Meet our Safety Ambassadors

Meet our Safety Ambassadors

From left: John Van Domselaar, Terry Emslie, Kassi Zaba, Jim Warawa, Dave Thiessen, Kent Rowden

On April 3, USP’s Safety Ambassadors hit the road, ready to spread awareness about utility safety and the damage prevention process. We welcomed three new ambassadors to the team this year and expanded into the Central Alberta and Grande Prairie regions. Each ambassador brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and is a great in-the-field resource for anyone working near underground or overhead utilities. 

John Van Domselaar, Edmonton Safety Ambassador

Twitter: @DigSafeYEG

John started as a Safety Ambassador in 2016. Prior to this, he spent 36 years in the telecom business with AGT and TELUS before retiring in 2015. John’s various duties in telecom included roles on the construction team, cable repair team, locate screening centre, and management team. He also participated in industry groups including the ABCGA’s Training Standards Committee, the Edmonton Locate Consortium, and EAPUOC. 

Terry Emslie, Community Awareness Ambassador in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, jointly representing USP and EAPUOC

Twitter: @DigSafeEAPUOC

Terry joined the Safety Ambassador team in the spring of 2020. In 2014, he retired from ATCO Gas after a 35 year career. His last 10 years with ATCO were spent leading ATCO’s Damage Prevention Team. He enjoys every aspect of the Safety Ambassador role, especially using social media to connect with people to raise awareness about the importance of a “safety first” attitude.

Jim Warawa, Central Alberta Safety Ambassador

Twitter: @DigSafeCentrlAB

Workers returning home safely at the end of their day has been Jim’s personal goal for many years, and he is happy to have the opportunity to reinforce that message with Utility Safety Partners. Prior to his new role as a Safety Ambassador for Utility Safety Partners, he was a Power Lineman then Safety Coordinator (Safety Codes Officer certification), retiring from Fortis Alberta in 2017, returning to a temporary role as their Safety Ambassador for 2019. Jim resides in Lacombe, Alberta with his wife Denise. They enjoy spending their spare time with their adult children and grandchildren, camping and golfing. 

Dave Thiessen, Grande Prairie Safety Ambassador

Twitter: @DigSafeGP

Dave has lived in the Peace Country for the last 48 years. He worked for ATCO Gas for 38 years, providing him with extensive knowledge about ground disturbance best practices, the locate process and emergency response. Dave has five kids scattered around Western Canada and he keeps busy travelling to spend time with them. He enjoys spending his summers in his backyard and hanging out with family and friends; and hopes to get into retirement with camping and kayaking with his kids.

Kent Rowden, Calgary Safety Ambassador

Twitter: @DigSafeYYC

Kent was a Safety and Damage Prevention Inspection Officer and Operations Project Manager for the National Energy Board/Canada Energy Regulator for 25 years until retirement in 2021. His work with the NEB/CER allowed him to meet many excavators and landowners, where he shared safety and damage prevention information. Previous to that, Kent served in the Canadian Armed Forces in Regular and Reserve Service.

Our ambassadors look forward to spending time with you, whether its to talk about safety and damage prevention, or even to hear any concerns you may want to share. If you would like to book an ambassador meeting, presentation, or have them drop by your worksite or office, email us at info@utilitysafety.ca with “Safety Ambassador” in the subject line.

Kassi Zaba – Public Awareness Coordinator, Utility Safety Partners