Throughout the year, Trans Mountain conducts emergency response exercises to ensure our employees and contractors are well prepared in the rare event of an incident. This summer, we held two exercises in Alberta so our crews could practice wildfire response plans as well as land and water-based spill response tactics.

An early summer training exercise in Jasper focused on protecting facilities threatened by wildfires. This included the use of response trailers, a structural protection unit and other associated response equipment. The annual wildfire equipment training was held at Jasper Station, with a focus on using response equipment from Trans Mountain’s Structure Protection and Wildfire trailers, including sprinkler systems and handlines. As part of this training, participants reviewed various defensive firefighting strategies designed to protect pump stations and other above-ground infrastructure from approaching wildfires. In addition to Trans Mountain employees, Jasper Fire and Parks Canada were in attendance.

In July, we held a two-day spill deployment exercise on the McLeod River near Edson, Alberta. The purpose of this exercise was to practice our response plans, test our deployment of response equipment and practice both land and water-based response tactics. The first day focused on dryland equipment handling and overview. On the second day, participants took to the water for a simulated spill response exercise. This included the deployment of oil spill response trailers, a decontamination trailer, containment booms, anchors and a skimmer.

Trans Mountain ensures all employees and contractors receive the training necessary to protect themselves, the public, Indigenous and local communities, and the environment in the rare event of an emergency. We work to coordinate training and exercise plans with key stakeholders, including first responders, in the communities where we operate. To request participation in an upcoming exercise or to have your community considered as an exercise location, email [email protected] and we'll do our best to accommodate your request.