Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
EMERGENCY PLANNING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
Regulatory requirements exist under OSHA and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for interaction with local, state, and, in some cases, federal
agencies
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,
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,
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and require the development of hazardous materials emergency
response plans for local communities. For communities to develop these plans,
they need to be aware of the hazards presented by facilities within their planning
district. Those facilities that fall within the planning district must, by law,
provide a representative to assist the community with its planning.
Emergency Management
Effective emergency planning at the local level provides assurance to a com-
munity as to how citizens and the environment will be protected in a disaster.
Emergency response plans on the local level have the following objectives:
Create an ensured level of preparedness
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Ensure an orderly and timely decision-making process
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Ensure the availability of necessary services, equipment, supplies, and
personnel
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Ensure a consistent, preplanned response
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The optimum emergency management plan delineates actions that may be
required for any hazard.
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Such broadly applicable functions as direction and
control, warning, communications, and public protective actions are generic to
the management of events.
A multihazard emergency operations or contingency plan consists of a basic
plan, generic functional annexes, and hazard-specific appendices.
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The basic plan
provides an overview of the local entities' approach to emergency management,
while the generic functional annexes address the specific activities required in
all emergency response on the local level. Hazard-specific appendices provide
response direction for special problems identified during the hazards analysis
process. They detail the tasks to be performed by preassigned organizational
elements at projected places under specific circumstances, based on plan-defined
objectives and a realistic assessment of response capabilities.
Leadership Commitment
Management commitment to emergency preparedness is essential to an effec-
tive response at the local level. The motivation for leadership commitment to
effective emergency preparedness comes from the concerns of the citizens in the
community. Citizen awareness of the potential threats to safety, health, and the
environment from hazardous materials is growing. Local government officials
have the authority and access to resources necessary to develop the plan that
will allay their fears. They also have the credibility to interact effectively with
industry leaders and other government jurisdictions.
