Under the auspices of the Transportation Emergency Assistance Plan (TEAP) Committee of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association (CCPA), an Emergency Response Contractor Task Force was formed in 1992 with the remit “to foster the establishment of a sound, dangerous goods emergency response contractor network in Canada”.

The Task Force was comprised of members from: CCPA, Transport Canada, railway carriers and emergency response contractors. Other organizations that joined the Task Force include: Canadian Fertilizer Institute, Canadian Trucking Association and CANUTEC in 1994; Association of American Railroads (Bureau of Explosives) in 1995; and, the Canadian Association of Chemical Distributors and National Environmental Emergency Centre (Environment Canada) in 1996.

In 1997, the committee members redefined its goals to reflect the broad industry support for their efforts. On that basis, the Canadian Emergency Response Contractors’ Alliance (CERCA) was created.

The mandate of CERCA is “to provide and promote a sound dangerous goods emergency response contractor network in Canada”. To fulfill the mandate, the current objective is to:

• Develop standards and verification (3-year cycle) process for emergency response contractor sites.

• Communicate the CERCA activities to all stakeholders in land transport emergency response involving dangerous goods.

• Promote the advantages of membership and communicate to all carriers, manufacturers, industry associations and governments.

CERCA identifies seven contractor regions throughout Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan / Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland.

CERCA publishes a guide for verification of emergency response contractors including basic emergency response equipment requirements and training guidelines.

The cornerstone of CERCA is the verification process whereby all contractors are verified for their emergency response capability based on the contractor’s self-assessment. A Verification Team, comprised of a minimum of two people (preferably one shipper and one carrier) with emergency response experience, visits a contractor’s site to review documentation and view equipment. All members of the Verification Team are required to undergo mandatory training.

Verification is NOT an audit, approval or endorsement of a contractor. Verification only applies to the contractor’s capability. Increased or reduced capability after the verification date may occur and it is the responsibility of the contractor to inform current and potential clients of such changes.

The CERCA Operating Committee meets bi-annually to ensure its objectives are being met and to discuss important issues related to emergency response in Canada. Contractors and stakeholders across Canada are invited to join and partake in CERCA activities.

 

CERCA Operating Standard

Committee Objective

·     Maintain standards for and conduct assessments of On-Scene Emergency Service Providers(ESP) locations(2-year cycle).

·     Publish the results of the assessments in French and English on CERCA website.

·     Communicate CERCA activities to all stakeholders in emergency response involving dangerous goods and non-dangerous goods.

·     Promote the advantages of CERCA membership to carriers, manufacturers, distributors, industry associations and government agencies.
 

CERCA Emergency Response Service Provider (ESP) Membership

·     Each ESP must complete an application and verify that the following standards are being met.

·     Hour activation number in Canada.

·     Canadian street address.

·     Company in good standing with applicable provincial workers' compensation agencies.

·     Response personnel and equipment must be resident in Canada.

·     A minimum of two Team Leaders must be current on all elements of the CERCA Training Matrix.

·     A minimum of two response team members (excluding Team Leaders) must be current on all training requirements.

·     Be 100 per cent compliant with the CERCA Basic Equipment List.

·     Insurance coverage of $5 million (both environmental impairment, and commercial liability insurance).

·     Be 100 per cent compliant with the CERCA Specialty Equipment List if a commodity is identified in the ESP's Capability Chart.

·     Annual membership dues as determined by the Operating Committee are required for each ESP location.  Dues for a location must be paid prior to the location's first assessment.

·     The assessment of a location will be scheduled by the TEAP®III editorial board after successful completion of the application process for the location.

·     The assessment will determine whether the ESP location meets the TEAP III Transportation Emergency Response Service Provider (TERSP) Standard as outlined in "TEAP III Standard Assessment Management Process".  The results of the assessment will be published on the CERCA web site when successfully completed.

·    To become or remain a CERCA ESP Member, an ESP Service Provider must maintain a minimum of one assessed location in good standing.

·     In the event an ESP location does not submit the required documentation outlined in the TEAP III TERSP Standard, TEAP III will give notice in writing to the ESP that it must supply the required documentation within three (3) weeks of the date of the notice.

