Before the alarm / Keith Spiers helps teams prepare for the unexpected

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Emergency response consultant leads the work that happens long before a crisis begins
KEY POINTS
  • Supports emergency preparedness across ConocoPhillips' global operations.
  • Applies 18 years of U.S. Coast Guard leadership and service to strengthen emergency response capabilities.
  • Equips ConocoPhillips teams worldwide with the skills and confidence to respond effectively when needed.

For Keith Spiers, emergency response begins long before an alarm sounds.

“My job is to help make sure our teams are prepared to respond effectively when unexpected situations arise,” said Keith, an emergency response consultant on ConocoPhillips’ Crisis Management and Emergency Response (CM&ER) Team. “We help our business units around the world develop response plans, train responders, run exercises, maintain response capabilities and support teams when they need assistance.”

As part of that work, Keith supports the Global Incident Management Assist Team (GIMAT), a group of experienced ConocoPhillips responders who provide remote and in-person emergency management assistance to business units and assets worldwide.

“Emergency response is really about people,” Keith said. “Our goal is to make sure our employees, contractors and communities are supported when unexpected situations happen and that our teams have the tools, training and confidence they need to make good decisions.”

Plans, practice and pressure

For Keith, no two days look the same. One day, he may be planning a large-scale exercise, and the next he's helping develop training, working with emergency response contractors, supporting GIMAT activities or collaborating with teams from different parts of the world.

Security Manager and Emergency Response Lead Karon Mackay leads a June exercise centered on the NORPIPE pipeline at the Teesside Oil Terminal.
Did you know?

Each year, ConocoPhillips conducts multiple emergency response training events and exercises for its global operations in compliance with company standards and local regulatory requirements.

Learn more about our emergency preparedness 

“People sometimes think emergency response only happens during an incident, but most of the work happens long before that,” he said. “The planning, relationships and practice are what help teams perform well when it really counts.”

Keith’s work spans the full response cycle: helping teams prepare, supporting coordination during events and identifying lessons afterward. For him, each exercise and response is an opportunity to improve.

“Organizations that continuously learn are the organizations that become more resilient,” he said.

A recent aviation-focused exercise put that learning mindset into practice. It brought together multiple teams and response functions to test plans, communication, decision-making and adaptability.

In July, Keith and his Crisis Management and Emergency Response Team colleagues supported a training exercise with Global Aviation in Houston. In addition to several ConocoPhillips response teams, the exercise involved collaboration with various outside organizations, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Houston Fire Department and Memorial Hermann Hospital. 

“Such exercises give us an opportunity to test not only our plans but our people,” he said. “We get to see how teams communicate, how they process information and how they adapt when circumstances change.”

The exercise, Keith said, reinforced a central lesson: Preparedness is more than having a plan on paper.

“It’s about building capable teams and strong relationships. When people understand their roles and trust one another, they can solve problems and adapt even when a situation doesn’t go as planned.”

Clockwise from left: Keith rides his horse, Pennywise, at his father's ranch in Colorado; Keith at Australia Pacific LNG with Dave Banford, Crisis Management and Emergency Response coordinator for the Australia business unit; a U.S. Coast Guard portrait of Keith; Keith celebrates with his family during a ceremony marking his promotion to lieutenant commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. From left are his wife, Rachel; daughter, Naomi; and youngest son, Nathan. His oldest son, Caleb, was unable to attend the ceremony because of work commitments; and a family portrait taken at Keith's brother's place in the Texas Hill Country. From left are Caleb, Rachel, Naomi and Nathan.

A path shaped by service

Keith has always been drawn to work that combines service, problem-solving and helping others. Over time, that interest led him to emergency management, incident response and leadership roles. Each required calm, clear decision-making under pressure.

AT A GLANCE: Keith Spiers
  • Title: Emergency Response Consultant
  • Joined ConocoPhillips: March 2023
  • Fast facts: Grew up in Buffalo Gap, Texas, just outside of Abilene; Parents served in the U.S. Air Force; Traveled to six continents, with Africa being one of his favorite places.
  • Favorite part of the job: "I get to travel quite a bit and see a lot of really cool things."

Joining ConocoPhillips’ CM&ER team in 2023 was a natural extension of that path. The role gave Keith the opportunity to apply his experience globally while helping build preparedness across the company.

Keith has served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 18 years and recently earned a promotion to lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard Reserve.

The Coast Guard’s focus on service, teamwork and adaptability continues to shape his approach to emergency response.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that relationships are everything,” he said. “During an emergency, you rarely succeed because of a single plan or a single individual."

Instead, Keith said, success comes from people who trust one another, communicate effectively and work toward a common goal — a lesson he applies at ConocoPhillips every day.

Building confidence across the company

For Keith, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing people grow from nervous first-time participants into confident response leaders and mentors.

“Emergency preparedness isn’t just the responsibility of emergency responders,” he said. “Every employee has a role to play. When we invest time in planning, training and exercises, we’re investing in our people and in the company’s ability to respond when it matters most.”