Chemical Emergencies

Chemicals are a part of our everyday life. Although regulations are in place to keep workers and residents safe, spills and releases of chemicals and toxic substances do occur.

Have you considered what might be required of you in the event of a chemical spill or toxic vapour release?

Would you know what to do if you were instructed to take shelter or evacuate?

Shelter-In-Place

In a chemical release, it's often safer for you to stay inside rather than trying to leave. Walking or driving out of an impacted area may leave you exposed to dangerous chemicals in the air.

When an incident involves the release of dangerous chemicals, emergency officials will often instruct you to go indoors and stay indoors or "shelter-in-place".

If you are advised by emergency officials to shelter-in-place please stay inside for your own protection. Most buildings will seal well enough to hold enough air supply for several hours – often long enough for vapours in the air to dissipate.

Steps to Take When Sheltering-In-Place During a Chemical Emergency or Release

Close and lock all windows and exterior doors (locking doors and windows may help them seal better).
Turn off heating and air-conditioning systems that draw air from the outside (keep the outside air out, and the inside air in).
Use duct or other wide tape to seal cracks around doors and any vents into the room (using plastic sheeting may create an even better seal)
Close fireplace dampers, if applicable.
Get your emergency supplies kit, make sure the radio is working and keep it on to obtain information and instructions.
Go to an interior room that's above ground level (if possible, one without windows). In a chemical release, an above-ground location is preferable because some chemicals are heavier than air, and may seep into basements even if the windows are closed.
Listen to instructions given over the radio – CHOK 1070 AM / 103.9 FM. Monitor your radio until you are told all is safe, or you are advised to evacuate. Local officials might call for the evacuation of specific areas in your community that are at greatest risk. Responders or municipal officials will let you know when it is safe to go outside.
You may also call the CAER Industry Update Line (226-778-4611) to hear information about non-routine industry activity such as unusual noises, alarms, training activities, high flaring and industrial incidents.
Don't forget to bring pets indoors too.

Schools & Daycares

Schools and daycares have their own internal response procedures for "shelter-in-place" advisories and evacuations. If the incident involves a chemical emergency or release, stay out of the affected area and take shelter (if necessary).

If your child is in school, do not pick them up - schools have procedures to deal with emergency situations like these. Listen to your radio for information. Do not call the school – allow them to keep their telephone lines open.

Be sure that your child's school has up-to-date contact information about how to reach you or a caregiver to arrange for pickup if school buses are not running. Find out ahead of time what type of authorization the school requires to release a child to a designate, if you cannot pickup your child yourself.

The above information has been adapted from guidelines prepared by Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Canada and is intended to provide you with assistance in formulating a home emergency response plan.

Do not evacuate unless you are instructed to do so by radio or by emergency personnel. Remember, in a chemical emergency involving a spill or vapour release, it is often safer to remain indoors where you have protection from toxic air outside.

Updates from Industry

If you ever notice unusual activity at an industry site such as loud noises, alarms, training activities or high flaring, visit LambtonBASES.ca and review the alerts header or call the BASES Hotline at 226-778-4611.

Municipal/Industrial Sirens

In the event of an emergency, safety sirens located in parts of Sarnia, St. Clair, Point Edward and Aamjiwnaang First Nation will sound to alert residents. If you hear these sirens, go indoors and turn on a local radio station for information and instructions.

Evacuation

One of the largest chemical-based, peacetime emergencies happened the night of November 10, 1979 in Mississauga, Ontario. A 106-car freight train derailed and one car, carrying propane, exploded threatening to rupture other tank cars carrying chlorine.

Municipal officials made the decision to evacuate nearly 218,000 residents.

