You won’t find a gas station or traffic light on Lummi Island. There’s no supermarket, 到汽车修理店或医院取处方需要两个小时的往返路程.
Like many rural communities across the Pacific Northwest, accessing everyday basics calls for extra time and thoughtful planning, but living on an island adds another level of complexity. Whatcom Chief, a small but mighty 20-car ferry, 是否有一条生命线将岛民与大陆的服务和澳门皇冠赌场平台联系起来, including propane.
“There’s no running out to grab something you forgot earlier. Nothing gets here by accident, and we don’t take conveniences for granted,” says John Granger, longtime Lummi Islander, CHS propane customer and assistant fire chief for the island. “我们很感谢与CHS这样的供应商合作，他们为我们提供了必需品——丙烷在这里是必不可少的.”
Where islanders once used heating oil, kerosene and lumber to heat homes, power appliances and fuel generators, they now rely on propane. CHS西北团队每周登上渡轮，运送维持岛上居民生活的汽油, fire house, library and general store humming.
“Delivery to the island comes with some unique challenges, but we do what it takes to ensure our customers have the supply they need,” says Doug Palmer, CHS Northwest energy operations supervisor based in Lynden, Wash. “We never want to leave anyone in a bind.”
Embracing propane delivery bottlenecks
Lummi Island is just a mile off the Washington coast, but delivering propane to the island poses unique logistical hurdles.
而Whatcom Chief每天为住家乘客提供数十次出行, vehicles carrying propane, fuel and other sensitive materials are limited to two crossings per week.
Propane and fuel deliveries are made on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with just one designated trip back to the mainland, and vendors must be prepared to share the ride.\
“You have to consider weight and size, and the ferry can only fit six bobtails at a time,” says Palmer. “我们不能带来无限的供应，所以我们必须接受我们的限制，并采取战略. The best thing we can do is plan ahead. Every delivery starts with a solid game plan.”
Facing strict space and weight limits on Lummi Island’s ferry, CHS西北依靠自动填充数据来计划交付围绕客户的需求.
CHS Auto Fill program streamlines propane delivery
Islanders are encouraged to enroll in the CHS Auto Fill program, 哪个监控客户油箱中剩余的丙烷量并跟踪使用情况.
Lummi Island propane delivery at a glance
- 从位于华盛顿州林登的CHS西北皇冠hga010安卓二维码设施开始向Lummi岛输送丙烷.
- Drivers make the 25-mile trip to Gooseberry Point, 在那里丙烷尾装上Whatcom首席渡轮，然后穿过海湾.
- 司机必须在四小时内完成送货，以确保他们在返回大陆的渡轮上有一席之地.
“我们的目标是让岛上的电话客户尽可能少，因为如果他们等太久才打电话给我们, the ferry may not allow us back out for two to five days,” says Sofie Brown, CHS Northwest energy sales coordinator. “With Auto Fill, 我们可以密切关注他们的丙烷水平，这样他们就不需要惊慌失措，也不需要疯狂地打电话说快要用完了.”
CHS西北团队使用项目数据来预测每个客户需要多少丙烷以及何时需要. Each morning, Brown confirms customer tank levels, 与历史使用数据进行交叉引用，并为团队的下一次岛屿之旅构建交付计划.
而住宅客户油箱通常保持在40%或45%的填充率, CHS西北团队的目标是保持社区澳门皇冠赌场平台，如岛上的消防站以更高的速度填充，以确保在紧急情况发生时不会出现供应问题.
“With the Auto Fill monitoring system, our 1,消防站的1000加仑水箱总是满的，尤其是在冬天,” says Granger. “知道我们得到了照顾，可以专注于保护居民的安全，这让人松了一口气.”
布朗和她的团队还确保客户在干船坞季节都能得到保障. 每年，渡轮服务都会暂停几个星期，以完成关键的维护和维修. 关闭通常发生在夏末，此时家庭供暖需求最低, 但布朗和她的团队提前做好了工作，以确保客户有足够的汽油来度过服务中断.
“This is where our historical data comes into play,” says Brown. “We can’t deliver extra gallons all at once, 但我们可以回顾我们的记录，了解客户可能需要多少，并在服务下线之前逐步将其提高到这个水平.”
Prepared to pivot
Choppy waters, branches and brush, 狭窄的砾石路和被洪水淹没的小路都是CHS西北丙烷送货司机克里斯·阿诺德一天的工作, 一旦他穿过海湾到达Lummi岛，他必须准备好安全通过任何运送场景.
High tides and turbulent storms can cause rocky ferry rides, felled branches and impassable roads, while winter storms create precarious driving conditions, since plowing and salting are occasional services on the island.
“It can get hectic to deliver when the weather’s bad, 但更大的问题是，你需要进入狭窄的车道才能到达丙烷储罐,” says Arnold, 是谁从近20年的经验中，驾驭了点缀在岛上的许多狭窄小路.
“在狭窄的小路上倒车和在急角上行驶需要技巧. Trees and brush can create blockades and damage our trucks.在某些情况下，阿诺德会采取行动清除构成直接威胁的分支.
The CHS Northwest team uses a safety-first approach for staff and customers. 对新客户进行设备、安全操作和配送物流方面的培训. 该小组还与岛上的消防部门合作，确保应急人员在发生与丙烷有关的紧急情况时得到良好的培训, 安全问题最终决定了交付能否以及何时完成.
When he encounters potential risks, 阿诺德指出，他在送货前会仔细评估每种情况，如果担心安全问题，他会毫不犹豫地跳过路线上的一个站点. “If you pass someone up, 下次你能送货的时候他们可能就没丙烷了. Wait too long and you risk missing your ride.”
阿诺德的送货路线是为了确保他能穿越9平方英里的岛屿，并及时返回，赶上唯一的回程渡轮.
“Once you’re on the island, the clock is ticking,” Arnold says. “如果你在路上被困住了，你真的会错过机会. A bobtail stuck on the island can have a domino effect for future deliveries, so it’s critical to keep moving and stay on track.”
帕尔默说:“我们的目标是确保岛上的顾客有他们需要的燃料。. “我们将应对这些挑战，从他们可以信任的合作伙伴那里为他们提供可靠的供应. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Whatcom Chief – a Lummi Island lifeline – by the numbers
- 36 - Crossings completed every day.
- 1.1 - Miles from the Washington state mainland to Lummi Island.
- 6 - Propane trucks allowed at once.
- 2 - Weekly ferry crossings allotted for propane deliveries.
- 20 - Passenger vehicles allowed at once.
- 1962 - The year the Watcom Chief began service.
Check out the full Winter 2024 C magazine with this article and more.
Learn more about CHS propane.
