disaster FORUM ADVISORY BOARD

Laird is a retired Fire Chief from Strathcona County in Alberta. Strathcona County neighbors the City of Edmonton and is home to “refinery row” in Alberta and has some of the largest industrial chemical and petroleum processing facilities in North America. Laird is considered an expert in emergency management, fire and risk. He is called upon as an expert witness at tribunals and hearings. Laird has served as the Supervisor, Course Development Officer and Lead Instructor at the Alberta Fire Training School and has also served as the Manager, Office of Emergency Management at the University of Alberta.

Laird possess numerous professional accreditations in fire and emergency management including certifications of: 1021 Level 4 Fire Officer, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1041 Level 3 Fire Service Instructor, NFPA and International Fire Service Accreditation (IFSA) Congress Certified.

His legislative and professional association involvements include:

• Building Standards Council Fire Advisor, AFCA Representative (2003-2006)

• Alberta College of Paramedics Advisor on Board Issues and Appeals

• Numerous Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) Hearings on Industrial Development

• Lead for Health and Wellness Issues and Integrated Fire & Ambulance Services in the Province (AFCA)

• Alberta Fire Chiefs Association (AFCA), Past President (President 2000 – 2006)

• Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), Board Member (2000 – 2005)

• Alberta Industrial Fire Protection Association (AIFPA)

• Fire Services Advisory Committee (FSAC), Founding Member

• Building Standards Council

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

• Fire Investigation Association of Alberta -Safety Codes Officer Level II

Bill is the Manager, Emergency Response Planning and System Security for Union Gas, a Spectra Energy company.

Bill has responsibility for the development, implementation and measurement of the company’s corporate emergency response program, which includes coordinating the development and ongoing updating of processes and procedures governing the company’s response to field incidents, minimizing the impacts of security processes for the pipeline system and raising awareness and education of emergency response and system security procedures.

Bill is a member of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians & Technologists, the Ontario Association of Emergency Managers, the Canadian Society for Non-destructive testing and is an associate member of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

Union Gas Limited is a major Canadian natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with nearly 100 years of experience and service to customers. The distribution business serves 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 400 communities across northern, south-western and eastern Ontario.

Mark is President of Summit Enterprises International Inc a consultancy specializing in crisis and risk management. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in crisis management and since 1995 has lead many projects related to climate change, adaptation to global warming, disaster preparedness, the management of risk, crisis and risk communications. He was Senior Advisor to the Alberta Environmental Protection Commission in 2005. From 1983 to 1995 he was head of the Alberta Public Safety Services, an agency responsible for hazardous materials and disaster management, and in 2006 was interim head of the new Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

Previously he was a senior manager in a major western Canadian energy and chemical company. He was a founding member and chairman (1991-1992) of the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada an organization dedicated to the safe management of dangerous chemicals and a leader in alternative service delivery in regulatory matters. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta.

Darrell has worked for 30 years in the oil and gas industry, and prior to that, 10 years in law enforcement in a major Canadian city. Darrell’s entire oil and gas experience has been while employed for the same firm, Nexen Inc., which was formerly Canadian Occidental Petroleum Limited. Darrell’s years of experience with Nexen were roughly divided equally between oil and gas field operations, and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) management, in both the Canadian and International Divisions. Darrell also spent a short period of time in Human Resources and Administration.

Darrell’s international postings were to Yemen in the Middle East, and Nigeria in Africa.

Darrell’s progression of positions and experience started in field-based oil and gas operations and culminated in Nexen’s Calgary head office, as the Corporate Emergency Manager.

On behalf of his employer, Darrell has participated in industry associations, with one of his engagements being as a former chairman of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) Emergency Management Committee, and a more recent commitment as both a participating member and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Conference Board of Canada’s Council on Emergency Management.

Darrell also volunteers his personal time in leadership roles and examples of this are his previous roles as Deputy Director of Disaster Services for the town of Carstairs, Alberta and as the President of the Carstairs Curling Club.

Darrell is now consulting in the area of Emergency Management under title of his company, HUNT RESPONSE INC., and continues to provide services both domestically in Canada, and internationally.