TTEMAS’ 40th Anniversary Celebration

The Trinidad and Tobago Emergency Mutual Aid Scheme (TTEMAS) was established in 1983 by a group of industry professionals who recognized the growing need for a structured mutual aid support system in the expanding energy and petrochemical sector. These professionals had firsthand experience with significant industrial accidents at various refineries and plants, such as Point-a-Pierre and Shell Point Fortin Refineries, Caroni sugar refineries, power generation facilities, and petrochemical plants. They realized that as the sector grew, individual process plants would be limited in their ability to respond to emergencies, highlighting the necessity for a cooperative approach.

The initial meeting to discuss the creation of such a system took place in 1983 at Beaumont Hill, Point-a-Pierre, and was attended by representatives from major industry players such as Texaco, Fedchem, Fertrin, TTMC, ISCOTT, TTEC, PLIPDECO, and Caroni, as well as Max Copeland, the then Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service (TTFS). Inspired by the Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA) system he had observed in Houston, CFO Copeland envisioned a similar mutual aid network that could effectively support the rapidly expanding downstream petrochemical industry in Trinidad and Tobago.

The vision was prescient, as the downstream industry in Point Lisas Industrial Estate grew significantly in the 1990s and early 2000s, alongside the development of the southwest peninsula as an LNG hub. The importance of TTEMAS became increasingly clear, leading to its formal incorporation by Parliament under Act No. 8 of 2000, championed by Brigadier Joseph Theodore, the then Minister of National Security.

Unlike business organizations, TTEMAS, being a ‘not for profit’ entity, relied heavily on the commitment and drive of volunteers to fulfill its mission. This was a challenging task, as those in leadership roles in such organizations can attest. The founding members, including Max Copeland, Wheelan Hall, Joseph Guevarra, and Walter De Suza, along with companies like Fertrin, TTMC, PLIPDECO, ISCOTT, T&TEC, and Caroni, played crucial roles in advancing TTEMAS to serve its purpose of providing mutual aid across the industry.

The founding members Max  Copeland, Wheelan Hall, Joseph Guevarra and Walter De Suza and companies

Fertrin, TTMC , PLIPDECO, ISCOTT, T&TEC, Caroni, among others had the difficult task of driving TTEMAS forward to serve it purpose of providing mutual aid.