If local authorities advise you to leave your home due to a chemical emergency, it means there is a potential or existing threat to your safety, so please take their advice immediately. An evacuation is often initiated when it is more dangerous to stay in place, than it is to leave. The threat could be a fire or a potential explosion. Listen to your radio and follow the instructions of local emergency or municipal officials, keeping these simple tips in mind:

Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes so you can be protected as much as possible.
Take your emergency supplies kit.
Take your pets with you – do not leave them behind (Most evacuation centres will try to accommodate pets, but it is best to make plans ahead of time and find other lodging for them).
Lock your home.
Collect family members or go to the place designated in your family plan as a meeting place.
Use travel routes specified by local authorities. Don't use shortcuts – certain areas may be impassable or dangerous.
Stay away from downed power lines.
If you go to an evacuation centre, sign up at the registration desk so you can be contacted or reunited with family and friends who will be looking for you.
Contact your out-of-area emergency contact to let them know what has happened, that you are okay, and how to contact you.
Listen to your radio (1070 AM/103.9 FM) for the most accurate information about your area. Remaining on one station is the best way to monitor for information.
Leave natural gas service ‘on' unless local officials advise you otherwise. You might need gas for heating and cooking when you return, and you will need to contact your utility company to reconnect appliances or restore gas service in your home once it's been turned off. In a disaster situation, it could take weeks for someone to respond to turn your gas back on.
If instructed to so do, shut off water and electricity before leaving.
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Railways

All sorts of products and materials - including dangerous goods such as crude oil and hazardous chemicals - are transported across North America by rail.

Transport Canada has regulations and standards in place to help ensure that Canada's rail system is safe, secure and environmentally responsible. To learn more about Canada's rail system, visit the Transport Canada website.

As a member of the public, you too are responsible for ensuring your own safety around trains and tracks. Visit the Operation Lifesaver website to learn more about responsible behaviour around railways.

Safety tips from CN Rail

Speed misperception: because of their size, trains appear to be much further away and traveling much slower than their actual speed. Don't be fooled.
Trains can't stop quickly: the average train needs at least 2 km (1.25 miles) to stop. Trains can stop, but they can't stop quickly.
Trespassing: trespassing on to railway property puts you at risk of injury or death. Taking a shortcut across the tracks, riding ATVs or dirt bikes, or being on railway property is illegal.
Weight Ratio: an average freight train weighs over 5,500 tonnes (12 million lbs.). Compare that to a car, which weighs about 1.5 tonnes (3,000 lbs.). A train hitting a car is like a car hitting a pop can.
Railway cars: stopped railway cars can move at any time. If you're on or near a car when it moves, you could lose a limb or worse, your life.
Tunnels and Bridges: tunnels, bridges, and trestles are only designed for trains. Trespassers can be seriously injured or killed.
Overhang: trains can carry loads that are wider than the railroad cars themselves. They can have chains, straps, or other equipment that may extend outside the car. If you are standing too close, you could get hit.
Any time is train time: trains do not always run on a schedule. They can run at any time, on any track and come from either direction.

Pipelines

Although pipelines are a proven means of safely transporting petroleum products, pipeline leaks do happen.

Warning signs of a potential leak

For pipelines carrying liquid hydrocarbons, each product has individual characteristics. This means that the warning signs can vary depending on the product involved.

You might see:

A moist patch or pool of black liquid in proximity to the pipeline or the right-of-way.
A moist patch or pool of light brown or yellow liquid in proximity to the pipeline or right-of-way.
A steam-like cloud or fog, or a frost-like appearance on the ground.
Continuous bubbling in a wet area or oily sheen on water surface.

You might hear:

An unusual roaring, blowing or hissing sound coming from the area of the pipeline.

You might smell:

An odour similar to diesel fuel or gasoline, but much stronger and less pleasant.

What to do in an emergency

If you see, smell or hear any of the warning signs, please immediately do the following:

If you can do so safely, turn off any ignition sources. Move as far away from the leak as possible in an upwind direction, avoiding contact with escaping liquids and gases.
Call 911 from a safe location.
If you can, call the pipeline company – look for pipeline right-of-way and warning signs for emergency call numbers.
For Enbridge pipelines, call the toll-free, 24-hour Enbridge emergency number: 1-877-420-8800.
- For the Express Pipeline, call 1-888-449-7539.
Follow instructions provided to you by the utility and local emergency responders.
Warn others to stay away.

