Emergency Preparedness
Although prevention is our first priority, we recognize the need to prepare
for a leak from our pipelines or facilities. Enbridge maintains comprehensive
emergency preparedness and response systems to ensure that in the event of
an incident, all the appropriate actions are taken to protect the public,
the environment and company personnel and assets.
All operating facilities maintain regular contact with communities and
first responder organizations to keep them up to date and coordinated with
Enbridge's contingency plans. In addition, employees throughout all our
business units participate in regular emergency response drills and simulations
to test and improve procedures.
In 2003, we conducted about 122 emergency response exercises in
Canada and the United States. These ranged from tabletop exercises, where
employees discussed responses to various scenarios, to full-scale deployment
exercises with local emergency agencies, using equipment to practise recovery
and cleanup in various terrains.
There are many examples that illustrate our commitment to increasing
our organization's emergency preparedness through training and education.
Here are some highlights:
- Our U.S.Natural Gas Business performed tabletop emergency response
exercises at 18 plant and compressor sites. The drills tested our operators'
response to different scenarios - the release of hydrogen sulphide, ruptured
gas lines and the possibility of terrorist threats. These successfully
demonstrated our operating teams' ability to promptly evaluate and respond to
potential danger, contact other local emergency officials and identify
opportunities for improvement;
- Liquids Pipelines developed and implemented a training program to update
field employees on strategies and tactics to manage tank fires. More than 100
employees took part in the two-day training seminar in 2003. The business
also provided incident command system training to about 100 employees.
This system is used by regulators, company employees and local emergency
responders to instill a shared understanding of the different roles and
responsibilities during an emergency; and
- Gas Distribution provided training to emergency response organizations in
Ontario to increase awareness of public evacuation routes in the event of an
emergency in our gas delivery system.
Lakehead exercise tests emergency response efforts
As part of ongoing drills, emergency response crews along our Lakehead
System participated in an emergency deployment on September 24 near the
Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan. The exercise simulated a pipeline
leak in a major waterway with possible terrorist involvement.
Jointly facilitated with the U.S. Coast Guard and monitored by the U.S.
Office of Pipeline Safety, Enbridge crews worked closely with federal and
state agencies and local emergency responders to put their plans and skills to
the test as they ran through the rigorous training exercise. The exercise
successfully strengthened relationships, revealed areas for improvement and
highlighted the company's rapid and effective response efforts.
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