Community
At Sabal Trail, we believe a community belongs to everyone who lives there. And, no matter who we are or where we live, all of us want to make life better for our families, our friends, our neighbors and ourselves.
Through our robust Public Awareness program, we regularly provide pipeline safety information to the people who live and work along our pipeline routes, as well as public officials, emergency responders, school officials, farmers and excavators. We also work with local first responders to build safety in the communities near our pipelines and facilities.
Our Public Awareness program meets, and in many cases exceeds, regulatory requirements. We strive to demonstrate our commitment to safety by:
- Providing a standard for safety engagement and communication, including face-to-face meetings, information mailings and online content
- Educating on damage prevention best practices to safeguard underground infrastructure assets
- Contributing to local emergency response readiness
- Aligning communication around emergency management and community investment
- Leveraging best practices to continuously improve our Public Awareness program
Public Awareness Brochures
Working with Emergency Response Groups
The safety of the communities near our projects and operations, and the people who live and work along our system remain our highest priority. That’s why we’re proud to support organizations that help keep communities safe.
We are committed to maintaining robust emergency response plans near all our pipelines and facilities. We update these plans regularly, making them available to local first responders along our pipeline rights-of-way.
We also meet regularly with those first responders—including police, fire, and EMS—to share our emergency response procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of external responders who would support Sabal Trail in the event of an incident.
Resources for Emergency Responders
Free, Online Training
Sabal Trail is proud to offer emergency officials in our areas of operation with free, unlimited access to our online Emergency Responder Education Program.
The training portal is among the many initiatives the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL), together with supporting emergency response organizations, has created to assist first responders to learn the techniques and skills to address a hazardous liquid or natural gas pipeline incident. Using the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) “Pipeline Emergencies” Program, this best in class online training is provided free-of-charge to all first responders. For 911 dispatchers, the awareness course is recommended by Enbridge Emergency Management to provide information about hazards and proper response. Register for training today.
Safe Community Grant Program
Sabal Trail’s Safe Community program demonstrates our commitment by awarding grants to first-response organizations that support communities within 10-miles of our operations and projects. Since 2002, we’ve provided approximately $13.3 million in grants and donations through our Safe Community program to first response agencies across North America, including $1.8 million in 2019 through 350 grants to community first response agencies.
Grants of up to $7,500 for safety equipment, professional training or educational program delivery are available to organizations invited by Sabal Trail to apply, including:
- Fire departments
- Emergency medical and rescue services
- Emergency management organizations
- 9-1-1 centers
- Ambulance services
- Law enforcement organizations
Apply for Safe Community Funding
Applications are accepted anytime at enbridge.com/safecommunity and are reviewed twice a year. Deadline for the spring application review is March 31, and September 30 for the fall review. Applicants can expect to be informed of funding decisions approximately six weeks after review dates.
Shoulder to Shoulder
The “Shoulder to Shoulder: Roles in Pipeline Emergency Response” video series features interviews with pipeline and emergency response experts. The series is an engaging way for emergency responders to learn more about how to safely and effectively respond to a pipeline emergency. The videos cover topics such as how pipelines work, how different products impact response, response leading practices, how to better prepare to respond to pipeline incidents and roles in pipeline response. A wide variety of emergency response disciplines are covered including fire, law enforcement, emergency management, 9-1-1 and emergency medical services of America, the INGAA Foundation, the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of Oil Pipelines.
To learn more, visit ingaa.org/emergencyresponse and aopl.org/emergencyresponse or api.org.
Response to Pipeline Emergencies
Preparedness and quick response help to minimize the threat to the public and damage to the environment. We value the expertise you possess as emergency responders. We’re committed to strengthening our partnerships through meetings, training exercises, personal contact, and information updates. We always appreciate hearing from you and encourage you to call at your convenience whenever you have questions or concerns.
Preparedness means developing integrated response plans based on open communication and teamwork. Sabal Trail strives to ensure that local emergency services have the information they require to respond appropriately. We hold regular training exercises in select locations throughout the year to keep employees’ skills fresh, and to ensure our coordination with local emergency responders is strong and effective.
Emergency Response Plans
Field Emergency Response Plans are available for access by emergency officials through a secure website. To view emergency response plans for the areas in which Enbridge operates, please visit this website and request access. Upon registration, your request for access will be reviewed within ten business days. Once access is granted, you will be able to view emergency response plans specific to your area, in addition to accessing the Inland Spill Response Tactics Guide, an Enbridge document illustrating a collection of inland spill response tactics that can be used as a quick reference to select and implement containment and recovery response strategies.