LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
A new Department of Transportation training presentation designed to improve staff response to spills was delivered for the first time in Fort Simpson.

Mike Martin, front right, a hazardous substance specialist with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, leads a new spill response training presentation for the Department of Transportation in Fort Simpson May 1. It was the first time the presentation had been delivered. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Thirteen members of the department's marine services, highways and airports divisions as well as some staff from contractors that work with the department participated in the training that Mike Martin, a hazardous substance specialist with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), led on May 1. The course was adapted from ENR's more comprehensive training presentation by staff from both departments, said David Abernethy, an environmental analyst with the transportation department, in an email. The department's intent is to deliver the spill response training to transportation department crews throughout the territory, he said. Future presentations will be led by the department's staff.

The department's environmental affairs division is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance for all projects, operations and maintenance activities within the transportation department. That includes spill contingency planning for an efficient and organized response to a spill, he said.

The division helps the department's staff follow the spill response procedures. The party responsible for causing a spill – related to the NWT's transportation system – is the party responsible for cleaning it up, with oversight from the appropriate regulators, said Abernethy.

During the half-day presentation, Martin covered a lot of information. Participants should be able to subsequently arrive at the scene of a spill, identify any hazards, identify the product, shut off the source of the spill and work to contain it, he said.

The presentation covers what needs to be done in the first hour of a spill to minimize impacts to the environment.

The training included containment techniques for different environments such as on-land, water, near water, at culverts or at bridges and how conditions can affect the behavior of a spill.

Because it was the first time the transportation department's course was being led, Martin expected to receive a lot of feedback on how it could be changed and improved.

"There are going to be a lot of questions," he said.

This presentation is just one part of the transportation department training program. The department strives for continued improvement of its mandated practices so as more training resources become available, it will continue to offer them to its employees, said Abernethy.

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