Clouds of smoke from a fog machine could be seen from the parking lot at Starlight Casino Point Edward on Thursday as municipal and industry partners participated in the annual Emergency Response Exercise.
The simulation, organized by BASES (Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability), brings various groups together each year to test emergency response, communication, and equipment in a controlled setting.
"Everyone has a role to play in a response," said BASES General Manager Jason Vaillant. "You can see the integration in terms of what happens on land sometimes makes its way to the water and there are resources that industry can bring to bear to support that response, so it truly underscores the need for us to work together."
Point Edward Fire and Rescue hosted this year's simulation.
The scenario: a tanker truck transporting hazardous material taking a detour off Highway 402 and hitting a light pole while trying to turn around in the casino's parking lot. The overturned tanker releases a substance that leaks into a nearby storm drain and creates a flammable vapour. A strong chemical odour and visible sheen are then detected in the St. Clair River.
The on-site participants did not know details of the simulation ahead of time and had to devise a response plan. They were also thrown a curveball when one firefighter (hypothetically) suffered from heat exhaustion.
Drones, provided by St. Clair Township Fire Department, were used for the exercise and footage was livestreamed for observers at the Point Edward Community Hall.
Fire Chief Richard Boyes said if this had been a real emergency, the drones would have played a crucial role in the response.
"The drones give us a far greater capability to have oversight of the incident, what's going on, and provide clarity without endangering personnel," Boyes said.
Not including response time, Boyes said they could have one of their six drones in the air in about 15 minutes.
As part of Thursday's simulation, hazardous material technicians from Sarnia Fire Rescue offered their expertise as part of the command unit.
Sarnia Fire Chief Jeff Weber said the exercise presents as a "hurry up and wait" situation.
"We tend to isolate the space, isolate the area, and lower the immediate danger," Weber said. "In a case like this, where we have a rolled-over truck, it's the trucking company that's responsible to clean this up."
Weber said first responders would then have to wait at the scene until it was cleared.
Aside from the three local fire departments, Lambton EMS provided medical support; Lambton OPP assisted with traffic; Borouge International (NOVA Chemicals) provided foam support; Suncor, Shell, and Imperial served as the marine spill response; ARLANXEO offered support; and members of CF Industries served as exercise evaluators. Preferred Towing also helped by safely overturning a truck for the purpose of the simulation.
In the event of an emergency, first responders in Port Huron and St. Clair County would also monitor the situation, as U.S. organizations have access to the Sarnia-Lambton Alerts system.
