Every year, Suncor’s Montreal Sulphur Plant collaborates with the Centre de Sécurité Civile (CSC) of Montréal to test our siren. The siren provides warning to nearby communities to help keep people safe in the event of a plant emergency or operational disruption.
This year, to ensure as many people in the area as possible could hear and become familiar with the sound of the siren, the CSC asked the Sulphur Plant to hold its test in the early evening when many people would be home.
Following the drill, CSC, Montréal Fire Department and Suncor Sulphur plant employees went door-to-door to conduct surveys with community members located close to the plant and reinforce what they need to do when the siren sounds. The survey results will be used to help the CSC further identify how best to prepare and support citizens in a variety of emergency situations.
Preliminary survey results indicated most of those surveyed heard the siren and knew what actions to take in the event of an emergency. Awareness was low among a group of new residents in the area. In particular, this group appreciated the door-to-door conversations Suncor and CSC initiated, and they welcomed the opportunity to learn more.
“We appreciate the guidance and insights CSC has provided,” says Matthew Sills, Team Leader EH&S Montreal Sulphur, Strategy & Operations Services with the Montreal Sulphur Plant. “These latest results are positive news and underscore that regular siren testing, along with making sure we’re getting out and talking to community members, is the best way to ensure people are prepared, know what to do, and are able to stay safe in the unlikely event of an emergency.”