Health and Safety Award Recipients

Employee Safety

This is awarded for injury avoidance/reduction.

Recipients:

• Liberty Utilities New Brunswick
• EPCOR Natural Gas LP

Based on TRI-F (total reportable injury frequency rate), LTI-F (lost time injury frequency rate), LTI-S (lost time injury severity rate)

Vehicular Safety

This is awarded for vehicular safety.

Recipient:

• Enbridge Gaz Québec
• Eastward Energy
• EPCOR Natural Gas LP

Based on RMVI-F (reportable motor vehicle incidents – frequency)

Community Safety Champion

This is awarded to individuals or teams who have contributed to public awareness and education about the safe use of natural gas.

Recipient:

• ATCO Gas Operations team

ATCO and Calgary Fire Department: Two Decades of Partnership Advancing Natural Gas Safety and Community Preparedness

ATCO and Calgary Fire Department: Two Decades of Partnership Advancing Natural Gas Safety and Community Preparedness – For more than 20 years, ATCO Gas and the Calgary Fire Department have maintained a strong partnership focused on public safety, emergency preparedness, and natural gas awareness. Through regular collaboration, training sessions, and operational coordination, the organizations continuously strengthen emergency response readiness and community safety education.

A key focus of the partnership is carbon monoxide (CO) awareness and prevention. Together, ATCO and CFD support Fire Prevention Week initiatives, CO alarm education campaigns, public outreach events, and coordinated response protocols for CO-related incidents. ATCO also provides alarms, educational resources, and media support to help residents understand the risks of carbon monoxide and the importance of prevention.

The partnership extends beyond public education through support for youth leadership and emergency preparedness programs, including the Calgary Fire Department Youth Fire Cadet Program and ATCO’s Futures on Fire initiative. Collectively, these efforts have helped educate thousands of Albertans, promote safe natural gas use, and strengthen a culture of safety and preparedness across the communities they serve.

Notable nominees:

• Andrew Ewing, Eastward Energy – Promoting Public Safety
• Madie Lupien and Gavin Ardron, ATCO, – Potential Child Falling out of Window
• Aiden Hurrell, Enbridge, Recognition for Identifying and Escalating High-Risk Field Conditions
• Adrian Kubitza, ATCO, Championing Community Safety: Adrian’s Impact on Carbon Monoxide and Natural Gas Awareness
• Jerome Macatangay, Apex Utilities Inc., Building Safer Communities Through Safe Digging Education and Local Engagement
• FortisBC’s External Communications team, FortisBC Public Safety Communications, Preventing Damage, Preparing Communications

Life Saving

This is awarded to extraordinary individuals whose swift and decisive actions have averted potential tragedies, preventing the loss of life or serious injury. This accolade honors those whose courage and quick thinking in critical moments made the crucial difference between disaster and safety.

Recipient:

• Jay Littlechild, Junior Operator – Service, ATCO

ATCO Employee Administered CPR to Overdosing Individual

While completing a scheduled meter exchange, an ATCO employee was alerted to an unresponsive individual experiencing an apparent overdose. The employee immediately stopped work, called 911, assessed the individual, and began chest compressions under the dispatcher’s direction.

The employee remained calm and continued CPR until emergency medical services arrived and assumed care. This decisive intervention provided critical support during a life-threatening emergency and helped bridge the gap until professional treatment was available.

The employee’s situational awareness, compassion, and willingness to act outside regular duties reflect ATCO’s commitment to safety and community care, making the employee highly deserving of the Life Saving Award.

Notable nominees:

• Ryan McCarthy, Eastward Energy
• Tyson Duggan, Eastward Energy
• Melissa Knudson, ATCO
• Terry Poffenroth, ATCO
• Alexandra Martin, Enbridge Gas Inc.
• Rhonda Merkl and Michelle Bloshka, Apex Utilities Inc.

Safety and Innovation Champion

This is awarded to trailblazing individuals or teams who have demonstrated unparalleled creativity and ingenuity in developing solutions that significantly enhance workplace safety. It celebrates those who, through their inventive spirit, have contributed to the evolution of safety practices and systems.

Recipient:

• Mathew Desbiens and Hung Truong, Apex Utilities Inc.

Innovative Operational Support – GIS Application

To improve safety and efficiency during unplanned outages, Apex Utilities’ GIS team developed an outage management application using ESRI technology. The tool enables supervisors to assign customer relights, track field activities in real time, and provide crews with critical information such as property hazards, relight status, and priority customers.

The application reduces reliance on paperwork and phone calls, allowing emergency response teams to restore service more efficiently while improving situational awareness. Additional ESRI mapping layers provide real-time information on road closures, wildfire proximity, and smoke conditions, helping workers identify hazards and prepare appropriately.

Developed in response to operational needs, the application enhances worker safety, improves outage response coordination, and ensures customers can be restored safely and efficiently during emergency situations.

Notable nominees:

• Troyce Beglaw, FortisBC
• Control Center, ATCO
• Annick Gauthier, Enbridge Gaz Quebéc
• Michael Collins, Enbridge Gas Ontario

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