In order to remain prepared in the event of an actual incident at any of the B.C. Terminals, Suncor personnel conduct regular table top and spill response exercises.
A table top exercise is intended to gather the appropriate participants in a room to discuss various issues regarding a hypothetical, simulated emergency. A full scale simulation/mock exercise is as close to the real thing as possible – and deploys the response and recovery roles and responsibilities in a realistic way. The focus is on participant learning and assessing the types of systems needed to guide the mitigation of, response to, and recovery from a defined incident.
In the morning hours of April 19, 2018, personnel at the Suncor Burrard Terminal were notified of a ‘release’ at their marine west dock involving a barge unloading diesel. Within minutes, the terminal activated its Marine Oil Spill Response Plan. Containment booms were quickly deployed on the water in the Burrard Inlet, numerous regulatory, industry and community stakeholders mustered at the Incident Command Centre and clean-up operations were underway. By 2 p.m., the all clear was given and, by 3 p.m., all those involved returned to their regular work – completion of another successful simulated training exercise.
“The day was a great opportunity to explore different ideas in the context of a real-life scenario,” says Jeff Leishman, Manager, B.C. Terminals. “An established unified command center provided a variety of unique insights into this type of marine spill response. A big thanks to Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC), Island Tug and Barge (ITB), the Canadian Coast Guard, B.C. Ministry of Environment, Transport Canada, Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, and everyone who participated in the exercise.”
At all of our Suncor operations, our first priority is to ensure safe and reliable operations that protect people, the environment and our assets. In the unlikely event of an incident, we are prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner to minimize and mitigate any impact.