An elaborate "Sarnia Area Disaster Simulation" was staged in the city's south end Thursday morning.
About 125 local emergency responders gathered for the drill which involved a tank fire at Enbridge.
Enbridge Manager of Area Operations Terry McNally says the more familiar crews are with a site, the better the response is going to be.
"Tank fires are not common, they are very rare," says McNally. "We've never had one in the 60 years we've been here, but we do want to prepare for any potential emergencies and this gives us an opportunity to work with our industry partners and our mutual aid partners through CVECO (Chemical Valley Emergency Coordinating Organization) and build the relationships and put together a professional response."
While Enbridge has never experienced a tank fire, Suncor has.
20 years ago, July 19, 1996, a large storm swept through Sarnia-Lambton around midnight bringing heavy rains and lightning which struck a storage tank at Suncor containing a gasoline component and exploded.
Representatives from Shell, NOVA Chemicals, Imperial Oil, Suncor, St. Clair Township Fire and Sarnia Fire and Rescue Service participated in Thursday's mock scenario.
Debriefing's were planned after to determine areas that may need improvement.
