To update you on the fire to the south of Syncrude we can report that it moved further west along the south side of Syncrude by approx. 6 km over the past 24 hours.  Industry fire support worked to help protect the Noralta Lodge. That effort is ongoing and remains positive.    We have moved people back into the Athabasca camp as they have stabilized their operation.  Again, we do not consider Horizon to be under threat. The fire is approx. 50 km south of Horizon. As previously mentioned we continue to work with the Regional Emergency Operations Center authorities for updates on the fire activity. Hi-way 63 has re-opened today to operate in a controlled fashion.  

I want to ensure you our site is safe and our focus should remain on safe, steady and reliable operations including all project work activity fronts across site.

Regarding working at site, we have not and we will not ask anyone to work in unsafe conditions. Equally important, I reiterate our site is safe. In the event someone does not want to work on site for personal reasons we ask that you work with your supervisor to make arrangement to return to Edmonton or Calgary.  In relation to smoke in the air, anyone with a chronic respiratory condition that is aggravated by the smoke should talk to their supervisor and go to the medical center ASAP.

Lastly for today’s update, our management team is working on a Q & A presentation that will be shared with everyone including information on our Emergency Management System along with a brief overview of our evacuation plans in the unlikely event that were to occur. We are not implementing evacuation, but we are ready to do so if required. I stress again the fire is 50 km south of Horizon. We plan to have the presentation available later today.  Our EOC team is well prepared to respond to changing conditions and all matters of concerns are taken seriously by management.  I have a very high level of confidence in the site management team supported by their confidence and situational awareness.

Next update – tomorrow morning . Have a great safe work day everyone.

Thanks for your hard work !!

Scott  Stauth

Senior Vice President, North American Operations

PS. Other fire facts :

There are over 1000 firefighters , 169 pieces of heavy equipment and 42 helicopters working on the fire fronts.

 

 

Fire and operations in Wood Buffalo region

Update: 12:15 p.m.

We appreciate the patience of our workforce as we work through this complex and dynamic situation in the Wood Buffalo region. Employees should continue to check Suncor’s Facebook and Twitter pages as well as our website www.suncor.com/fort-mcmurray-fires for the latest information. Safety remains our top priority and we are continuously monitoring the situation and working to share accurate information as quickly as we can.

Here is an update on the current situation:

Fire situation:

• West section of the fire crossed AOSTRA Road. It is currently located west of Highway 63 and west of our Base Plant operations.

• The north east section of the fire is expected to move east due to wind direction, therefore we expect the risk to Firebag to decrease.

• Weather continues to be an issue with low humidity and high temperatures in the mid-twenties.

Status of personnel: Base Plant, Firebag, MacKay River, East Tank Farm & Pipelines

• All personnel for Base Plant and MacKay River will be taken out of the region with the exception of a minimum number of Emergency Response and Security workers required to close our operations at Base Plant. Plans are in place for their relocation.

• Firebag will move to a minimum number of essential personnel. The remaining non-essential personnel will be taken out of the region.

Status of personnel: Fort Hills

• All Fort Hills personnel currently at site will remain at site today. Plans are being developed to shift change existing staff.

• Flights scheduled to fly workers in to Fort Hills on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have been canceled until further notice and will be rescheduled when appropriate.

• The situation in the region continues to be closely monitored and plans are in place to safely and quickly evacuate personnel if needed.

Status of Operations: Base Plant, Firebag and MacKay River

Completed an orderly shutdown of operations at MacKay River and Base Plant, including East Tank Farm

• Firebag currently shutdown and on hot standby.

Status of Operations: Fort Hills

• Fort Hills is currently at low fire risk

• Fort Hills continues to conduct operations activities and construction planning

Travel:

• Flights will continue to transport people out of the region.

• Bussing and out-bound flight schedules are currently being developed. We appreciate workers’ patience as we work through the logistics of relocating workers.

• Travel on Highway 63 is restricted. The highway is reportedly closed at both the Suncor interchange and the Parsons Creek interchange. Driving personal vehicles out of the region is currently not recommended. Convoys to bus personnel out of the region are being controlled by the RCMP.

• Visit www.sunlink.suncor.com regularly for travel updates.

Employee Assistance

• For any employee or work-related questions, contact our Suncor Family Support Centre at 1-877-285-4600 or FRC@suncor.com. We are working to resolve questions as quickly as possible.

• If you need support services please contact the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) at 1-800-387-4765.

• Due to changing fire conditions, we are taking the precautionary measure of suspending Turnaround activities until further notice.

 

• All staff and contractor personnel for Base Plant will be taken out of the region with the exception of a minimum number of Emergency Response and Security workers required to close our operations at Base Plant.

 

• All contractor personnel should contact their respective employers for updates.

 

• We intend to resume scheduled Turnaround maintenance when it is safe to do so and conditions improve.