What Not to do in an emergency

Do not touch any liquid or vapour that may have come from the pipeline.
Do not start your car, drive into the area or re-enter the area.
Do not smoke or light a match.
Do not turn on or off anything that may create a spark, including cell phones, telephones, light switches, vehicle alarms and flashlights - until you are in safe location.
Do no operate pipeline valves or attempt to stop a leak.
Do not remain in a building if the smell is stronger inside than outside.

Safety precautions near pipelines

Registered pipelines are located within strips of land called "right-of ways" that allow pipeline companies to work on their lines and also to keep the area clear of certain activities and development. Pipeline companies don't own the land within a right-of-way.

Damage caused by third party excavation around pipelines is one of the most common causes of leaks and explosions on transmission pipelines in Canada. Even a small nick in the protective coating of a pipeline can result in corrosion of the line and eventual failure or a need for repair, years later.

Never assume that there is only one pipeline within a right-of-way, or that a pipeline is in the centre of the right-of-way. Pipeline companies often share right-of-ways and pipelines can be located anywhere within a right-of-way at varying depths.

By law, anyone doing construction or excavation work on their property must obtain utility locates. For your safety and the safety of others, “Call Before You Dig” to mark the location of gas, hydro, cable, and other underground utilities before starting construction, landscaping or any other excavation project on your property. If there is a pipeline right-of-way where you intend to work, contact the pipeline company before doing any work on site. Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of utility lines and can dig safely.

If you have plans for construction or excavation, contact Ontario One Call at 1-800-400-2255 or visit the Ontario One Call website.

Community Awareness/Emergency Response (CAER)

Sarnia and St. Clair Township host a number of major petrochemical industries and refineries that work together to develop common safety and chemical emergency response protocols to keep workers and residents safe. Nearly 50 industries, contractors, businesses and municipalities (including the County of Lambton) are members of Community Awareness/Emergency Response (CAER). CAER oversees a coordinated response between industry and local government to safety issues arising in Sarnia-Lambton. This collaboration allows response teams to continually improve emergency preparedness procedures, and ensures that emergency resources across the region are available to any member site at any time as needed. CAER members and stakeholders regularly participate in the Sarnia Area Disaster Simulation to test protocols in case of a chemical emergency.

History

Following a major explosion at the former Polystar industrial site in 1951, curious on-lookers made their way to the site to watch the event unfold.

Local industries realized that they needed to work with Sarnia Police to keep the public out of harm's way during industrial emergencies. As a result, the “Chemical Valley Emergency Traffic Control Committee” was formed.

Also formed in 1951 was the Chemical Valley “Industrial Mutual Fire Aid” Organization. Its founding members were the City of Sarnia Fire Department and companies that had their own fire departments. This is believed to be the first industrial mutual aid organization in Ontario.

The traffic control and mutual aid organizations continued as separate entities for 20 years until 1971, when they amalgamated into one body – The Chemical Valley Emergency Control (later "Coordinating") Organization (CVECO).

On the night of December 2/3, 1984, 500,000 people were exposed to toxic vapours released from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. The deadly vapours entered the towns surrounding the plant, ultimately killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people. The catastrophe showed the world, the importance of community preparation for a chemical emergency. Early in 1985, the Lambton Industrial Society developed a community awareness program for residents living in proximity to petrochemical companies and oil refining industries.

In 1986, the new Sarnia-Lambton CAER organization (Community Awareness / Emergency Response) was formed. Sarnia became one of the first three municipalities in Canada to be awarded the CAER Achievement Award by the Canadian Chemical Producers Association, signifying integrated industrial-community preparedness for an emergency.

In 2021, the functions of CVECO and CAER were combined under CAER.

Lambton BASES

The Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment, and Sustainability (BASES) provides a home for an interactive exchange of information in Sarnia-Lambton related to the protection of workers, the public, and the environment. BASES is supported by the members of the Sarnia-Lambton Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER), Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Cooperative (IEC), and Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA).

LambtonBASES.ca provides Lambton County residents with information about emergency and non-emergency activity. Visit the website to review active and historical alerts on the site's banner, and consider signing up for MyCNN to receive alerts directly to your cellphone or other medium.