Tank Town is located along a major fuel pipeline corridor in west Charlotte and includes multiple terminals that store gasoline, diesel fuel, and ethanol before distributing fuel throughout central and eastern North Carolina. The facilities handle large volumes of fuel daily, making coordination between industry partners and first responders critical to public safety.
Ashley Davis, terminal manager for Marathon Petroleum’s Charlotte facility, said the grant is part of the company’s ongoing effort to support local public agencies and first responders operating in high-hazard environments.
“The purpose is to establish a structured process that allows terminals to effectively and consistently make an impact to local public agency and nonprofit groups through the use of charitable donations budget,” Davis said.
Davis said Marathon’s involvement is closely tied to the nature of the work taking place at Tank Town and the importance of preparedness.
Charlotte Fire firefighters participate in training at a fuel storage and distribution facility in west Charlotte. The training is part of ongoing efforts to prepare crews for incidents involving large-scale fuel storage and specialized firefighting operations.
“When you look at what we do here, we’re dealing with hazardous materials,” Davis said. “We want to make sure that the community stays safe, and so as part of that is making sure that the fire department, we have a good relationship with the fire department, they’re familiar with our site so if we were to have an event, they know what to do to come in.”
According to Davis, the grant will support the purchase of equipment specifically suited for tank firefighting operations.
“With this grant, they will be able to purchase a tank fire nozzle as well as a foam wand,” she said. “So that will actually help them in the case of if we have a tank fire.”
While incidents involving fuel tanks are rare, Davis said the potential consequences make preparation essential for both responders and nearby communities.
“At the end of the day it helps,” Davis said. “It’s going to help contain and keep any type of fires or spills to a minimum and try to keep it within the site.”
Charlotte Fire Captain Shane Fields stands at a fuel storage facility in west Charlotte during site operations. Fields is assigned to Firehouse 21, which is positioned near Tank Town and is among the first companies to respond to incidents in the area.
Charlotte Fire Captain Shane Fields, assigned to Firehouse 21, said his company is positioned to be among the first to respond to any incident in Tank Town.
“Station 21 is on Little Rock Road,” Fields said. “We are just outside of what they call Tank Town, which is a fuel facility off of the Colonial Pipeline and several different distribution companies that have tank storage on site for truck distribution in the area.”
Fields said the area serves as a major fuel distribution point for the region.
“So we are the centralized location for the eastern part of the state for that distribution,” he said.
Responding to incidents at fuel terminals presents challenges that differ significantly from more common emergencies such as structure fires or vehicle crashes, Fields said.
Charlotte Fire receives a grant check from Marathon Petroleum during a presentation at the company’s Charlotte terminal. The funds will be used to purchase specialized equipment designed for firefighting operations involving large fuel storage tanks.
“The biggest challenge for us is accessibility and water,” he said. “Some of these tanks are well back into the facility and more isolated than others.”
The equipment funded through the Marathon grant is intended to improve Charlotte Fire’s ability to control a specific type of tank fire known as a rim seal fire. Rim seal fires occur along the outer edge of a floating-roof tank and can spread rapidly if not addressed early.
“So we got it for a hemisphere and a foam wand,” Fields said. “Those two actually give us ability, if there’s a rim seal fire, which is a smaller version of a full surface fire, the ability to make a quick attack, get some foam on just the seal and hopefully get it contained and out before it becomes a bigger problem.”
Fields said early control is critical to limiting the duration and impact of an incident.
“If we go from a seal fire to a full surface fire, we’re talking hours-long operation,” he said. “If we can get there, get this rim seal fire out, we’re looking at 15 minutes versus hours-long or days-long operation.”
The grant is the result of ongoing collaboration between Charlotte Fire and Marathon Petroleum, including multiple training sessions held at the terminal over the past several years.
Charlotte Fire firefighters stand atop a large fuel storage tank during a training exercise at Tank Town. The training focuses on familiarity with tank layouts, access points, and coordinated response strategies.
“Over the past two years I’ve been building a relationship with the fire department,” Davis said. “You’ve had multiple drills here on site. We’ve had our fire subject-matter expert come down, present a class on just different tank firefighting applications.”
Davis said the idea for the equipment request came directly from those training interactions.
“Actually through one of the drills when they came here on site, our fire SME had mentioned some things that would help them,” she said. “That is what they decided to request for the grant.”
Fields said access to facilities and industry expertise before an emergency occurs plays a key role in preparedness.
“Marathon’s been pretty good,” Fields said. “We’ve worked with them a lot on using their facility for training. They’ve got a lot of information they’ve given us. Their fire expert has come out and conducted some training with us.”
He added that hands-on familiarity with the sites improves response effectiveness.
“Everybody out there is more than willing to let us put feet on the ground, walk these facilities, see what we’ve got, where it’s at, how much of it it is,” Fields said. “And it just helps us prepare in the long run.”
Members of Charlotte Fire Firehouse 21 stand with representatives from Marathon Petroleum at a fuel storage facility in west Charlotte. Firehouse 21 is located near Tank Town and regularly participates in training and pre-incident planning at fuel storage facilities in the area.
While the equipment will directly support responses at Marathon’s terminal, Davis said its benefits extend to all fuel storage facilities in the Tank Town area.
“They don’t have to use it just for Marathon,” she said. “They’ll be able to use it for any of these tank farms here in the area.”
Charlotte Fire officials said the grant strengthens the department’s ability to respond to low-frequency but high-risk incidents while continuing to provide everyday emergency services across the city.
For nearby residents and businesses, the goal is prevention and containment.
“If something were to happen,” Davis said, “they have what they need.”