 

• At that time, Suncor will contact Turnaround personnel and contractors with anticipation of all workers returning to work within 72 hours’ notice.

 

• Busing and out-bound flight schedules are currently being developed. We are working to move all affected people from the region as quickly as possible. We appreciate workers’ patience as we work through the logistics of relocating workers.

 

• Please see the attached bulletin issued earlier today for additional information. Visit www.sunlink.suncor.com regularly for travel updates.

 

 

1.Why is the Project returning to an operating mode if the fire is still active?

• The decision to return workers was decided after a thorough risk review and mitigation plans, feedback from workers, and the Project’s business requirements.

• A prolonged shutdown also presents a number of risks, which has been weighed against the risk of returning workers to sites to prepare for a return to operation.

2. Is it safe for employees to return to the region?

• Safety is the Project’s top priority and the decision was made to return workers to work after a thorough assessment of the risk to the Project’s operations and workers.

• The Project is monitoring the fire situation around the clock and performing additional fire mitigation activities depending on the risk to the site.

3. What if the fire or smoke situation changes?

• There are detailed monitoring and evacuation plans in place and those plans will be enacted if and when required.

4. How will we evacuate if needed?

• The plan will be communicated directly to site leaders and workers if plans need to be enacted.

5. How are we monitoring smoke?

• The Oil Sands Wildfire Smoke Management Plan (RGS0025A) is in place to proactively manage and monitor the risks and impacts associated with wildfire smoke.

6. How are we monitoring air quality?

• Air monitoring for carbon monoxide and respirable particulate is being conducted on site and in lodges on a continuous basis (frequency of monitoring is adjusted as per changing conditions).

7. How can my family reach me at the lodge?

• There is cell service at the lodges so your family can reach you. Please remember all cell phone usage rules still apply.

8.I heard Highway 63 is open. Can I drive my car to one of our sites?

• The City of Fort McMurray is still not accessible under any circumstances. This will be strictly enforced by RCMP.

•The Project is providing flights to and from sites from Calgary and Edmonton Hubs. Unless approved by the Project, workers must use this method of travel once they have been requested to come to work. The Project will provide bussing to and from the lodge.

• Workers are asked not to contact the provincial operations centre for updates on highway conditions.

 

 

Fort McMurray Forest Fires

May 17, 2016, 9:30am

Canadian Natural is closely monitoring the forest fires and changing wind conditions in the Fort McMurray area with the health and safety of our teams being our first priority. The forest fire continues to be a safe distance from Horizon Oil Sands and the winds are presently out of the south west. There is no current threat to the health and safety of people or infrastructure on our site. We have in place air quality monitoring equipment that consistently demonstrates air quality remaining well within acceptable limits. Should forest fires or air quality conditions change and pose a risk to our people and/or operations, Canadian Natural will take immediate action by enacting our comprehensive emergency evacuation plan with routes by air and ground.

Canadian Natural’s operations are returning to stable conditions today following minor repairs unrelated to the forest fires, which were completed to our upgrader over the past weekend.

We are grateful to everyone on the Canadian Natural team for their continued commitment and hard work through this challenging and fluid situation. Our thoughts and thanks remain with the firefighters and first responders for their determination and efforts to protect people and infrastructure in the region.

May 9, 2016, 4:30pm

The forest fires are moving away from Horizon Oil Sands and there continues to be no threat to the safety of the people on our site. To date, Canadian Natural has flown over 2,300 evacuees from our aerodrome to Edmonton or Calgary and the number of evacuees remaining at site is currently low. With the health and safety of our workers as the top priority, Canadian Natural continues to monitor weather conditions and air quality, which is consistently well within acceptable limits.

Canadian Natural’s current operations remain stable with more than 5,500 workers on site. Activities are beginning to normalize as we are welcoming back vendors and suppliers with deliveries to site resuming by ground. Canadian Natural will continue to closely monitor the wildfire situation in the region, taking immediate action should conditions change that pose a risk to our workers and/or our operations. Horizon has a comprehensive emergency evacuation plan in place with routes by air and ground, if necessary.

We appreciate the ongoing commitment and dedication of our workers through this time and we thank the firefighters and first responders who continue to work hard to protect people and infrastructure in the region.

May 7, 2016, 11:30am

Canadian Natural continues to closely monitor changing weather and air quality conditions with the safety and health of the people on our site of paramount importance. The forest fire is approximately 60 km from Horizon Oil Sands and there is no current threat to the safety of people on our site. Though the smoke over Horizon increased overnight with changing wind conditions, air quality has improved this morning with winds changing back to SW. Conditions are stable and replicating previous weather of sunny and dry conditions. Canadian Natural will continue to fly out Fort McMurray evacuees from our aerodrome as conditions allow and contingency plans are in place to evacuate from ground if necessary.

Current operations remain stable.

