On June 26, NGA and National Grid co-hosted the annual Mutual Aid Tabletop Exercise, bringing together emergency response and planning professionals from across Northeast LDCs to strengthen collaboration and readiness in the event of a major gas service disruption.

The exercise simulated a significant gas outage impacting nearly 10,000 customers in Boston, Massachusetts. More than 50 participants joined the drill, representing over 20 local distribution companies (LDCs) from New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Kyle Sledziewski, Senior Program Manager for Emergency Planning, and Anthony Cisternelli, Manager, New England Gas Emergency Planning led National Grid’s team in organizing and executing the scenario. On behalf of NGA, Glenn Meyers served as Mutual Aid Coordinator, managing the flow of the exercise and guiding mutual aid operations across participating utilities.

Also participating from NGA were:

• Darcy Flynn, Mutual Aid Communications Lead
• Amanda Jacobson, Mutual Aid Operator Qualification Lead
• Paul Armstrong, Mutual Aid Support
• Christian Rodrick, Mutual Aid Media and Government Relations Lead

The exercise was a valuable opportunity for Northeast LDCs to rehearse procedures, test communication strategies, and deepen mutual understanding of each utility’s capabilities. Key takeaways included the importance of pre-incident preparation, clear and consistent in-event communication, and robust tracking of operator qualifications and resources.

We extend our sincere thanks to National Grid for their leadership in planning and hosting the event, and to all participating LDCs for their time and engagement. Exercises like these are essential for ensuring our region is ready to respond quickly and effectively when real-world emergencies occur.If you have questions about the exercise, or about NGA’s mutual aid program, please contact Glenn Meyers at gmeyers@northeastgas.org