Position Description s15

POSITION DESCRIPTION Ministry of Environment

POSITION TITLE: POSITION Environmental Emergency Response Officer NUMBER(S): 00102748 DIVISION: (e.g., Division, Region, Department) Environmental Protection UNIT: LOCATION: (e.g., Branch, Area, District) Environmental Emergencies Program Surrey Approved Classification N24 SUPERVISOR’S TITLE: POSITION Senior Environmental Emergency Response NUMBER Officer SUPERVISOR’S CLASSIFICATION: PHONE NUMBER: N27 604-582-5278

PROGRAM The Ministry of Environment’s environmental emergency mandate is to plan for, coordinate, implement and manage a program to protect the welfare of the public in the event of an environmental emergency or disaster. The province receives between 3000 – 4000 spill calls a year through the provincial spill reporting hotline and the Environmental Emergency Management Program helps to meet this mandate by developing and implementing tools to prevent, prepare for and respond to spills of harmful substances.

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The Environmental Emergency Response Officer’s (EERO) main focus is to protect the environment and the public by effectively managing hazardous material spill responses, hazardous wastes and industrial/municipal discharges. This is achieved through the administration and enforcement of the Environmental Management Act and supporting Regulations including the Spill Reporting Regulation, the Cost Recovery Regulation, the Hazardous Waste Regulation and the Contaminated Sites Regulation. .

NATURE OF WORK AND POSITION LINKS The position reports to the Coast Region Senior Environmental Emergency Response Officer (SEERO) in Surrey. The position is one of four full time Environmental Response Officers (ERRO’s) in the coast region. The Surrey ERRO area of responsibility encompasses the communities Metro Vancouver, Hope, Pemberton, Sechelt, Powell River, and Texada Island,. The position will occasionally provide, on an as needed basis, emergency response support for the Vancouver Island sub-region (within the Coast Region) and to a lesser extent, support for the Southern Interior and Northern Regions. This support roll includes receiving and risk assessing reports from Emergency Management BC and initiating and monitoring emergency response within that supported region and/or attending the emergency incident within that supported region to protect human health and the environment. The position provides high-level professional and technical advice to internal and external agency, stakeholder and local governments representatives including; - Designated Agency Officials - Provincial Task Forces and Working Groups - Local Governments (i.e. Fire Departments) - Other stakeholders and special interest groups

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES / DELIVERABLES

 Assess Dangerous Good Incident Report (DGIR) spills as they are received which include:

 evaluation of the incident

 nature of contamination to determine hazards present

Env Emerg Resp Off – Sry – June 2 2011 Page 1 of 6  potential environmental impacts

 public health risks

 site safety measures and

 the response level required.

 Perform Response Actions may include but are limited to:  contracting equipment and supplies,  supervising site spill response staff and contractors  determine termination of emergency response activities, site stability, and the possible need for remediation  media relations  cost accounting for cost effectiveness and recovery, and  site safety controls.  Conduct appropriate follow-up on the spill as required which may include:

 Site visit based on level of risk and other factors specific to the incident to ensure incident was appropriately responded to or resolved  Referral to Land Remediation Unit for ongoing contamination issues  Referral to Conservation Officer’s Service for enforcement action  Referral to Environmental Protection Officer for permitted sites  Prepare cost recovery documentation as required  Ensure notification of spill incidents is provided to internal and external stakeholders

 Provide direction on requirements of Hazardous Waste Regulation as it pertains to the handling, transportation and disposal of spill clean-up materials and issue exemptions under the authority of Section 52 of the Hazardous Waste Regulation (if required).  Provide after-hour standby coverage for the province as scheduled  Represent the agency by addressing professional organizations at meetings, workshops and conferences.

