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About

The Canadian Emergency Response to Flammable Liquid Incidents in Transport resource is a series of online courses, resources, and support materials for face-to-face training. The curriculum and materials have been designed to help communities, and firefighters at every level, become better prepared to manage an incident involving flammable liquids being transported by road or rail. In being better prepared we keep first responders, the public, and communities safer in the event of a flammable liquid incident occurring on a roadway or railway in Canada.

Our aim is to assist Canadian firefighters attain the competencies outlined in Transport Canada’s Competency Guidelines for Responders to Incidents of Flammable Liquids in Transport, High-Hazard Flammable Trains up to the Operations level.

To that aim we have created three levels of learning:

Level I

Level I is an online educational guide appropriate for all first responders and community members involved in emergency preparedness planning. This fully online course was designed by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and is freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a modern browser.

Click here to access Level 1 course online

Level II

Level II, Firefighter Response Training, has been developed by subject matter experts as an introduction to responding to flammable liquid transportation incidents. Level II is offered in two (2) parts (online portion and in-person portion); however organizations must demonstrate ability to deliver both parts in order to receive the materials. To determine if your organization demonstrates ability to deliver both parts of Level II, please check the eligibility criteria here.

Part one (1)

Under the supervision of an eligible organization, the online Level II Firefighter Response Training is a self-paced educational guide. This online component of Level II can be completed in a day; however, we encourage you to split the course into smaller chunks. Firefighter Response Training online consists of 17 modules varying in lengths. The time to complete each module ranges from 10 to 30 minutes. This course is not graded but short, checks for understanding, are built into each module.

Part two (2) 

Level II face-to-face training can be delivered over a half day or more by local trainers. The training resources are available free of charge and are designed to be offered locally or regionally. Fire departments, and other organizations that respond to road or rail transportation incidents, can utilize the face-to-face support material to provide this training to their first responders, if they are qualified to do so. 

The Level II face-to-face component of the Firefighter Response Training has been designed to build on the theory and knowledge-based content offered online in Levels I and II and is hands-on and practical. For this reason, trainers or instructors should have a solid understanding of responding to hazardous materials incidents at the operations level.

The Level II face-to-face training is supported by a set of PowerPoints with integrated instructor notes and printable handouts for participants. Since participants may vary from volunteer firefighters with limited experience and training or fully trained and highly experienced professional firefighters, the length of time needed to deliver the Part two (2) training will vary from half a day to two (2) full days.

View the registration and sign off for Level II here

Level III 

The Level III course, the Advanced Response Training, is for firefighters ready to take on specialized training in responding to flammable liquid transportation incidents. The course is designed to be instructed by hazmat technicians and industry specialists. Instructors at approved training centers can apply for access to these free resources and training aids. To determine if your facility demonstrates ability to deliver Level III, please check the eligibility criteria here. Contact us for more information on accessing Level III training materials.

View the registration and sign off for Level III here.

RESOURCES

There are many online resources available for First Responders and Emergency Planners responding to incidents involving flammable liquids transported by rail or road.

These are some of the most useful.

• This program is designed to be consistent with Transport Canada’s Competency Guidelines for Responders to Incidents of Flammable Liquids in Transport, High-Hazard Flammable Trains. The document provides useful information for first responders, including definitions of terminology and links to additional resources.

• The Transport Canada document You’re Not Alone! provides a useful reference to the resources available to you as a responder, and introduces some of the agencies and individuals who would be involved.

• CANUTEC is the Canadian Transport Emergency Centre operated by  Transport Canada. CANUTEC’s overall mandate is to promote public safety in the transportation of dangerous goods by all modes. CANUTEC’s emergency number operates 24 hours per day, and technical experts are always available to advise first responders in the case of incidents involving dangerous goods.

• The Emergency Response Guidebook, or ERG, is available in multiple forms on the CANUTEC website – as a web link, as a downloadable PDF, and as a mobile app.

• The Transport Canada Aide-Memoires for first responders outlines the most important safety measures to be considered during emergency  planning.

• Transport Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Newsletter published a special issue addressing incidents involving petroleum products. The newsletter includes a useful introduction to the properties of crude oil, a discussion of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and various other articles of interest.

• Mobile Applications:
  • The NFPA’s (National Fire Protection Association) HAZMAT FLIC app is specifically designed as an on-scene incident commander field guide in situations involving High-Hazard Flammable Trains (HHFTs) or liquid petroleum pipeline emergencies. (App link for Android; App link for iOS)
  • Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations – or CAMEO –provides response recommendations for hazardous chemicals.
  • CERES, or Chemical Emergency Response E-Service, provides chemical release event modeling and protective action decision support.
  • ALOHA, or Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres, is an online hazard air modeling tool that provides threat zone estimates.
    
  • AskRail ®was created through a collaboration between the emergency response community and North American railroads. Using the app, a first responder can enter the railcar’s identification number and find out what is inside.
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards informs workers, employers, and occupational health professionals about workplace chemicals and their hazards.

• .TRANSCAER®’s (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) Crude by Rail course is focused on crude oil transportation in the United States of America (USA). Most of the information applies to the transportation of crude oil in Canada; some terminology is slightly different.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

These courses have been developed through collaboration between industry experts, regulatory agencies, and educational institutions.

DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT

DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this guide and supporting materials is intended for general use only and may not apply to every circumstance. This presentation and supporting materials are not intended to be comprehensive or to include specific advice on which you may rely. You should always consult a suitably qualified professional on any specific matter. It is not a definitive guide to such Occupational Health and Safety legislation or rules and does not relieve persons using the course or supporting materials from their responsibilities under applicable federal and provincial legislation, regulation, or common law. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) does not guarantee the accuracy of, nor assume liability for the information presented in the course or supporting materials. By using this document, the user accepts all legal liability for the consequences of its use or misuse.

COPYRIGHT: Except as noted, the content of this course is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.