We want to thank our workers and evacuees for working together with us to help maintain calm and control through this fluid situation.

May 6, 2016, 12:00pm

Canadian Natural continues to focus on providing support and resources to Canadian Natural workers, Fort McMurray residents, and the firefighting effort. In addition, we are working to ensure that our neighbours in Fort McKay have assistance and support.

Yesterday, Canadian Natural provided flights from our aerodrome to approximately 675 evacuees and we will continue to work with industry colleagues to ensure that their workers and evacuees are safe, given accommodations, and transported to Edmonton or Calgary. To date, more than 1,875 evacuees have flown out from our aerodrome.

Current operations remain stable at this time.

We are grateful and proud for the strong commitment of our staff, firefighters, and emergency responders during this challenging time. Our thoughts remain with all of those impacted by the forest fires.

May 5, 2016 9:00am

Our primary focus remains the safety of Canadian Natural workers and providing support to Fort McMurray residents. We are providing accommodations at our camp for those affected. In the last 24 hours, numerous flights have left from our aerodrome moving out over 1,400 of our own workers. In addition, we have flown out approximately 1,200 evacuees so that they can secure shelter in Edmonton or Calgary. We have approximately 850 camp rooms available for evacuees.

All non-essential business travel to Horizon has been suspended but regular shift changes for operations staff will continue. Many people are currently moving in and out of our camps, and while we have seen some operations outages, current operations remain stable at this time.

We will continue to offer the support of our aerodrome services to government officials for firefighting efforts and a portion of our firefighters and equipment remain in the city helping to fight fires.

We wish to thank our staff, firefighters and emergency responders for their tireless work. Our thoughts are with our employees, their families, and all of those impacted in Fort McMurray and area.

May 4, 2016 9:00am

We are working to ensure that any potentially affected Canadian Natural workers who are residents of Fort McMurray are provided support during this time. We have provided accommodation at our camp for approximately 800 people from Fort McMurray, which includes employees and their families. We have offered the support of our aerodrome services to government officials for firefighting efforts and a portion of our firefighters and equipment are in the city helping to fight fires. Many people are currently moving in and out of camp, and daily operations remain stable.

For media inquiries, contact Investor Relations at ir@cnrl.com

 

Team,

We will be moving all Suncor and contractor personal out of the area today / tomorrow, with an emphasis on getting it done today.  Please share this information, forward this email, to your contractors.  There will be NO MSS essential people held back for maintenance – ALL MSS people will be leaving the region.

 

Lodges will be moved in this order

1.       Wapasu
2.       Grey Wolf
3.       Barge Landing
4.       McClelland
5.       Robson
6.       Logan

 

You will be transported to the Fire bag Aerodrome where you will load onto a plane and go to Edmonton.

IF you need to get to Calgary, there will be a coach to get you there.

 

All existing itineraries are cancelled, it will be a load and go operation similar to the previous evacuation.

You will arrive, show any ID (Suncor badge is best), get on the plane, and leave. 

 

We have Suncor managers at all lodges to communication this information. 

 

Thanks,

Christina Ellerbeck

Director Maintenance Support Services

May 17 update on fire and operations in Wood Buffalo region

Update: 12:15 p.m.

Here is an update on the current situation:

 

Fire situation:

• West section of the fire crossed AOSTRA Road. It is currently located west of Highway 63 and west of our Base Plant operations.
• The north east section of the fire is expected to move east due to wind direction, therefore we expect the risk to Firebag to decrease.
• Weather continues to be an issue with low humidity and high temperatures in the mid-twenties.

 

Status of personnel: Base Plant, Firebag, MacKay River, East Tank Farm & Pipelines

• All personnel for Base Plant and MacKay River will be taken out of the region with the exception of a minimum number of Emergency Response and Security workers required to close our operations at Base Plant. Plans are in place for their relocation.
• Firebag will move to a minimum number of essential personnel. The remaining non-essential personnel will be taken out of the region.

 

Status of personnel: Fort Hills

• All Fort Hills personnel currently at site will remain at site today. Plans are being developed to shift change existing staff.
• Flights scheduled to fly workers in to Fort Hills on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have been canceled until further notice and will be rescheduled when appropriate.
• The situation in the region continues to be closely monitored and plans are in place to safely and quickly evacuate personnel if needed.

 

Status of Operations: Base Plant, Firebag and MacKay River

• Completed an orderly shutdown of operations at MacKay River and Base Plant, including East Tank Farm

• Firebag currently shutdown and on hot standby.

 

Status of Operations: Fort Hills

• Fort Hills is currently at low fire risk
• Fort Hills continues to conduct operations activities and construction planning

 

Travel:

• Flights will continue to transport people out of the region.
• Bussing and out-bound flight schedules are currently being developed. We appreciate workers’ patience as we work through the logistics of relocating workers.