 Participate in a stewardship / stakeholder activities including:

 Spill exercises  Emergency management exercises  Spill prevention / preparedness meetings  Incident review / debriefings  Provide information sessions on Program and EERO role  Complete work associated with assigned roles within the program (examples: waste management coordinator, oiled wildlife coordinator, training and equipment committee member etc..)  Complete additional assigned program related work on an as needed basis (examples: reviewing documents, preparing guidance documents, policy, procedures, special projects)  Complete required training to maintain EERO training standards as set out in the Training and Equipment policy and procedures. Including:  Annual EERO Refresher training  3 year Hazmat refresher training  Attend Ministry’s annual Incident Management Team training and training for any sub-components that an EERO belongs to (i.e. Oiled Wildlife, SCAT, etc.).  Attend program, branch and regional EERO meetings as required

Env Emerg Resp Off – Sry – June 2 2011 Page 2 of 6  Maintain program spill database.  Perform, and keep a log of, regular equipment safety checks as outlined in the Training and Equipment policy and procedure. Notify supervisor or program management of any safety issues or concerns so they can be addressed forthwith  Maintain regular contact with the Senior Environmental Emergency Response Officer (SEERO) for their region to enable the SEERO to track availability, schedule coverage, arrange equipment check sign-off, etc.  Submit training requests, overtime claims, standby claims, expenses related to their SEERO / EEP role to the SEERO for approval

 Gather evidence for legal proceedings and testify (potentially as an expert witness) in court where required  Act as signing and spending authority for goods and services (up to $25,000.00 under the spending authority matrix level one).  Exercise spending authority under Provincial Emergency Program (up to $5,000.00).

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Position may manage contractors as required for complex technical studies, preparing contract specifications, reviewing tenders and selecting contractors. Conducts permit fee calculations.

DIRECT SUPERVISION (i.e., responsibility for signing the employee appraisal form) Role # of Regular FTE’s # of Auxiliary FTE’s Directly supervises staff 0 0 Supervises staff through subordinate supervisors 0 0

PROJECT /TEAM LEADERSHIP OR TRAINING (Check the appropriate boxes) Role # of Role # of FTE’s FTE’s Supervises students or volunteers TBD Provides formal training to other staff 0 Lead project teams TBD As per project teams identified by the program

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

 Must hold and maintain a valid provincial Driver’s Licence.  Must be willing to travel anywhere within the province.  Must be willing to work irregular hours to respond to spills and to represent the program at public meetings and events (as per Collective Agreement)  Must be Hazmat Technician Certified within 1 year of being hired.

TOOLS / EQUIPMENT

 Drive 4X4 vehicle during site activities  Operate/use spill response and specialised environmental monitoring equipment as identified by the program

Env Emerg Resp Off – Sry – June 2 2011 Page 3 of 6 WORKING CONDITIONS Willingness to work under adverse conditions such as smoke, extreme heat, mountainous terrain, in remote and isolated locations; to work extended hours with limited notice; to travel with limited notice for extensive periods of time; to be on standby for extended periods of time in accordance with operational plans; to live in a camp-style environment with many others and sleep in shared tent accommodations; to spend extensive periods of time in aircraft, boats and other vehicles as required

COMMENTS

PREPARED BY NAME: DATE: Harold Riedler January 05, 2013

EXCLUDED MANAGER AUTHORIZATION

I confirm that: 1. the accountabilities / deliverables were assigned to this position effective: (Date). 2. the information in this position description reflects the actual work performed. 3. a copy has / will be provided to the incumbent(s).

NAME: SIGNATURE: DATE: Graham Knox

ORGANIZATION CHART

Deputy Minister Environment Assistant Deputy Minister Environmental Protection Division Director Environmental Management Branch Manager, Environmental Emergencies Program Senior Environmental Emergency Response Officer, STO Grid 27 (1 per region) Environmental Emergency Response Officer, STO Grid N24 (3 to 5 per region depen ding)

SELECTION CRITERIA

EDUCATION  Degree in the natural resource field (including chemistry, biology, earth sciences, environmental engineering) in environmental protection, spill response and/or emergency management plus 1 year related experience OR  Diploma, or equivalent in the natural resource field (including chemistry, biology, earth sciences, environmental

Env Emerg Resp Off – Sry – June 2 2011 Page 4 of 6 engineering) in environmental protection, spill response and/or emergency management plus 2 years related experience OR  Grade 12 plus 6 years related experience.

