On a recent summer day, fire, police and other first responders arrived at a Williams compressor station in southwest Pennsylvania. Dressed in gear, these community heroes met with Williams employees to assess the situation at hand.

That situation was a full-scale drill, not a real emergency, and a critical component to ensuring the safety of our assets, employees and the communities in which we operate.

“Our teams across the country strive to build close relationships with first responders in their communities,” said Jack Walsh, vice president, Susquehanna River Supply Hub. “Through regular emergency drills and exercises, we meet face-to-face with local fire, law enforcement, emergency medical and emergency management personnel, allowing all parties to understand each other’s needs, resources and experience.”

Williams requires facilities to conduct full-scale exercises with local emergency response agencies at least every three years and to conduct discussion-based tabletop exercises annually.

For employee Tyler Golden, the simulated fire exercise was a colliding of worlds. The operations technician also is a volunteer firefighter.

Tabletop drills are important, he said, but having responders like himself also on site to see and learn about a particular location is tremendously valuable.

“We put a real-life scenario into effect,” he said. “Getting them here to really see the size of things and where everything is located helps us plan better for the future,” he said. “You can never be too safe or too prepared.”

The drill, which included a full debrief with responders later that day, was a joint exercise for safety teams from Laurel Mountain Midstream and Susquehanna River Supply Hub.

More than 50 participants converged on the compressor station facility in South Huntingdon Township. Agencies included Turkeytown Volunteer Fire Department, Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services, Pennsylvania State Police – Belle Vernon and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The drill provided an opportunity to practice coordinated response efforts and reinforce our shared commitment to safety and preparedness, said Jeffrey Johns, an operations technician and Safety Committee chair.

“Conducting emergency response drills with first responders helps challenge our teams to respond appropriately to complex scenarios and ensures they are as prepared as possible in the unlikely event of a real emergency,” he said.

In addition to drills, Williams also conducts first-responder outreach efforts that include in-person meetings, facility tours, web-based training and informational mailers. In 2024, Williams sent 20,828 mailers to emergency response agencies. Some Williams personnel also attend Local Emergency Planning Committee meetings to network with organizations that operate within their local jurisdictional region.

Additionally, Williams provides financial support to first responder agencies. In 2024, Williams donated $660,704 to support 323 organizations.