GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

April 1, 2005
Volume V, Edition 04

Arizona Emergency Response Commission
5636 East McDowell Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85008-3495
Janet Napolitano, Governor
http://www.governor.state.az.us/

Frank F. Navarrete, Director
http://www.dem.state.az.us/

Daniel Roe, Executive Director
http://www.dem.state.az.us/azserc/
Special Interest Articles:
• EPA Plans Full-Tilt TRI Push
• Risk Management Plans and
TRI Reports

One EPCRA Report Down For
Reporting Year 2004- One To Go!!

Thanks to all of you who are
using our electronic reporting for
your Tier Two reports. We've got
• TRI Reporting of Dioxins
some work to do to convince
some relatively large facilities
• NIMS Alert - Who needs it?
that it is the way to go! The same
• Rio Rico - Mutual Aid Works! applies to working with the fire
departments who do not yet
• Chandler - Hazmat Response accept the electronic reporting.
That being said, the EPA's TRI
program has made constant
• Local Government
strides to improve the reporting
Reimbursement
methodology. The following is
• EPI GUide on Special Needs valuable information regarding
their reporting capabilities and
• Assistance Firefighters Grant services for you, the regulated
Program
community.
• Shorts
• Upcoming Deadlines
• Upcoming Events
• AESA Annual Conference
Individual Highlights:
Technical Corner

4

Industry Corner

5

Tribal Section

6

Homeland Security

7

LEPC Corner

9

quick, paperless submissions!
The Training Sessions in April
and May, 2005 will include
specific instructions for using
CDX! To register please go to
http://www.epcra-tri.com

Submit your TRI Form R
chemical report or Form A
Certification Statement via the
Internet! The (TRI-ME) software
is a tool to help facilities in
determining and completing their
Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act
(EPCRA) section 313
obligations. With TRI-ME
Reporting Year (RY) 2004, you
The deadline for reporting is
can fill out, certify, and submit
quickly approaching. Reports for your TRI forms through the
Calendar Year 2004 are due July Internet via EPA’s Central Data
1, 2005. CONSIDER submitting Exchange (CDX), EPA’s portal
for on-line reporting. For RY
your forms online, through
2004, TRI-ME has some new,
EPA’s Central Data Exchange
exciting features:
(CDX).
*Section 8 Calculator- TRI-ME
“How will using Toxics Release can now provide you with
assistance in completing Section
Inventory Made Easy (TRI8 using the new Section 8
ME) and submitting via CDX
Calculator tool!
help me?
*It will save you time and
*First-Time Filers Can Submit
money!
Via the Internet TRI first-time
*Using TRI-ME will
reporters can now send forms
significantly decrease your
through the Internet via EPA’s
chance of making mistakes!
CDX. In previous years, first*EPA provides instant
time filers did not have the
confirmation of your submission option to submit via CDX. It's
to keep for your records!
fast and easy!
*Electronic Signature allows for

Where do I find more
information?
*To learn more about TRI-ME or
download the software, please go
to:
www.epa.gov/tri/report/trime/ind
ex.htm
*To learn more about CDX,
email technical support at
epacdx@csc.com, or go to:
www.epa.gov/cdx
Questions about how to use the
TRI-ME software may be
directed to the TRI Software
Support Hotline at 1-877-4704830 or an e-mail may be sent to
trime@saic.com The TRI
Software Support Hotline will be
staffed on business days between
8am and 7pm ET beginning
April 1st. If you call after hours
or prior to April 1st and are
asked to leave a message, please
do so and your call will be
returned within one business day.
Thanks to Nancy Sockabasin,
Toxics Release Inventory
Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region
IX 75 Hawthorne Street
(CMD-4) San Francisco, CA
94105
415-972-3772
415-947-3583 (fax)
http://www.epa.gov/region09/tox
ic/tri