EXPERIENCE  Environmental emergency response under the Environmental Management Act including attending or responding to hazardous materials spills, assessing spill related hazards or threats to health or the environment, determining if spill response actions are necessary to address hazards or threats, and monitoring or supervising spill response actions and / or  Environmental protection and pollution prevention under the Environmental Management Act including assessing environmental impacts or pollution associated with discharges of waste to the environment and characterizing and managing hazardous materials related wastes and hazardous wastes and / or  Experience in emergency management (hazmat emergency response, spill response, cleanup and remediation, fire department suppression activities, transportation of dangerous goods, spill contingency planning, oil spill response) and / or  Experience in environmental impact assessment from hazardous materials spills

KNOWLEDGE  Comprehensive knowledge of spill response safety and planning  Comprehensive knowledge of hazardous materials handling, transport and disposal technologies.  Comprehensive knowledge of site characterization, monitoring and remediation procedures.  Comprehensive knowledge of industrial processes and associated hazards.  Comprehensive knowledge of hazardous materials classifications and properties and their behaviour when released to the environment, potential reactions and incompatibilities.  Comprehensive knowledge of applicable legislation, regulations, policies and procedures and related standards and criteria.  Comprehensive knowledge of chemistry, geology, environmental science and waste management.  Considerable knowledge of the Incident Command System  Knowledge of contracting, administration, budgeting and accounting.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS  Hazardous Materials Technician certification based upon the requirements of OSHA 1910.120(q) and NFPA 472 standard  Advanced Hazmat Specialist certification based upon the requirements of NFPA 472 standard  Incident Command System (ICS) Certification  Self-Containing Breathing Apparatus Certification (SCBA)  Use of Personnel Protection Equipment  Hazardous materials handling, transport and disposal technologies  Industrial processes and associated hazards;  Hazardous materials classifications and properties and their behaviour when released to the environment, potential reactions and incompatibilities;  Applicable legislation, regulations, policies and procedures and related standards and criteria;  Chemistry, geology, environmental science and waste management;  Contracting, administration, budgeting and accounting;  Site characterization, monitoring and remediation procedures and processes;  Spill response safety and planning  Spill response certifications (i.e oil spill response, hazardous materials, in-situ burning etc.)  Hazardous Materials Handling including TDG and WHIMIS certification  Oil Spill Control training and equipment use  Legal Sampling and Enforcement

Env Emerg Resp Off – Sry – June 2 2011 Page 5 of 6  Level 1 First Aid

CERTIFICATION Valid Class 5 Driver’s License

SKILLS and ABILITIES

1* Ability to assess highly variable situations, make immediate on-site decisions, develop innovative solutions and approaches and perform duties under pressure 2* Ability to work independently in high stress and potentially life threatening situations 3* Mechanical ability to utilize specialized hazardous materials control and monitoring equipment 4* Good oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills 5* Negotiating and conflict resolution skills 6* Ability to prioritize, direct staff and take control of incidents 7* Ability to work in a team environment as well as independently 8* Ability to formulate, implement and evaluate effective operational plans to achieve Ministry Program goals and objectives. 9* Ability to plan and manage own workload taking into consideration shifting priorities, limited resources and impacts of decisions 10* Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with a variety of groups or individuals to meet program objectives, complete projects or influence outcomes. (includes other agencies, local governments, resource industries, community groups) 11* Ability to prepare, provide and obtain clear, concise and complete oral and written information of a complex or technical nature at a level appropriate to the audience in a timely manner. 12* Ability to deliver effective impromptu presentation on controversial subject matter to potential unreceptive, critical, hostile audiences (i.e. media, interest groups) 13* Ability to use computer applications (such as databases, electronic mail, spreadsheets and word processing) to enter and retrieve data and create and edit a variety of effective correspondence and reports.

WILLINGNESS STATEMENTS Willingness to work under adverse conditions such as cold, extreme heat, toxic environments, mountainous terrain, in remote and isolated locations. Willingness to work extended hours with limited notice. Willingness to travel with limited notice for extensive periods of time. Willingness to be on standby for extended periods of time in accordance with operational plans and collective agreements. Willingness to live in a camp-style environment with many others and sleep in shared tent accommodations. Willingness to spend extensive periods of time in aircraft, boast or other vehicular craft. Willingness to be flexible regarding ongoing changes in responsibilities, assignments and corporate structure. Willingness to maintain currency regarding hazardous materials response techniques and technology.

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