Through a partnership that started in 2013, the IAFC and TC Energy have provided training to US first responders and communities on how to prepare for and handle pipeline incidents. In March 2019, the IAFC was asked to expand the program to specific States in Mexico that TC Energy has assets.
The specific objectives of the Mexico program were and continue to be:
- Perform a needs analysis of hazardous materials preparedness, training, and response with TC Energy and their state civil protection and firefighting agencies.
- Review the individual response capabilities of the local TC Energy operators and their state civil protection and firefighting agencies.
- Conduct natural gas pipeline awareness, emergency preparedness, and response training for TC Energy operators and their state civil protection and firefighting agencies.
- Design and conduct tabletop exercises that will incorporate the agencies that attended the town hall training, emphasizing the Incident Command System (ICS) structure.
Training in 2020 was completed in the State of Veracruz and the State of Sinaloa and is presently underway in the State of Hidalgo October 28-29, 2021, and Guanajuato November 4-5, 2021.
Joe Kratochvil is a hazmat subject matter expert with the IAFC.