Ready to respond

Devon prioritizes life safety and business continuity when incidents occur that could impact our employees, our assets, our business and the environment. We dedicate resources to emergency preparedness and follow nationally recognized standards for effective emergency management.

Our centralized corporate emergency management function leads Devon’s emergency response and recovery efforts for operational incidents, weather events, supply disruptions and other disruptions. We follow the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Incident Management System (NIMS) to manage emergency response in cooperation with community agencies.

Training, drills and exercises

Devon provides in-house training, drills and exercises on the NIMS Incident Command System (ICS), and integrates best practices to be ready for timely, effective incident response. Our emergency management program leader is a certified Emergency Manager and ICS instructor, which strengthens our capabilities.

In 2023, Devon’s emergency management team continued to train our workforce to maintain proper response capabilities. By training smarter, reducing costs, connecting departments and streamlining processes, the team helped create efficiencies in multiple areas of the company.

We conducted incident management team (IMT) training and a functional exercise with field personnel and business unit leaders in each of our five business units. Community first responders joined the exercises in South Texas and the mid-continent, helping to build relationships with our partners. The exercises highlighted the value of the ICS process and the teams’ prioritization of life safety and ability to gain situational awareness at the onset of a response. Our onsite drill with the Abernathy Produced Water Treatment Facility crew and Oil Spill Removal Organization tested our Facility Response Plan and gave us the opportunity to discuss coordination of response between organizations.

Trainings and resources were also developed and conducted to help prepare specific teams for emergencies. For example, the emergency management team developed initial response training and delivered it to 231 field personnel in two business units.

As part of ongoing work to strengthen collaboration between technology and field operations teams, the Technology Disaster Recovery Management Practice was developed and implemented. In addition, the emergency management team developed, coordinated and facilitated a tabletop exercise with technology leadership at our chief technology officer’s request. This unique exercise helped technology leaders apply the incident management process to a large-scale technology project.

Devon plans to conduct incident management trainings and exercises with all field operating areas and as requested by business units and functions in 2024.

Continuous improvement

Our emergency management and field teams responded to operational and weather incidents, wildfires in Oklahoma and other emergencies during 2023.

After every exercise and actual response, we document areas for improvement, best practices and strengths. As part of our continuous improvement efforts, corrective actions are incorporated into our EHS incident management system. When emergencies and incidents occur, these practices enable Devon to protect our workforce, our neighbors and our assets. In turn, we’re protecting our business and license to operate.

Devon follows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, which allows us to provide community partners with documentation that validates their participation for federal funding and medical facility accreditation requirements.

Our emergency management team engages with local, state and federal emergency managers. Team members attended the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association annual conference in 2023, where Devon sponsored the annual awards banquet. We hosted and facilitated a tabletop discussion at the Central Oklahoma Emergency Management Association Annual Workshop.

We believe robust emergency management capabilities throughout industry and government contribute to community safety and security. Devon supports the head of our emergency management program in her role as the designated representative for the Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Council, part of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Critical Infrastructure Cross-Sector Council. The council comprises 16 critical infrastructure industries, including energy, transportation, and food and agriculture, that coordinate the private sector’s cooperative efforts to advance its critical infrastructure security, protection and resiliency mission. Our emergency management leader also served as a working group lead for a National Petroleum Council study focused on the response to disruptions caused by hurricanes, cyber-attacks and physical attacks.

As our representative on the Permian Strategic Partnership’s (PSP) roads safety, healthcare and management committees, our emergency management leader helps guide initiatives such as the Stop the Bleed campaign in communities in southeast New Mexico and west Texas. Devon will engage law enforcement, fire, emergency management and emergency medical services during incident management exercises as we continue to build relationships with first responders to keep people and property safe.

Devon’s involvement in industry and government initiatives enhances our ability to manage risk and maintain business continuity by giving us early insights into emerging issues, pending laws and regulations, and other critical information.