EMERGENCY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

It is unwise to adopt a "cant happen here" attitude regarding serious accidents or emergencies. Some companies fail to anticipate hazards, and so are unprepared when an accident or emergency happens. Depending on the severity of the loss, it is conceivable that a company could be financially ruined after the loss occurs. Emergency incident management depends on developing and regularly testing an emergency plan. This plan should address various realistic emergency scenarios and details specific response uties and responsibilities detail what to do when an emergency situation occurs, or when it is anticipated that a given situation could escalate into an emergency recognize the people best suited to control the emergency specifically identify the person in charge. Regular testing of the plan identifies its strengths and weaknesses and allows for correction and revision. Above all, the emergency plan and any associated response requirements must lead to an organized response to any anticipated emergency situation.

Principles of Emergency Plan Development

An emergency plan is a comprehensive procedure designed to ensure the health and safety of all personnel at the affected location and the general public in the vicinity. Protection of the environment is also a key function of the emergency plan. To facilitate this, the plan must identify all potential emergency situations and describe specific preparations for dealing with them, ensuring that emergency resources are adequately planned and documented personnel are aware of the emergency resources personnel are trained and are capable of responding to the emergency contractor personnel are aware of emergency alarms and procedures Emergency plans must be site specific, since hazards and other compounding factors (for example, access, egress, hydrocarbon inventory and quantity, individual plant layout, etc.) are unique to each site. The plans must be very specific in regard to setting out all the actions to be taken, and assigning the responsibilities for taking these actions should an emergency occur.

Incident Command Center

The incident command center usually functions from a main control facility or headquarters that is established to coordinate an emergency response. This facility may be portable so it can be transported close to the emergency location (e.g., well or processing facility), or it could be located in the company offices or administration building.

The control room or headquarters must contain, at the minimum, the following materials: Copies of the emergency procedures manuals; Site-specific drawings of structures and equipment; Piping and instrumentation diagrams; Detailed area maps; A current list of all emergency response personnel and their contact numbers; A list of designated alternates and their contact numbers; A complete list of government, regulatory and other third party response agencies; Should the affected facility be located in an area where local residences could be inadvertently involved, a complete and current list of area residents and their contact numbers must also be on hand. They must be notified and arrangements made for evacuation and temporary accommodation if necessary. The incident command system deals with matters involving local authorities, the media and the public. Management and emergency response personnel use the emergency plan to ensure the safety of all personnel and the public, determine evacuation requirements, arrange for additional equipment and specialist assistance, and coordinate all other activities to bring a quick end to the emergency situation.

Personnel Equipment and Communications

A critical requirement of any emergency plan is the assignment of specific responsibilities to specific personnel. This ensures that the response is smooth, timely and uninterrupted. Training and regular exercises for typical emergency situations are also important. Personnel must be fully aware of what their responsibilities are, and how to carry them out before there is an actual emergency. Response managers must keep complete chronological logs of all their activities and the exact times that messages were received and actions initiated. It is important to post key emergency telephone numbers and identify key personnel with the duties of their positions. For situations involving outside response agencies such as fire departments, air monitoring agencies, or medical services, exercises and training sessions should be set up to include their personnel. They must be familiar with the emergency response procedures, the site layout, and the personnel with whom they will be working.

