‘How is Sira-Kvina currently organized?’

Four companies own Sira-Kvina: Lyse Produksjon AS, Statkraft, Skagerak Kraft AS, and Agder Energi Produksjon AS. In addition to normal operations and maintenance in the organization, there is a lot of project activity, renovations, and upgrades of dams, plants, and facilities.

‘Given the situation in Europe, have you experienced any new challenges, scenarios, or types of incidents? Has there been a change of focus?’

Indeed there has. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) strongly focuses on Ukraine's situation. We have noticed that it’s more difficult to get hold of materials, parts and spare parts, that prices have increased and that delivery times are longer. NVE has told us to be extra vigilant.

‘Sira-Kvina has been using RAYVN for a while now. Why did you identify a need for RAYVN?’

I am also the log keeper in emergency situations, and in the past, we used a spreadsheet to keep a log. It was very static, and difficult to enter data, and a better sorting function was needed. During an incident that lasted for a prolonged period, I realized that the papers, forms, and spreadsheets weren’t working.

We also experienced this after the flood in 2017, a situation that lasted for several days. Information was added into different logs, making coordinating and getting a shared situational awareness challenging.

‘Were there any specific areas you wanted to improve?’

The new system needed a function for logging and a simpler notification system. We introduced a Proactive methodology a few years ago, and these sheets hang in the emergency-response room. We wanted to use them digitally. The most important and biggest need for improvement was related to log keeping – followed by a better way of notifying and mobilizing.

What has it been like to implement RAYVN in the organization?’

It has been easy to implement, but we should have spent more time on in-house training and regular use. I use the tool a lot before exercises, but I don’t feel I use it often enough.

When we carried out the last exercise, using RAYVN on mobile phones worked well, as did sending notifications and printing tasks. However, whether using a whiteboard or RAYVN, the proactive staffing method requires practice and discipline. RAYVN has been quick to help with any questions we have had.

‘Having experienced drone activity and gone through a pandemic, are there common denominators when managing such situations?’

During the pandemic, we had meetings several times a week. In total, we had over 100 meetings with the emergency-response staff during that period. I kept the minutes of the meetings and distributed them after each meeting.

Once we started using RAYVN, I created an incident called ‘Covid’, and then we registered the status meetings, the minutes, and the action items in RAYVN. We used the tool regularly, and it worked really well. It worked very well to hold Teams meetings in RAYVN while working from home during the pandemic.

Everyone had access to the screen and could see the points written down. The function that gives you access to the minutes afterward is also very good.

‘How do you find the notification function in RAYVN?’

Sending notifications works really well. The alternative would be to phone or send an SMS to everyone, meaning I might not reach everyone as quickly. Now everyone receives a push notification, and a voice message from RAYVN lets them know that it’s something they must prioritize.

On a recent incident, I used the notification function to send the message ‘for info, without mobilization’ – a really handy function. I could send notifications about the situation to everyone who needed to know about it, and they would know which measures to take and potentially prepare for mobilization. Another useful function is that those notified can confirm that they’ve received the message.

‘You used RAYVN in an exercise in December. Have you observed any clear improvements from exercises you had before using a digital platform in the organization?’

Being able to create and sign off tasks is a clear improvement. People don’t have to sit in the emergency response room but can sit elsewhere, keep track of the log, and receive tasks. That’s a very handy function to have. It's also useful to collect logs and incidents, and it's possible to create parallel incidents.

‘Have you increased the frequency of exercises after introducing RAYVN, or is it at the same level?’

It’s at the same level. NVE has asked about exercises when they have been here on inspections. Exercises need to be based on priority and importance. We need to consider the current threats and base exercises on that.

‘To conclude, is there anything you’d like to add about the product or your relationship with RAYVN?’

RAYVN works well for us. It's a broad platform that's easy to use. It’s also reasonably priced. It's been easy to get help when we've had any questions,’ says Gunhild Fundal, HSE, and quality adviser and emergency preparedness coordinator at Sira-Kvina.

Finally, I would like to mention that we utilized RAYN during a recent emergency situation. Despite my and my deputy's absence, other members of the emergency response team were able to effortlessly assume our responsibilities and effectively handle the incident in RAYVN.