Design and run a critical incident exercise for a transformer fire

You are the Emergency Planning Coordinator supporting the HSE and Quality Manager.

Simulated workplaceAdvanced missionCAQA Powergen Station

What is going on

The Critical Incident and Contingency Plan requires two exercises a year and the second is on 28 October during the GT1 outage. The Station Manager wants a Level 2 scenario: a fire on the GT1 generator transformer while it is isolated for testing, with 90 contractors on site, GT2 at full load and a market direction in force. The scenario must test the first response team, the shift, the incident management team, the market operator notification and the contingency plan for loss of the transmission connection. The transmission network operator has agreed to play its part by telephone. Findings will be logged as actions in the incident register.

Graham Petrakis, Station Manager
Subject: Critical incident exercise: transformer fire on GT1

The second critical incident exercise of the year is on 28 October. I want a Level 2 scenario of a fire on the GT1 generator transformer during the October outage with contractors on site and GT2 at full load. Please design the exercise from the Critical Incident and Contingency Plan, prepare injects for the shift, the first response team and the incident management team, include the market operator notification, and prepare the evaluation sheet. Findings go into the incident register as actions.

Your brief

Design the exercise from the plan, prepare timed injects and an evaluation sheet, run the desktop exercise with your group, then write up the findings, log the improvement actions and brief the Station Manager.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the Critical Incident and Contingency Plan and write exercise objectives for each role at Level 2, including the market operator and network operator notifications.
Design a timed scenario with at least eight injects that test evacuation of contractors, isolation of the transformer, GT2 security, first response, the market operator call and the loss of transmission contingency.
Prepare the evaluation sheet linking each inject to the plan section and the expected action and time.
Record the exercise as a simulated permit in the Permit and Isolation Register and a simulated Alarm entry in the Operations Log so that participants practise the records.
Run the exercise, keeping a master log of decisions, times and deviations from the plan.
Enter the findings as improvement actions in the HSE Incident Register with owners and dates.
Write the exercise report with a recommendation on whether the plan or any contingency plan needs amendment, and prepare a short briefing for the Station Manager.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Exercise objectives and scenario with injects
Evaluation sheet
Master log
Improvement actions in the incident register
Exercise report and briefing

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.