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 2 of 15

EPA Plans Full-Tilt Push to Online Reporting for TRI
Forms R and A
said. The online reporting also
would reduce errors and time
EPA spends correcting them.
“Every time we make a
correction, it costs taxpayers
money,” Nelson said.
“[Mistakes] undermine the
credibility of the data,” leaving
EPA to explain exceptions in the
data. “It indicates the data does
not mean what it says,” she
explained. The TRI conference
focused mainly on EPA’s e-filing
and sharing programs. Its goal,
officials said, is for every state to
have a database “node” that
would enable expanded use of its
Central Data Exchange (CDX)
network, and an Internet and
“I would love to advocate that
standards-based approach to
every TRI report must be
filing TRI forms and other
submitted electronically, but I
program filing requirements.
don’t know if we’ll ever get
Currently, 31 states have such
there,” Nelson said, due to a
nodes and 12 states are set to get
general reluctance to change
among some facilities and states. online with electronic reporting,
said Mark Luttner, EPA’s Office
EPA is moving forward,
however. Nelson said the agency of Environmental Information
is currently undergoing pilot tests (OEI). The CDX is EPA’s node,
TRI is a partner of
of online Form R reporting in
CDX and OEI is the “guinea
four states, and anticipates that
pig,” he said. The CDX has
more states will sign on within
32,000 registered users. In
several years. By increasing
electronic reporting, Nelson said reporting year (RY) 2003, use of
the TRI-ME software, which
EPA would be able to save
automatically downloads
money man-hours, reduce the
reporting burden on the regulated information into the CDX,
increased by 50 percent over RY
community, get the information
2002, and about 9,000 facilities
to the public faster, and enable
EPA to collect data once and use filed directly into the CDX for
RY 2003, EPA said. Phyllis
it many times over for other
Donahue, an OEI technology
programs.
specialist, said the National
The Bush administration also is
leaning toward expanding EPA’s Environmental Exchange
Network will allow states to
electronic filing program. In its
eliminate data collection systems,
proposed fiscal year 2006
and provides “a hot button” to
budget, the White House is
submit to EPA and states
proposing $95 million for the
simultaneously. This hot-button
Environmental Exchange
Network, of which TRI is a part. feature allows facilities to meet
EPA and state funding
Of that proposed funding
package, up to $60 million would obligations at one time.
Ordinarily, these filings are
be spent on states and tribes
performed separately.
seeking to get online, Nelson
In a perfect world for the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), all the nation’s
facilities and states would use the
Internet and other electronic
means exclusively to submit
Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
Form Rs and As and other
environmental program reports,
said Kim Nelson, EPA assistant
administrator.
Nelson made the statement to
180 federal, states, local,
industrial and environmental
officials who attended EPA’s
annual TRI conference in
Washington, D.C., Feb. 8-10.

Online Pilot Tests
In September 2004, EPA and the
Environmental Council of States
(ECOS) established the
integrated project team (IPT) in
Michigan, South Carolina,
Indiana and Virginia. IPT
members were charged with
defining exchange network data
flow requirements. Teams
considered various data sources,
including TRIS, Envirofacts, TRI
Explorer and others. In
November, the IPT submitted its
proposals and in December the
first successful test was
completed in Michigan, at a total
cost of $48,000 and 196 manhours, said Robert Jackson,
Michigan’s TRI coordinator. The
second pilot test was conducted
in January by South Carolina,
which selected four of its largest
facilities to submit TRI data
online. Michael Juras, of South
Carolina Department of Health
and Environmental Control
(DHEC), said the state is
anticipating that 98.6 percent of
the 580 facilities will submit
electronically and 1.4 percent on
hard copy.
Jeff Wells, of EPA’s OEI, said
CDX has been used to reengineer a paper or diskette
process and enable electronic
reporting that specifically
excluded preexisting TRI-ME
capabilities. “If everyone used
the CDX, we could get the public
data release out six months
earlier, eliminate paper and
diskette processing, cut two
hours per form,” and save the
agency $1.5 million a year. In the
short term, by RY 2008, the
agency expects to save $1.04
million with increased CDX use.
For a list of state node contacts,
go to ECOS’ Website:
http://www.exchangenetwork.net