·     If the information is not received by TEAP III within this period, the ESP will no longer be in good standing and the results of its assessment will be removed from the CERCA Website.

Operating Committee Membership Rules

·     To appoint a representative to the Operating Committee, an ESP location must have at least one assessed location in good standing.  An ESP with multiple assessed locations is entitled to have only one representative as a member of the Operating Committee.

·     Non ESP Industry CERCA members, including shippers, carriers and associations, are also entitled to appoint a representative to the Operating Committee.  Each firm, corporation or association is entitled to have only one member on the Operating Committee, subject to the proviso that representatives of ESPs shall always constitute a majority on the Committee. 

·     Public agencies or industry associations, including Transport Canada and Environment Canada shall, subject to the approval of the Committee, each be entitled to appoint one representative as an ex-offio non-voting member of the Operating Committee.

·     Voting members of the Operating Committee must attend at least 50 per cent of the Committee meetings over any two calendar year period.  If a voting member fails to attend 50 per cent of the Committee meetings over any two calendar year period or to attend three consecutive Committee meetings, the Committee may review the membership of such representative, which review may include a decision that the representative's membership on the Committee be terminated.  Such a decision will require a two thirds majority vote of the voting members of the Committee present at the meeting at which the vote is held.

·     Voting members must attend at least 50%of the meeting over a 2 year period.  If a member is unable to attend 3 consecutive meetings, their membership will be subject to review by the committee, which could include being requested to stand down from the committee.  This requires a two-thirds majority of the committee members.

·     A quorum for a meeting of the Operating Committee shall be 50 per cent plus one of the voting members on the Committee.

·    There shall be at least two meetings of the Operating Committee in each calendar year

·     CERCA members who are not members of the Operating Committee are entitled to attend Committee meetings and to participate in discussions of CERCA activities, but will not be entitled to vote.  Representatives of local agencies, emergency response contractors and all invited guests may attend Committee meetings with the approval of the Chair.

Operations

·     Members of the Operating Committee who are representatives of CERCA ESPs shall elect from among themselves a Chair and a Vice Chair of the Committee for terms of two calendar years or until their respective successors are elected. The terms of the Chair and the Vice Chair may be staggered so one of the Chair and Vice Chair is elected in each calendar year.

·     All members of the Operating Committee shall elect from the members of the Committee a Secretary and a Treasurer for terms of two calendar years or until their respective successors are elected.  The terms of the Secretary and the Treasurer may be staggered so one of the Secretary and the Treasurer is elected in each calendar year.

·     The Chair shall be responsible for preparing and issuing an agenda for each meeting of the Operating Committee.  The agenda for a meeting will be issued at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

·     The responsibilities of the Chair of the Operating Committee will include consulting and liaising from time to time with TEAP III, stakeholders and ex-officio members of the Committee, and for placing such of their issues and recommendations as the Chair considers appropriate on an Operating Committee meeting agenda.  The Chair will also be the primary CERCA contact and liaison with other industry associations.

·     The Secretary of the Operating Committee shall prepare and issue minutes of each meeting of the Operating Committee.  The minutes will be circulated to all members of the Committee and to the Chair of TEAP III.

·     The Vice Chair of the Operating Committee shall prepare a summary of actions taken and decisions made at each meeting of the Operating Committee.  The summaries will be circulated to all stakeholders, including all CERCA ESPs, within two weeks of each meeting.

·     The Treasurer shall be responsible for accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank accounts and records, and for preparation of financial reports and financial statements.

·     It is a condition of membership on the Operating Committee that members will abide by and comply with decisions properly taken by the Committee.

CERCA ESP Assessment

·     The assessment process will follow the “TEAP® III TESP Standard Assessment Management Process”.

Code of Conduct

·     The Code of Conduct applies to CERCA members.

·     All individuals and members are to be treated in a fair, ethical and professional manner.

·     CERCA members will not propagate statements, allegations or rumours of incompetence, financial information or suspected illegal activities about any CERCA or non-CERCA members unless such statements are required by law. (Section 7.3)

·     Activities inconsistent with Section 7.3 will be subject to review by the CERCA Committee.