Travel on Highway 63 is restricted. The highway is reportedly closed at both the Suncor interchange and the Parsons Creek interchange. Driving personal vehicles out of the region is currently not recommended. Convoys to bus personnel out of the region are being controlled by the RCMP

Good Morning,

 

A Voluntary Evacuation Order was issued by Suncor at approximately 16:30 May 16^th.  At that point Suncor bussed employees at the camps and site north to the Fort Hills and the Wapisieu camps.

 

At approximately 22:30 The Government of Alberta issued a Mandatory Evacuation Order that extended from Fort McMurray to just south of Fort MacKay. This evacuation order does NOT include Fort MacKay, Athabasca Camp, and the Beaver River Camp, but all other Camps and Facilities south of this area must evacuate immediately. The Evacuation Order has extended north of Fort McMurray to just south of Fort MacKay. 

Below is a list of the Camps and Facilities which are affected by this evacuation order are: 

Syncrude Facilities South of Fort MacKay 
Suncor Facilities South of Fort MacKay 
Millennium 
Borealis 
Hudson 
Ruth Lake 
Mildred Lake 
West Ells 
Baseline 
MacKay River 
Black Sands Lodge 
Brion Energy – MacKay 
Grizzly Oilsands – Thickwood 
MacKay River Lodge on Aostra 
Marathon Oil – Birchwood 
Noralta 
Poplar Creek – also called Birch 
Southern Pacific – STP MacKay 
Sunshine Oil Sands – West Ells 

NOTE – There may be some camps and facilities missing from this list. Any camp South of Fort MacKay and the Athabasca Camp and Beaver River Camp and north of Fort McMurray must evacuate.

 

All Camps and Production Refineries North of Fort MCMurray and just south of Fort MacKay including Aostra Road are to evacuate immediately, and all evacuees are to head south on Highway 63 if possible. For a complete list of Camps and Facilities being evacuated go to the Alberta Emergency Alert Public Website.

 

We are working to communicate with all of our employees that are currently safe at Wabesiu, McClelland and Birch Landing camps. 

The evacuation order has not yet been lifted.  Suncor has indicated workers will remain in camp for the day and return to site only when it is safe to do so.

 

We will update you further once more information is made available.

 

 

Sincerely,

Ron Richards, Vice President

Good day Brothers and Sisters

Currently we have a number of companies that had started bring workers back to the Fort McMurray area with plans to have as much of the workforce back on site in the next few weeks. Unfortunately the situation in Northern Alberta has changed again and workers are again being removed from sites and camps across the North and being transported back to Edmonton and Calgary. Currently Local 110 has 168 Members that are in camps or being moved to evacuation points. Blacksands camp was evacuated with no injuries but the camp itself has been destroyed by fire.

The current camps that are being evacuated are:

• Syncrude Facilities South of Fort MacKay
• Suncor Facilities South of Fort MacKay
• Millennium
• Borealis
• Hudson
• Ruth Lake
• Mildred Lake
• West Ells
• Baseline
• MacKay River
• Black Sands Lodge
• Brion Energy – MacKay
• Grizzly Oilsands – Thickwood
• MacKay River Lodge on Aostra
• Marathon Oil – Birchwood
• Noralta
• Poplar Creek – also called Birch
• Southern Pacific – STP MacKay
• Sunshine Oil Sands – West Ells

Update: 5:30 p.m.

 

 

The safety of our people is our top priority.

 

At the direction of the Province, Suncor is moving workers from our MacKay River operations as well as lodges on the AOSTRA road to lodges north of that region. At this time, we are not relocating people from Base Plant, or the Borealis, Hudson or Millennium lodges.

 

Personnel who are being relocated will be relocated to a lodge at the Fort Hills site.

 

Instructions for personnel working at Base Plant and staying at a lodge along AOSTRA road are as follows:

 

Day shift (Base Plant)

• Personnel currently on day shift and staying at a lodge along AOSTRA road will catch a bus from site, for relocation to a lodge at Fort Hills.
• If you are expecting to travel home, bussing and flights are continuing.

 

Operations Night Shift (Base Plant)

• Collect your bag, check out of the lodge, board a bus to a lodge at Fort Hills.

 

Turnaround Night Shift (Base Plant)

• Collect your bag, check out of the lodge, board a bus. You will not report for your shift on site. You will be bused to a lodge at Fort Hills where you will check-in.

 

MacKay River

• All non-essential personnel will be moved to a lodge at Fort Hills.
• Essential personnel are conducting an orderly shutdown of MacKay River.

 

Assistance will be available at the lodges to direct personnel appropriately.

 

Air quality at Base Plant is being continuously monitored and remains good and below advisory levels; N95 dust masks are available for people if they have concerns, but both the particulate and Carbon Monoxide (CO) readings are within acceptable limits.

 

We understand this is a stressful situation, but we are prepared. The safety of our people remains our top priority.