BP training Palm Beach County employees for coastal cleanup

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hundreds of Palm Beach County employees will start training soon. They'll get prepared to help with the coastal clean up if tar balls from the massive oil spill on the Gulf wash ashore.

"We fully expect BP to clean up anything that reaches our shores, but it's very important to us to have it happen quickly and because of that we want to have a back up plan," says Dan Bates, Director of Environmental Enhancement and Restoration.

BP is offering the hour long training course online.

"Keep hydrated, wear proper equipment and make sure you have a supervisor there...that type of thing. So it's pretty basic," says Bates.

County and municipal workers, including members of the Parks and Recreation staff, and the sheriffs office are logging on for the class.

Emergency managers say the balls of black ooze could wash ashore within the next few weeks. They've ordered signs that will warn beach goers not to handle tar balls. Those signs will also list emergency numbers to call for any sightings of tar balls or wildlife affected by oil.

Bates says the signs won't go up until absolutely necessary. The department doesn't want to frighten tourists or cause unnecessary worry.

"They're small and to the point. Just asking people to be aware and call us in case they see anything," says Bates.

"I don't think it would dampen our vacation but if it's needed of course. You need to alert the public," says vacationer, Bob Dumoss. 

A couple steps being taken by the county to keep our shores clean and ensure beach goers safe and informed.