 What was a day of hypothetical worst case scenarios as Enbridge held the pipeline response exercise. Josh Peterson was there and shows us how today's training was a way to make connections and grow working relationships. The pressure was on as Bemidji's Sanford Events Center was transformed into a command post for a hypothetical emergency response pipeline exercise. Enbridge holds these large trainings across the country to bring all parties together to work through a worst case scenario pipeline breach. The goal of the exercise is to test Enbridge's emergency response plans to integrate with local state officials, test their plans, and see how we can continually improve. The training included a full incident command post and joint information center where response personnel from multiple agencies all work together to troubleshoot a pretend real life situation. One of the goals of the exercise is to bring parties together and make important connections. One of the biggest benefits of the thing is just getting to know your counterparts and who to call so you don't end up out in the middle of the night and you're trying to exchange business cards and meet people on a day of an event. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe was invited to take part in the training and was able to build those important connections and gain valuable knowledge on how to handle an emergency pipeline situation. We deal with things as they are right now and so this is what we're doing. We're showing that we want to prepare to provide safety for our own people, our communities, and our environment. The whole day exercise had the intensity and pressure of a real life situation while uniting groups who normally wouldn't work side by side together for one common goal. Really the goal is to make this feel like a real incident, to really pressure test our plans, to really find those areas that we can improve after the exercise. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. Following the exercise, Enbridge plans to evaluate the training and apply changes where needed. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.