Equipment requirements will obviously vary depending on the type and magnitude of the emergency. An overview of general equipment considerations, designed to address a number of likely emergency situations, would include communication equipment such as telephones, facsimile machines, field radios, etc. safety equipment such as breathing air systems, personal protective equipment, electrical generators, lighting plants and air monitoring instruments vehicle traffic control equipment, such as barricades, flashing lights, fluorescent ones firefighting equipment, such as fire trucks, foam generating apparatus, portable pumps, water carriers, and additional hoses and nozzles Any potentially necessary equipment must be listed, and a twenty-four hour contact number given in the event that the equipment has to be mobilized and transported to the site of the emergency. Full detailed procedures for these acquisitions must be developed and tested so the people responsible for acquiring the equipment or material are confident with the process. Accurate, timely communications are an important aspect of any emergency plan. Communication needs must be addressed from the time the actual emergency occurs and continue until, in some cases, long after the cleanup has been completed. The key to effective communication is understanding, and the key to understanding is knowledge. All personnel must be made aware, upon their arrival at the site, of emergency procedures and contact or reporting requirements. Emergency telephone numbers and basic procedures for reporting various emergencies must be prominently posted around the site. This initial communication must result in activation of the emergency response teams, who, in turn, inform other local or government agencies. Communication equipment that should be available includes telephones on a separate line from the switchboard so that they will remain free at all times-particularly for outgoing calls a facsimile machine for sending or receiving pertinent data and information field radios with UHF (ultra high frequency) or VHF (very high frequency) capability to enable communication with crews and mobile equipment, vehicles, vessels and/or aircraft which may be responding to the emergency The communication links for reporting emergencies and mobilizing the emergency response teams may be best shown in chart form. Examples of emergency response procedure charts are given in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

Figure 2

Figure 1

A typical emergency reporting procedure should contain, in bold or full color print, the emergency telephone number and description of the information needed from the party reporting the emergency, including name and location of the reporter location of the emergency description of the emergency (for example, gas release fire, vehicle accident, oil/chemical spill, explosion, personnel injury, etc.) current weather conditions, if applicable other parties contacted time and date of the report It is also beneficial to provide personnel receiving emergency calls with a form that would prompt and assist them in asking for the correct information and recording all the pertinent details.

The plan should then outline the call-out requirements for the emergency response team ( Figure 3 ) .and list the details of the assigned responsibilities for each member of the emergency response team.

Figure 3

Contact numbers for all personnel and outside agencies who may respond must be listed, along with the details regarding people or equipment that may be needed. We must assume that emergencies will occur and, therefore, that pre-planning for them is essential. Our primary protection from emergencies lies in eliminating actual and potential hazardsnevertheless, emergencies can happen in the oil and gas industry, and we must be prepared to deal with them.

Available Resources, Public and Private

Depending on the nature and magnitude of the situation, a number of additional resources beyond those available on-site maybe needed during an emergency. These additional resources must be identified, and their potential sources and contact numbers listed. If possible, agreements should be reached with third party individuals, agencies or suppliers to make these resources available on very short notice. Examples of these resource requirements include, but are not limited to firefighters and additional firefighting equipment medical personnel and ambulances

 helicopters or fixed wing aircraft police personnel traffic control equipment hospital emergency treatment facility heavy equipment (bulldozers, trucks, etc.) air monitoring personnel and equipment communications personnel and equipment oil spill containment and cleanup equipment health, safety and environmental consultants chemical containment or neutralizing equipment security personnel and equipment Emergency response exercises should be conducted several times per year, and should address a variety of potential scenarios. Any third-parties that might be requiredsuch as fire, medical, or police agenciesshould be invited to participate in the exercise and the post-exercise critique. A critique is valuable, because it allows problem areas to be identified, discussed and resolved.

Preparation of an Emergency Plan

The purpose of an emergency plan is to provide the resources and describe the procedures to be followed in case of an emergency. The plan must be site-specific and hazard-specific. It must contain the planning and response requirements for all stages of an emergency, from initial reporting to final cleanup. The plan should address the minimum degree of detail required, and where necessary, leave room for development of additional details for a support or supplemental plan. The plan must establish the requirements for and assign the parties responsible for all the actions to be taken at various stages of an emergency. The plan should follow guidelines established by industry or government which, in some larger companies, correspond to an established in-house protocol. The plan may also be developed by local safety and operating personnel or by corporate or third party consultants. Regardless of who develops the plan, there is a critical need for regular input and review from the people who will be required to put the plan into action. They must be comfortable with the plan, and confident that it will serve its purpose. The emergency plan provides responses for realistic emergency situations such as fires, explosions, injuries, oil spills and other potential significant loss situations. The level of detail contained in the plan depends on the factors that would influence the potential scale of an emergency, including the materials produced or handled the physical size of the facility the number of personnel on the site the proximity of local residences the proximity to public facilities It may be prudent to invite representatives of local resident groups or other public groups to participate in the emergency planning meetings. These groups and other volunteer organizations may provide much needed assistance and support should an emergency occur. The actual plan should be formally developed so changes and updates can be readily made. The plan should be issued in the form of a manual, and be subject to regular (at least annual) reviews. It should also be subject to a strict, clearly-stated

