Emergency management: Training and exercises
Enbridge has established a multi-tiered system that enables us to address varying levels of emergencies that could be associated with our assets. As noted elsewhere in this section, we have defined roles and responsibilities for those who would be involved in emergencies. The training that these individuals receive aligns with the role that they will fill during an emergency and the hazards associated with their area of operation.
Our emergency response training includes appropriate levels of ICS training, depending on the role people are expected to play in an emergency and the type of emergencies they would be responding to. While ICS training is an important part of the emergency response training that we offer, it is only one component. For example, within the Liquids Pipelines business unit, operations employees receive specialized training on items such as:
- boat handling;
- boom deployment;
- skimmer operations; and
- responding in cold weather.
Training requirements by role are outlined in the emergency response plans. Program coordinators are responsible for overall coordination of emergency response training identified, including:
- annually identifying emergency response training needs;
- scheduling emergency response training;
- ensuring training records are maintained and up-to-date;
- ensuring training missed by employees is re-scheduled;
- summarizing mandatory emergency response training for employees,
- comparing scheduled training to actual training received; and
- reviewing training with employees
Enbridge is committed to strengthening our partnerships through meetings, exercises, personal contact and information updates. We always appreciate hearing from emergency responders and encourage them to contact us with questions or concerns.
Exercises are performed to assess the effectiveness of the training, to test the emergency response plans and to refresh skills and knowledge obtained through training. Ongoing training and exercises are conducted within each business unit. To keep our employees and contractors prepared, we plan and execute discussion-based and operations-based exercises across our company, including workshops, tabletop exercises, notification drills, equipment deployments, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises involving equipment, our employees and contractors, local first responders, other third-party agencies and Indigenous communities. During these exercises, our employees and contractors—often in concert with local and regional first response agencies—participate in activities focused on specific objectives. During these exercises, local first responders, agencies, government and industry representatives often observe the process and have a firsthand look at how we are prepared to react in the event of an incident. These exercises also give them the opportunity to provide feedback on how they would respond or assist during an emergency.
In general, each major operating region within our systems is required to complete a full exercise cycle every three years. A full exercise cycle includes at least one full scale exercise, multiple tabletop exercises and equipment deployments.
Exercise requirements are outlined in the emergency response plans.
Click on the links below to read more about the key elements that Enbridge employs to ensure its stakeholders and the environment are protected:
