Emergency management: Stakeholder liaisons and continuing education

Enbridge's public awareness programs, liaison activities, and continuing education programs are all closely related.

Our commitment to emergency preparedness and response also involves ensuring that our neighbours are aware of our operations, and how to live and work safely near our pipelines and facilities. In Canada and the U.S., regulations require us to maintain public awareness programs that provide local stakeholders with information on how to live and work safely near pipelines and facilities. Through our public awareness programs, we educate landowners, residents, businesses, farmers, excavators, public officials and first response agencies on how to recognize and report incidents, and on how to stay safe if an incident occurs. We also have specific Indigenous engagement programs.

We strive to demonstrate our commitment to safety by:

contributing to local emergency response readiness;
aligning communications regarding damage prevention, emergency management, community investment and asset location; and
leveraging industry best practices to continuously improve our public awareness programs.

Enbridge also supports various emergency responder continuing education programs. For our Liquids Pipelines and Gas Transmission and Midstream businesses, stakeholders receive information directly about what might happen in an emergency, and how to respond if there is a suspected release of product. Specifically, instructions are provided on how to identify a potential release and what to do in response, including how to shelter-in-place if necessary.

We contact communities, landowners, emergency responders and other groups near our pipelines and facilities on an ongoing basis.

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If you're excavating near a pipeline right-of-way (ROW), you need to call your toll-free one-call number or use clickbeforeyoudig.com in advance.

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Enbridge has comprehensive emergency responder continuing education programs, which includes face-to-face meetings with organizations that may potentially be involved in responding to emergency. During these meetings, Enbridge representatives provide emergency responders with the information they need to respond effectively in an emergency. This includes providing information about the nature and attributes of our operations and the products we handle, as well as a review of the basic Incident Command System (ICS) which would be implemented in an emergency situation. As part of the emergency responder continuing education program, Enbridge offers access to a free, online pipeline emergency response training through a program developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) and numerous emergency response organizations. This best-in-class training includes four available courses, organized by need, for all first responders including 9-1-1 dispatchers. The training is available at mypipelinetraining.com.

In addition to the continuing education undertaken, Enbridge invites local first responders and regulators to participate in exercises relevant to their area of jurisdiction. More information on exercises is available in the Training and Exercises section.

In our natural gas utility businesses, we focus on educating our customers and the public about the smell of natural gas and the steps they should take if they suspect a natural gas leak. We communicate this information through various channels, including through public awareness campaigns, community events and direct email communication.

Overview of Enbridge's engagement and continuing education programs

Stakeholder Group	Who is included	Outreach	How Often
Affected Public	People who live, work or congregate near Enbridge pipelines or facilities	Outreach will include information regarding: the type of pipeline, facility or asset (including product, if applicable); general location of the pipeline, facility or asset; safety considerations⁷; and non-emergency and emergency contact information.	Cycle between 1-3 years depending on program and audience.
Emergency response agencies	Emergency response agencies with jurisdiction to respond to an emergency involving an Enbridge asset	Outreach will include information regarding the type of pipeline, facility or asset (including product, if applicable); general location of the pipeline, facility or asset; safety considerations; description of how Enbridge personnel will work with local response agencies during an emergency to protect people, property and the environment; and non-emergency, and emergency contact information.	Cycle between 1-3 years depending on program and audience.
Third parties conducting ground disturbance activities near our pipelines or crossing our pipelines	Could include the affected public, excavation companies, relevant public/government employees, Enbridge contractors and employees.	Outreach will include activities in response to damage to an Enbridge asset, unauthorized crossings, unauthorized access, encroachment activities on pipeline rights-of-way or facility locations or breach of established procedures. Ongoing outreach activities for excavation companies include the following safety information: safe work procedures and applicable legal requirements for working near Enbridge assets including procedures for safe digging or work near overhead assets; how to identify and respond to an asset emergency; and the potential hazards associated with an asset emergency	Regional and case specific
Public/Government Officials	Public/government officials with responsibilities for community safety or land use permitting/planning	Ongoing outreach activities include the following safety information: safe work procedures and applicable legal requirements for working near Enbridge assets including procedures for safe digging or work near overhead assets; general description of the type of asset(s) in their jurisdiction (including product, if applicable) or how to verify the type of asset using signage, maps and other available resources; and an overview of the ongoing operations, maintenance and integrity management activities conducted by Enbridge to keep assets and host communities safe.	Ongoing
Employees	Employees and contractors	Ongoing outreach activities including the following safety information: description of Enbridge’s commitment to public awareness/public safety communication; an overview of the safety messages communicated to the affected public; and details regarding how employees can help share safety information with friends and neighbours within Enbridge host communities.	Ongoing

In addition to the above engagement and continuing education activities, Enbridge completes supplemental stakeholder outreach as identified by each business unit and specific region. Decisions regarding supplemental activities are based on factors such as:

potential hazards;
areas identified as high consequence, environmentally sensitive or difficult to evacuate;
population density along rights-of-way or near facilities;
land development activities;
agricultural activity;
history of and/or potential for third-party damage;
environmental considerations;
history of pipeline release or safety issues in an area;
specific local situations (e.g., logging activity, planned tree clearing or maintenance, geo-hazards);
regulatory requirements;
changes suggested as part of public awareness program evaluation;
stakeholder interest or concern;
current or planned projects; and
evaluation of internal risk data.

Together we . . .

stand

Our Safe Community program has awarded C$13.3 million to thousands of emergency response organizations. Click on the image at left to learn more about one of those groups.

Enbridge's supplemental stakeholder outreach

Method	Description
Increase frequency	More frequent contact with key stakeholders may be scheduled if deemed necessary or appropriate.
Product specific inserts	Additional product information may be provided to stakeholders that are near an asset that carries products other than oil or natural gas
Expanded reach	Expanded reach to those affected within a high consequence area or areas that could be impacted, as determined by overland flow, air dispersion or spill plume modeling, and risk data on a particular pipeline segment.

Through the public awareness, liaison and continuing education activities, information may be generated that can be incorporated into the emergency response plans which supports the continuous improvement cycle

⁷ Includes information related to recognizing and responding to an asset emergency and working safely near assets.

Click on the links below to read more about the key elements that Enbridge employs to ensure its stakeholders and the environment are protected:

Policy, goals and objectives
Hazard identification, risk assessment and controls, and cleanup and remediation
Stakeholder liaison to prepare for emergencies and continuing education
Incident management structure
Training and exercises