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 3 of 15

Risk Management Plans and Toxic Release Inventory
Reports
It's been talked about before...but
let's do it again. Local
Emergency Planning Committees
(LEPCs) do not routinely receive
Toxic Chemical Release
Inventory reports (FORM R) nor
Form A's as pertains to section
313 of the Emergency Planning
and Community Right to Know
Act (EPCRA). Additionally,
LEPCs and the AZSERC do not
receive nor solicit (because of
potential liabilities) Risk
Management Plans required
under the Clean Air Act
amendments. However, the
AZSERC has and will continue
to provide a listing to LEPCs of
facilities covered by both of
those regulatory obligations to
include a listing of the
chemicals/quantities stored at
facilities covered by those
reporting/planning requirements.
The reason for providing that
information is to be sure that
LEPCs have an opportunity to
include them in the planning
process as determined by the
LEPC and or emergency
management planners. RMP
facilities are most frequently also
EHS (Extremely Hazardous
Substance) facilities and
therefore are reqired to be
addressed by LEPCs under
EPCRA.

Because of the nature of what
brings an RMP facility under
its umbrella, they are quite
frequently the highest risk
facilities in jurisdictions and
therefore merit rising to the top
of planning priority lists unless
other criteria exists to indicate
otherwise.
I encourage LEPCs to bring in
owners/operators of those
RMP facilities to talk to
LEPCs about their accident
prevention programs. Keep in
mind that while offsite
consequence
information/worst case
scenarios are NOT public
forum discussions, the
chemical information
regarding the facility,
obtainable quite often from a
Tier Two report can easily be
modeled with ALOHA to
determine the footprint of a
release. RMPComp is another
great tool to assist in modeling.
Both are available at no cost
through the EPA's website. If
you have questions about the
ALOHA (Aerial Locations of
Hazardous Atmospheres)
program (part of CAMEOComputer Aided Management
of Emergency Operations) or
RMPComp, be sure to contact

us as azserc@azdema.gov to
discuss.
The information reported
under the TRI (Toxic Release
Inventory Report) part of
EPCRA can also be used by
LEPCs for planning purposes.
These are normally larger
facilities with high annual uses
of toxic chemicals, many of
which are also Extremely
Hazardous Substances. The
fact that these facilities (RMP
and TRI) are in LEPC
neighborhoods/jurisdictions
also contributes to what the
chemical threat is under the
Dept of Homeland
Security/Office of Domestic
Preparedness guidelines for
risk assessments. It's the big
"C" in CBRNE for many
jurisdictions. Therefore this is
helpful information for
LEPCS...for a number of
reasons.
I encourage LEPCs to review
what the AZSERC has already
been sent to them on RMP and
Form R facilities. Any
questions? Please contact me
at Dan.Roe@azdema.gov at
your earliest convenience.

TRI Instructions
Toxic Chemical Release
Inventory Reporting
Instructions:
The Form R & A current
instructions are posted on EPA's
website. See
http://www.epa.gov/tri/report/ind
ex.htm#forms .
Thanks to Mary Helen
Yarborough for sharing
(Thompson Publications)

… to protect human
health and the
environment

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 4 of 15

TRI Reporting of Dioxins- Proposal
A proposed rule to 40 CFR
Part 372 addresses Dioxin
and Dioxin-Like
Compounds. Under section
313 of the Emergency
Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act
(EPCRA), EPA is proposing
revisions to the reporting
requirements for the dioxin
and dioxin-like compounds
category. Toxic equivalents
(TEQs) are a weighted
quantity measure based on
the toxicity of each member
of the dioxin and dioxin-like
compounds category relative
to the most toxic members of
the category, i.e., 2,3,7,8tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
and 1,2,3,7,8pentachlorodibenzo-pdioxin.
Under EPCRA section 313,
EPA currently requires that
facilities report dioxin and
dioxin-like compounds in

units of total grams for the
entire category, and provide a
single distribution of the
individual dioxin and dioxinlike compounds at the facility.
This distribution must
represent either total releases,
or releases to the media (air,
land, water) for which the
facility has the best
information. The three options
discussed in this proposed
rule would require reporting
(on a new TRI Form R-D) of
available information on all
relevant portions of the form
(e.g., for each waste stream).
One option would require the
additional reporting of TEQs
only. The two preferred
options would require
reporting of the mass quantity
of each individual member of
the category and differ
primarily in whether the
Agency or the facility would
perform TEQ computations.
Under each of these options,

this new information
would be in addition to the
total grams data currently
reported for the entire
category and would
replace the current
reporting of a single
distribution of the
members of the category.
EPA is proposing these
revisions in response to
requests from members of
the public that EPA
provide facilities with a
method of reporting TEQ
data. Comment is
specifically sought on all
options as well as EPA's
preferences for
implementing TEQ
reporting. Comments,
identified by the Docket
ID No. TRI-2002-0001,
must be received by EPA
on or before May 6, 2005.

