Did you know that to become a Technical Advisor for flammable liquids by rail in Canada, you must meet Transport Canada’s Tier 1, Technical Advisor assessment process?  

To be a Transport Canada, Tier 1-assessed, flammable liquids Technical Advisor you must possess:
 -  Knowledge of flammable liquids properties, specific firefighting tactics, spill control and remediation
 -  Strategic and tactical knowledge and experience in managing high-hazard flammable liquid train incidents
 -  Training and experience with damaged tank car handling and specific product transfer operations
 -  And much more.

These rigorous assessments ensure that all Technical Advisors who respond to flammable liquids by rail incidents in Canada are qualified and competent to provide a regulatory-compliant emergency response. This also means that there is currently a very small pool of qualified Technical Advisor talent in Canada.

In keeping with our commitment to continuous learning and improvement, and to prepare new Technical Advisor talent for the future, ERAC’s Board of Directors recently approved a new initiative that will see ERAC recruit and train entry-level Technical Advisors for our organization. Over a two-year period, selected participants will work with ERAC’s Operations Director, Regional Managers/Technical Advisors and staff, while acquiring the knowledge and experience required to meet Transport Canada’s demanding Technical Advisor assessment guidelines.

As the leading emergency preparedness and response organization in Canada, we are well positioned to leverage our unique industry standing and provide the training and learning opportunities required to ensure a constant stream of new, qualified Technical Advisors are flowing into our organization. We believe this initiative is a win-win-win for all our stakeholders -- Plan members, response team partners, and the public.

Spencer Buckland
President

ERAC is pleased to announce we have hired Espie Dreza as our new Finance & Process Services Administrative Assistant. Espie is a skilled professional with extensive experience in Finance, Human Resources and Customer Service. Espie will support the Finance and Process Services teams in our Calgary office. Welcome Espie! 

It’s a rare occasion when the entire ERAC team is together in the same place at the same time! Early this June it happened, when the entire team assembled in Calgary, Alberta to participate in training sessions, share updates on new industry trends and developments, and take part in various skill and team-building exercises and activities. The week’s activities wrapped up with a competitive but friendly axe-throwing competition. Congratulations to the 2023 ERAC Axe Throwing Champions!

Free Online Training Opportunities 

Did you know that Canadian-based first responders (firefighters, police, EMS) can take our Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Firefighting Awareness Online training and/or ICS 100 and 200 courses free of charge? These courses will be valuable to any first responder who may be involved in a response to an LPG or flammable liquids emergency.

You can find more information on our LPG Firefighting Awareness Online course here.

Information on our ICS courses is available here.