document control procedure for issuing and recording revisions. A complete distribution list should indicate the name of each holder of a numbered copy of the manual. The plan should start with an overview of its scope and objectives, and should refer the reader to corporate and/or local health, safety and environmental policies. The plan should state very specifically the geographic location of the site or sites for which it has been developed, including legal descriptions and designated boundary areas or perimeters. It should include an inventory of the hydrocarbons and other materials produced or stored on the location, as well as the approximate quantities and potential release rates of these products. It should also list the names and locations, as well as any other pertinent details, of local public facilities such as schools, churches or play areas. The emergency plan may be established in stages, ( Figure 4 ) with each stage addressing various levels of actions.

Figure 4

This may range from an "alert only and standby" stage to a full involvement stage. Some considerations for staging an emergency plan are outlined below. Bear in mind

that these are general recommendations, and that individual companies and/or site facilities will need to develop plan structures that best address their specific immediate and long term needs. Stage One: Emergency Alert A Stage One Emergency Alert is initiated each time any situation exists that could develop into a more serious emergency condition. In this initial stage, key emergency team members are notified and to assume a "stand-by" role. The condition is closely monitored and all action requirements placed in a ready-torespond mode. All non-essential personnel are removed from the area until control over the potential emergency condition is achieved, and the "all clear" signal is given. The emergency response team remains ready to initiate further action, until the cessation and control of the potential emergency is ascertained and confirmed. Stage Two: Emergency When a Stage One Emergency Alert escalates into a more serious and demanding state, the Stage Two plan is activated. For example, this could occur following a stand-by alert during circulation of a kick in a drilling or workover operation, or following loss of control or containment in an oil or gas production process. This stage could also apply to a hydrocarbon, chemical or toxic gas release. Once a Stage Two emergency is declared, emergency response personnel prepare to assemble additional support personnel and equipment. Outside agencies are informed of the current situation and all required support services dispatched to the scene or to the emergency control headquarters. Services such as police, ambulance and medical support, and firefighting personnel are mobilized if necessary. Evacuation procedures for site and area personnel are initiated if needed, and all additional measures for control of the emergency situation are activated. Stage Three: Control and Cleanup The Control and Cleanup stage is the point at which the emergency condition is brought under control and stabilized. This may very well be covered in operating procedures, but until the specific control methods are identified and evaluated, or attempted, then the emergency must be treated as a Stage Two activity. Control plans should not be initiated until after the protection of life and medical aid for injured people are assured. Controls may involve such measures as detailed isolation procedures, firefighting and fire protection plans, and the assembly and operation of oil spill containment equipment. Whatever the emergency and method of control, it is necessary to plan each step so the emergency situation is not compounded by inadequate actions that jeopardize personnel or accelerate an already undesirable situation.

EXERCISE-1
The purpose of an emergency plan is (SELECT ONE): A) to ensure the health and safety of all personnel and the public B) to ensure that emergency resources are adequately planned and documented C) to set out all the actions to be taken D) to assign specific responsibilities to personnel E) all of the above

SOLUTION-1
E) all of the above

EXERCISE-2
List four possible emergency situations which could occur at your facility or location.

SOLUTION-2
1) fire/explosion 2) personal injuries 3) hydrocarbon/chemical spill 4) other specific examples

EXERCISE-3
List at least four available resources, public and private, that could be utilized to assist with an emergency situation at your facility or location. Be as specific as possible.

SOLUTION-3
1) Fire Department 2) Police Department 3) Ambulance Service 4) Hospital/Clinic

EXERCISE-4
There are five key factors which may influence the potential scale of an emergency and which must be considered when developing an emergency plan. What are they?

SOLUTION-4
1) The materials produced or handled. 2) The physical size of the facility 3) The number of personnel on site 4) The proximity of local residences 5) The proximity of public facilities