What does ppm or ppb mean? (Part 3)
Why are ppm and ppb
important measures?
These measurements refer to
exposure standards and
guidelines created to protect
the public from harmful
substances that can cause
serious health effects.
Exposure standards and
guidelines are created from
risk assessments that include
dose response, exposure, and
hazard identification
assessments. The doseresponse relationship is a
fundamental and essential
concept in toxicology. If
toxicologists know that a
substance is toxic or
poisonous at a particular
level, they can use this
information to develop

exposure standards.
Knowledge of the doseresponse relationship:
• establishes causality that the
chemical has, in fact, induced
the observed results,
• determines the lowest dose
where an induced effect
occurs—the threshold effect,
and
• verifies the rate at which
injury builds up—the slope
for the dose response.
The threshold effect refers to
the point where the body’s
ability to detoxify itself has
been exceeded. The slope for
the dose response refers to the
predictability of how toxic a
substance will be at specific
doses to a wide range of

people. Major differences
may exist not only in the
point at which the
threshold is reached in
some people but also in
the percent of the
population responding to
small changes in the dose.
To uncover whether
people have been exposed
to a contaminant,
researchers conduct tests
to determine if a
contaminant is present and
at what levels. Hazard
identification means that a
contaminant has been
recognized to be a risk.
(Continued on Page 5)

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 5 of 15

What does ppm or ppb mean? (Part 3)
(Continued from page 4)
What are some other units that
might be seen on a water
analysis?
Other units or concentration that
may be seen on a lab report
besides ppm, mg/L, ppb, or µg/L,
might be color units, threshold
odor number, pH index,
corrosive index number, and, for
radionuclides, the units pCi/L
[picocuries per liter] and
millirems per year are used.
Pronounced py-coe-cure-ee,
pCi/L is a measurement of
radioactivity in water.
Radioactivity is commonly
measured in picocuries (pCi).
This unit of measure is named for
the French physicist Marie Curie,
who was a pioneer in the
research of radioactive elements
and their decay. One pCi is equal
to the decay of about two
radioactive atoms per minute.
Because the level of radioactivity
is directly related to the number

and type of radioactive
atoms present, radon and all
other radioactive elements
are measured in picocuries.
A picocurie is 1 million
millionth, or a trillionth, of a
curie, and represents about
2.2 radioactive particle
disintegrations per minute.
One curie equals 3.7 x 1010
disintegrations per second.
A millirem is 1 thousandth
(10-3) of a Roentgen
Equivalent Man (rem) and a
rem is a radioactivity unit—
a measure of radioactivity,
which is the dosage of
ionizing radiation that will
cause the same amount of
injury to human tissue as 1
roentgen of X-rays. The
name Roentgen comes from
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen.
Röntgen’s name is chiefly
associated with his discovery
of X-rays. In 1895 he was
studying the phenomenon
accompanying the passage

of an electric current through
a gas of extremely low
pressure. To give you a
better idea of how much a
millirem is a chest x-ray is
about 6 millirem (mrem).
The rem is the unit of
absorbed dose measuring the
energy imparted by ionizing
radiation to matter. The
Curie is not a measure of
dose; it merely states the
amount of radioactive
disintegrations per unit time
(radiation activity). Using
these analogies may help in
understanding how the
measurements ppm and ppb
are used in water system
laboratory reports.
For more information about
how to decipher a lab
report, call the National
Environmental Services
Center at (800) 624-8301
and ask for a technical
assistant.

