I was the sole female in my industrial firefighter class for Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s Catlettsburg Refinery. When you’re the only woman, there’s always that extra self-imposed pressure to prove you belong. Imposter syndrome happily rears its head in a male-dominated arena. Luckily, on the fire field there’s no time for…
Sarah Smith is a loader in the blending and shipping/products control department at Marathon Petroleum’s Catlettsburg Refinery. She resides in Genoa, West Virginia, and holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Marshall University (Huntington, WV). She is married to her husband Derek and has two dogs and four horses. Her hobbies include rock climbing and motorcycling. Smith is a proud member of the USW Local-8-00719. She annually attends fire training at Texas A&M in College Station. She is an Industrial Fire Fighter 2, EMT, and Rope Rescue Technician, who volunteers on the Catlettsburg Refinery fire department team. Smith has not only found a satisfying career but is proud to work for a company willing to invest in further education, and one that strives to diversify and welcome women into this workforce.
Oil and gas operations are commonly found in remote locations far from company headquarters. Now, it's possible to monitor pump operations, collate and analyze seismic data, and track employees around the world from almost anywhere. Whether employees are in the office or in the field, the internet and related applications enable a greater multidirectional flow of information – and control – than ever before.