FOLEY, Ala. — With oil bearing down of the Gulf Coast, companies in Baldwin County are training workers to help with the cleanup.

On Thursday, more than 200 residents turned up for training at Pates Country Music Hall in Foley. By Friday, that number had grown to nearly 400 and could grow into the thousands.

Randy Crockett with Inner Parish Security Corporation (IPSC) said workers would be paid $12 per hour plus overtime up to 60 hours per week. The only requirements, he said, were that the workers be at least 18 years old and heathy enough for physical labor.

The company, based out of Hammond, La., with local offices in Gulf Shores, is contracting through a management company backed by BP to provide workers for beach clean-up.

Brian P. Hollis, also with IPSC, said the company had a contract for 350 workers, but because of expected turnover, will initially be looking to train over 500 workers.

“We’re looking for about 100 more workers at this time,” said Hollis on Friday, after estimating that between 350 and 400 residents had already signed up.

P.S. Safety and Risk Management has also contracted with BP, and is working with IPSC to provide HasMat training for the workers.

Company President Peggy Sellers, who is heading up the training, said 40 hours of training is required to work with hazardous materials, but some elements, such as working in confined spaces, are not required for the beach cleanup training, while other training will be provided in the field, condensing the initial training to about 16 hours.

Mark Leto Sr., owner of IPSC said Friday that the contract with BP is open ended.

“I wish we could tell you when you are going to work,” he told trainees on Friday. “Right now we don’t know because BP really doesn’t know what is going to be required.”

Leto said his company is currently in negotiations for three separate contracts and before cleanup efforts are done, the number of workers needed could reach into the thousands.

Leto also told those attending Friday’s training session that their certifications would be held until they are needed to work.

“If we come upon a situation where we don’t need you to work, and I don’t think that’s going to happen, but if it does, we will make your certification available so you can work for another company,” he said. “We are paying for this training because we want you to work for us, but the training will be necessary, no matter who you work for.”

Leto said his understanding was that his company along with others would be training workers over the coming weeks for beach cleanup. The best qualified workers would then be called once work becomes available.

“It is my hope that we will be able to use most if not all of the people here today,” he said, “along with many others and from what I’ve been told, that number will be in the hundreds, possibly even into the thousands.”

Other companies along the coast will also be contracting workers through BP, including SG & S Oil Recovery Product LLC, which has been training inmates with the Baldwin County Work Release Center in Loxley.