Trainee firefighters have benefited from Chevron's oil training programme after being invited to battle a controlled refinery blaze at it's dedicated centre in El Segundo, California.

The company - which has its own fire department - allows firefighters throughout Los Angeles to use the facilities, which include tanker truck fires and oil storage tanker blazes.

Chevron's oil and training academy's chief Sam DiGiovanna told Whittier Daily News that the cadets ran through about five different scenarios.

"This is their first step towards becoming a firefighter ... This academy is very intense and students always come out very disciplined," he claimed.

Within the next two weeks, the cadets will undertake an intensive structural fire training programme, preparing them to deal with all types of blaze witnessed in the oil and gas industry.

In addition to its own internally trained fire department, Chevron also has in-house emergency response workers, who have completed oil training programmes endowing them with the skills to deal with large-scale incidents.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development