Emergency Assistance Agreements
If your site is either a large
quantity or small quantity
generator of hazardous waste, 40
CFR 265.37 requires you to make
arrangements with local
authorities to aid them in their
ability to effectively respond to
emergencies at your site. This
requirement is just one of the
Preparedness and Prevention
requirements at 40 CFR 265,
Subpart C. This subpart applies
to any interim status treatment,
storage, or disposal facility, and
also to any generator who is
managing their hazardous waste
according to 40 CFR 262.34(a) or
262.34(d), for large and small
quantity generators, respectively.
These requirements include:(1)
Arrangements to familiarize

police, fire departments, and
emergency response teams
with the layout of the
facility, properties of
hazardous waste handled at
the facility and associated
hazards, places where
facility personnel would
normally be working,
entrances to roads inside the
facility, and possible
evacuation routes;(2) If more
than one police and fire
department might respond to
an emergency, agreements
designating primary
authority to a specific police
and fire department, and
agreements with any others
to provide support to the
primary emergency

authority;(3) Agreements with
state emergency response
teams, emergency response
contractors, and equipment
suppliers; and(4)
Arrangements to familiarize
local hospitals with the
properties of hazardous waste
handled at the facility and the
types of injuries or illnesses
which could result from fires,
explosions, or releases at the
facility. If state or local
authorities decline to enter into
these arrangements, the facility
owner or operator must
document the refusal in the
operating record. (Thanks to:
Environmental Resource
Center - 919-469-1585.
http://www.ercweb.com/save.h
tm)

“Throughout 2005,
AZSERC will present
learning tools to better
understand scientific
elements associated with
statutory regulations and
compliance. This article
(Part 3) was written by
Zane Satterfield, P.E.,
NESC Engineering
Scientist and was
reproduced from “On
Tap” ( Fall 2004, Volume
4, Issue3) as published by
the National
Environmental Services
Center, West Virginia
University Research
Corporation, West
Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 265066064. If there are
technical topics you would
like to learn more about,
please contact Steven
Steed, AZSERC Planner at
steven.steed@azdema.gov
or through
azserc@azdema.go.”

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 6 of 15

Petroleum Marketer’s Association of Arizona (PMAA) Urges
Bulk Plant Owners to Begin Planning for New SPCC Regulations
This week, PMAA sent out
information to state associations
in an effort to encourage bulk
plant owners to begin planning
for any revisions to their Spill
Prevention, Control an
Countermeasures (SPCC) plans
they may need to make under the
new regulations. Compliance
deadlines for EPA’s new SPCC
rule require that a written plan be
in place by February 17, 2006,
and the plan must be fully
implemented by August 18,

2006. PMAA strongly
encourages marketers
operating bulk plants to not
delay in revising plans to meet
the “clarified” July, 2002
standards. While an additional
time extension is likely for
small ASTs (less than 12,000
gallons per facility), the same
cannot be said for bulk plants.
Although EPA has stated that
they will be issuing more
SPCC guidance documents this
year, it is not advisable for

bulk plant owners to delay the
plan revision process. While
some EPA guidance on bulk
plants is likely, we anticipate it
will not have a significant
effect on most plan
requirements. It will be easier
for marketers to make minor
adjustments (if any) to updated
plans now rather than attempt
to rewrite plans in their
entirety late in 2005.

Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act
(EPCRA) Training
Invitations to the Tribal
Emergency Response
Representatives, EPCRA
Coordinators and Interested
Tribal Representatives from
George Little, Jr., Emergency
Systems Development
Coordinator, have been sent out
regarding the upcoming Inter
Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
(ITCA) Sponsored training.
First-On-Scene Operations
(FOSO) 16-Hour Training will
be held at the Hualapai Tribe
Multi-Purpose Room, in Peach

Springs, Arizona, May 4-5,
2005, from 8:00am to 5:00pm.
The EPCRA training program,
funded by the Department of
Transportation-Hazardous
Materials Emergency
Preparedness (DOT-HMEP)
Grant, provides technical
training and assistance to tribes
in the development of tribal
emergency response plans.
There is no registration fee for
this training. However, due to
a limited number of spaces

American Red Cross
“The American Red
Cross is the only nongovernmental
organization that sits
side-by-side with other
federal agencies on
major preparedness and
training exercises…we
have made sure that you
(Red Cross) are
incorporated fully
within all federal
planning, exercise and
response efforts.”

