ERAC Update – January 29, 2024
President's Corner
I am pleased to announce our next Dangerous Goods Emergency Management Conference will take place June 4 – 6, 2024, at Hotel Arts in Calgary, Alberta.
This year’s conference will kick off with our keynote speaker, four-time Olympic gold medalist hockey legend Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, regarded as one of the best female hockey players in the world, who will share her thoughts on resiliency, teamwork and success. We’ve also lined up session speakers from oil and gas, hydrogen, transportation, industry partners and more.
As part of our biennial conference, we will also be holding our National Responder Awards reception and dinner, where ERAC will be recognizing the efforts of our outstanding individuals and response teams in the areas of leadership, safety, training and learning, and long-term service.
The Dangerous Goods Emergency Management Conference is a great opportunity for our Plan members, responders, emergency management and health and safety professionals, and industry stakeholders to build relationships while learning valuable information that will assist you in your day-to-day work activities.
You can find more information on the conference here.
We hope to see you in June!
Spencer Buckland
President
ERAC’s Commitment to Safety
At ERAC, safety is our top priority. Whether driving to or from work, participating in a training exercise, or responding to a dangerous goods incident, our responders must be vigilant in keeping themselves safe while ensuring people, property and the environment are protected. To that end, we strongly encourage our response team members to review our Health, Safety and Environment policy statement and to embrace safety in every aspect of their daily lives.
ERAC Increases Number of Transport Canada-Approved Flammable Liquids by Rail Technical Advisors
Did you know that to become an Emergency Response Assistance Plan Technical Advisor (TA) for flammable liquids (FL) by rail in Canada, you must meet Transport Canada’s required qualifications, knowledge, training and experience?
As part of the approval process, Transport Canada interviews and assesses a TA on:
- Knowledge of FL properties, specific firefighting tactics, spill control and remediation
- Tactical and administrative knowledge and experience in managing high-hazard flammable train incidents
- Training and experience with damaged tank car handling and specific product transfer operations
- And much more.
We are pleased to report that our three new hires, Operations Director Yves Hamel and Regional Managers/Technical Advisors Sharlotte Stevens (Ontario) and Josh Watts (British Columbia) have successfully met Transport Canada’s rigorous assessment requirements and are fully regulatory compliant.
ERAC plan members can be confident in knowing that a qualified and competent ERAC Technical Advisor will be responding to their flammable liquids Emergency Response Assistance Plan.
Congratulations Yves, Sharlotte and Josh!
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Yves Hamel |
Sharlotte Stevens |
Josh Watts |
2024 Leo Sichewski Memorial Bursary Applications Now Open
A little over seven years ago, Leo Sichewski, a valued 24-year veteran of ERAC passed away. In memory of Leo, we created the ERAC Leo Sichewski Memorial Bursary fund that provides financial assistance to qualified recipients who are enrolled in a certificate, diploma or degree program in safety, emergency management or first responder training. The bursary is open to Plan members, ERAC responders, and family members of each group.
You can find more details about the bursary here.
Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2024.
National Responder Awards Nominations Now Open
Every other year, ERAC recognizes the efforts of our outstanding individuals and teams for their professionalism and commitment to safety, training and excellence with three awards in the areas of: (1) Leadership, (2) Safety, and (3) Training and Learning.
Nominations will be accepted until March 31, 2024, with formal award presentations at our National Responder Awards dinner at our Dangerous Goods Emergency Management conference in Calgary, Alberta on June 5, 2024.
You can find more information on the awards here.