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Our emergency response team is on standby to help energy companies manage all types of hazards and energy-related incidents; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we are prepared to help however we can.

When an incident happens, our role is to VP VP

  • protect the health, safety, and welfare of people and wildlife; and
  • limit damage to property and the environment.

We coordinate with and assist the company responsible for the incident, and we support the local municipality and other provincial and federal responders. Our work ensures that the response is efficient, coordinated, and effective, and that all our requirements are met.

Follow Our Updates

To keep Albertans informed, we publish details about incidents as they happen on our Compliance Dashboard. After the emergency is over, we continue to monitor the company’s clean-up activities to ensure that our requirements are met.

How should a company respond?

We expect companies to be prepared before an incident happens. For instance, companies must develop emergency response plans and hold annual emergency exercises. An emergency response plan describes how a company will respond to an incident and can include details on

  • public notification,
  • evacuation of residents,
  • spill or leak containment and recovery,
  • sampling and monitoring,
  • wildlife protection, and
  • environmental impact assessments.

When an incident happens—like a pipeline breach, explosion, or a well blowout—the company must report it immediately. We expect a fast response to protect the health, safety, and welfare of people, and to limit damage to property and the environment. If the company does not respond, we will respond to the incident and take enforcement action against the company.

What if a company does not respond?

Trained AER staff will control the response if the company is not prepared or not capable of handling the incident. Our response experts are aided by cutting-edge technology: our mobile incident command trailer packs an array of gadgets to manage incidents and our air monitoring unit can sniff out sour gas and other emissions.

Please note that our response does not cover employee health, safety, and working conditions. These fall under the jurisdiction of Alberta Occupational Health and Safety.

Report an Incident

Call 1-800-222-6514 if you see an energy or environmental incident or emergency, or if you are filing a complaint (such as odour or noise) about an operation.

We monitor this phone line 24/7. It is used by both the AER and Alberta Environment and Parks for all energy development and environmental complaints in Alberta. When we receive a call, we notify the appropriate agency, and if the situation warrants, we will dispatch emergency responders.

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