Who We Are
* Our Mission: The
American Red Cross is a
humanitarian organization,
led by volunteers, that
provides relief to victims of
disaster and helps people
prevent, prepare for and
respond to emergencies.
* The Grand Canyon Chapter
serves 10 counties: Apache,
Coconino, Gila, La Paz,
Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo,
Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma
* We are not a government
agency
How We Can Help You
During Disasters

* Immediate Emergency
Needs – food, shelter,
clothing, assistance with
medications
* Mass Care and Feeding –
shelter and feed up to 15,000
people
* Damage Assessment by
trained teams
* Physical and Mental Health
– immediate short-term needs
met by RNs and trained
mental health professionals
We Are Here to Help
* 1500+ trained volunteers
and staff statewide
* 11 service delivery units
* Equipment and supplies

available, registrations is
necessary and will be limited
to twenty-four (24) students.
Also, because of funding
limitations, travel
reimbursements will not be
available and training
attendees will be responsible
for their own transportation,
meals and room costs.
For training Flyer and
Registrations Form with map
of training site, Please contact
George Little Jr., Emergency
Systems Development
Coordinator at (602) 258-4822.
stationed throughout the
chapter jurisdiction
* Partnerships with other
relief agencies such as
FEMA, county and local
emergency management, AZ
VOAD, Salvation Army,
Baptist Convention.
How to Reach Us
Telephone: 602-336-6660
American Red Cross disaster
assistance is free due to the
generosity of the Arizona
public .(Thanks to Mike
Clark- Emergency Services
Director, American Red
Cross, Grand Canyon Chapter
Mclark@arizonaredcross.org)

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 7 of 15

USDA Food Security Awareness Training
Visit:http://www.fsis.usda.gov/N
ews/Food_Security_Awareness_
Training/index.asp#agency
To help reduce the risk of an
attack on the food supply, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and the U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) have
joined forces to provide a food
security awareness training
program. The training targets
individuals who play an
important role in defending our
nation's food from attack:
Federal, State, local, and tribal
food-industry regulators, school
food authorities, and nutrition
assistance program operators and
administrators. Representatives
from the food industry and
individuals essential in
responding to a food emergency
due to an intentional attack-such
as law enforcement, public
health, and homeland security
officials-are also encouraged to
participate. The program, which
was developed jointly by the
USDA's Food Safety and
Inspection Service, Food and
Nutrition Service, and
Agricultural Marketing Service
and HHS' Food and Drug

Administration, is available to
any interested individuals free of
charge in three formats: through
a Food and Drug Administration
Web site; at face-to-face training
courses offered across the
country; and on a CD-ROM for
limited distribution. Contact
Hour Certificates will be
available to any participant,
regardless of the course format.
Continuing Education Units
(CEUs) will be available through
the FDA Web site for FDA,
State, local and tribal regulators
who successfully complete the
course. The details of the three
formats are discussed below.
Online Course: The online
course is being hosted by FDA at
the following Website:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/training/
orau/FoodSecurity/default.htm. It
is available worldwide at that site
free of charge to anyone
interested in learning more about
food security. Please contact
Sebastian Cianci at (301) 4362291 for more information.
Face-to-Face Training: Face-toface food security awareness
training is being offered across
the country. This session will
provide general information
about the roles of various

agencies in protecting the food
supply from intentional
contamination, vulnerability
awareness, and cooperation of
government personnel and other
involved parties at the Federal,
State and local level. The course
lasts approximately six hours and
is free of charge. Space will be
limited and registration will be
on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Please contact Anne Roberts via
email roberta@saic.com or
telephone, (202) 488-6609, for
further details regarding the faceto-face training. CD-ROM
Course: A CD-ROM version of
the course will also be available
for limited distribution.
Individuals with Internet access
are encouraged to take the course
on-line. CD-ROMs will be
distributed to FSIS district and
regional offices. For further
details, updates, and registration
information on these training
opportunities, please visit any
one of the agencies' Web sites:
for USDA,
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Home/i
ndex.asp;http://www.ams.usda.g
ov/; http://www.fns.usda.gov/;
for FDA:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/ and
search for "food security
awareness".

