As fall approaches and we all get back into the full swing of things after the summer vacation season, I want to draw your attention back in time to 2019, when Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced its updated Environmental Emergency (E2) regulations that included the requirement that all facilities with an E2 plan conduct a full-scale E2 response exercise within five years of implementing their plan.

A five-year E2 exercise is action-based, requiring the full-scale deployment of personnel, resources and equipment. Exercises must practice a response to a simulated environmental emergency in a worst-case scenario. Additionally, all records of a simulated exercise and updates to the plan must be kept at the facility for a period of no less than seven years from the day they are prepared.

A well-executed response exercise, ultimately, allows a plan holder to implement administrative controls to reduce the severity and impact of a potential incident, assess the effectiveness of their emergency response plan, and ensure that people, property and the environment are protected.

With many organizations now well into their fifth year working under the ECCC regulations, we have recently experienced an uptick in requests for help facilitating the mandatory, five-year, full-scale E2 exercises. I’m pleased to report that, at this point, we are on track to complete at least 20 full-scale exercises on behalf of our Plan members before the end of the year.  

We understand that completing the required training exercises and documentation can be a daunting task for some. Consequently, I want to remind our members that ERAC can plan, facilitate, evaluate and provide the required pre- and post-exercise documentation for your full-scale E2 exercise to ensure regulatory compliance, and most importantly, the safety of your employees and the public.

You can find more information here.

Spencer Buckland
President

ERAC is pleased to announce that Trevor Dickinson has joined the ERAC Operations team as our new Technical Advisor – Quebec and the Maritimes. Trevor brings 14 years of emergency response and environmental health and safety experience to ERAC and has a background and training in firefighting. Welcome aboard Trevor!    

October 1 marks the opening of our bi-annual Plan Member Survey.  

If you are an ERAC Plan member primary, alternate or emergency contact, you will receive an email invitation to participate in our 2024 Plan Member Survey on October 1.  

Please take the time to complete the survey by October 31.  

We are committed to continuous improvement and your participation is important to us as your feedback helps us meet your expectations and needs.

ERAC has developed its own versions of the Incident Command System (ICS) 100 and 200 courses to support our responders in meeting the basics of ICS. These two internal adaptations are intended to meet the requirement for ERAC responders who respond to transportation (rail & road) incidents involving liquefied petroleum gases and flammable liquids.

ERAC’s ICS 100 and 200 courses are available for free to Canadian-based first responders (firefighters, police, EMS) and our Plan members and their employees.

Learn more about our ICS courses.