Hatfield - Part 2, Wilsie

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Taped Interview Commentary
Interviewee:	Wilsie Hatfield
Organization:	Dupont, Maitland Plant
Position:	Maintenance Manager CAER (Community Awareness and Emergency Response) Co-ordinator for Leeds and Grenville (L&G)
Location:
Telephone:
Date:	April 21, 1998
(telephone) Interviewer:	Mary Purcell
No. of pages:	2

Wilsie Hatfield (WH) explained that the Canadian Chemical Producers Association kicked off “CAER” in 1986 after the Bophal incident to put the chemical industry in a better light.

“The purpose of CAER is so the community understands you and your hazards. Emergency Response is there to mitigate an event on your own site, within your own fences: if the event goes beyond the fences, you need to make sure the municipality can handle the event.”

In 1986 there were workshops on emergency preparedness in L&G - The question was asked- “What is the state of emergency preparedness in L&G?” “What are the roadblocks getting from now to where you want to be?”

The decision was made to form a co-ordinating committee and Stephen Clark (the mayor of Brockville) chaired the first meeting. Then it was decided Dupont would chair, do the minutes, etc.

In the fall of ‘86 the first test was run and a whole bunch of learnings came out of this.

Brockville’s plan was tested in ‘87 and ‘88. There have been 8 tests in 12 years and four learning symposiums.

Mandate of CAER is to enable and encourage municipalities and agencies to have up-to-date emergency plans, to hold tests on a regular basis and to act as a learning forum.

CAER Committees are all quite different and most involve industries.

CAER will help municipalities run tests of their plans. Can do a minimal test, table top exercise or a full fledged test. There are more and more table top exercises. The last full-fledged test was in 1991 in Prescott.

CAER Committees can plan the tests and save municipalities thousands of dollars. WH is the exercise director and runs the reflective process.

They meet about six times a year and have 30-40 people at each meeting.

WH has taken all the courses in Arnprior (at the Emergency Preparedness College) and is head of one of the Standing Committees for MIACC.

WH says emergency response “is not rocket science, it’s common sense”.

Dupont donated and maintains a CANS (Community Alert Network System) for L&G. CANS is a rapid calling system that can make 7200 calls in an hour.

During the Ice Storm, Dupont provided shower facilities and laundry for the military; supplied fuel to local emergency responders; moved portable generators into the community; and was considered as a possible power source for all of Brockville.

WH says “the biggest issue is always communication in an emergency”.