Rutgers University Develops Software for Large-Scale
Evacuation Plans
Visit:
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/jer
sey/indexssf?/base/news13/111041051628120.xml&
storylist=jersey
Extracted from work by ROSA
CIRIANNI -The Associated
Press- Two Rutgers University
professors are developing a
computer program to help large
facilities develop procedures for
evacuating people during a fire,
bioterror attack or natural
disaster.
The software could be

customized to fit any building
plan. Once it detects anthrax or a
fire, for example, it would
provide security officials with
specific steps to take, such as
blocking off access to a
contaminated area of a building.
"It gives them directions and
guidance on how to respond to
the incident," said Ali Maher,
professor and chairman of the
civil and environmental
engineering department at
Rutgers. Maher also serves as
director to the federal and statefunded group called The Center

for Advanced Infrastructure and
Transportation. "The most
important thing you want to
know is if you've been exposed,"
said Adrian Ponce, senior
scientist with the lab. "The only
people who died (in the 2001
anthrax attacks) were the ones
who didn't know they've been
exposed." The aim is to have the
software available within nine
months. (Thanks to Brian M.
Carney, EMT-P, Emergency
Medical Service, Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital,
New Brunswick, NJ)

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 8 of 15

NIMS ALERT: IS-700 The NIMS Introductory Course Who Needs to Take It?
Last September when the
Secretary of Homeland
Security sent a letter to the
nation's governors, he
outlined a series of steps that
must be taken and actions
that should be taken in FY
2005 to become compliant
with the National Incident
Management System
(NIMS). Specifically the
letter said that state,
territorial, tribal and local
level jurisdictions should
support NIMS
implementation by
completing the NIMS
awareness course National
Incident Management
System, An Introduction - IS
700. This independent study
course explains the purpose,
principles, key components
and benefits of NIMS. The
Secretary clearly intended to
provide discretion to state,
territorial, tribal and local
governments in deciding
who should take the course.
As further guidance, the
NIMS Integration Center
encourages all emergency
personnel with a direct role
in emergency preparedness,
incident management or
response to take the NIMS
course by Oct. 1,
2005. It is offered free-ofcharge through the
Emergency Management
Institute at

http://training.fema.gov/EMI
Web/IS/crslist.asp .
Who should take the course
in FY'05?
Executive Level - Political
and government leaders,
agency and organization
administrators and
department heads; personnel
that fill ICS roles as Unified
Commanders, Incident
Commanders, Command
Staff, General Staff in either
Area Command or single
incidents; senior level MultiAgency Coordination
System personnel; senior
emergency managers; and
Emergency Operations
Center Command or General
Staff.
Managerial Level - Agency
and organization
management between the
executive level and first
level supervision; personnel
who fill ICS roles as Branch
Directors, Division/Group
Supervisors, Unit Leaders,
technical specialists, strike
team and task force leaders,
single resource leaders and
field supervisors; midlevel
Multi-Agency Coordination
System personnel; EOC
Section Chiefs, Branch
Directors, Unit Leaders; and
other emergency

management/response
personnel who require a
higher level of ICS/NIMS
Training.
Responder Level Emergency response
providers and disaster
workers, entry level to
managerial level including
Emergency Medical Service
personnel; firefighters;
medical personnel; police
officers; public health
personnel; public worksutility personnel; and other
emergency management
response personnel.
The NIMS introductory
course very likely will be
required in FY'06 for state,
territorial, tribal and local
personnel who have
emergency assignments at
any level of government.
Full NIMS compliance is
required by Oct. 1, 2007.
NOTE: It's recognized that
some online independent
study participants are
experiencing delays in
gaining access to the IS-700
course. The Emergency
Management Institute is
addressing this and the
problem will be alleviated.
Thanks to The NIMS
Integration Center

CDC Invites You.
The Environmental Health
Services Branch of CDC's
National Center for

Environmental Health
invites you to visit its new
Emergency and Terrorism

Preparedness for
Environmental Health
Practitioners Web site at
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/eh

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 9 of 15

Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders
(WISER)
See and share the info at
http://wiser.nim.nih.gov
The WISER system is designed
to work in a standalone or
connected mode. The end user
device is preloaded with the
most critical information. At the
scene, a wireless network sends
new information between
handhelds and routes requests

for more information. If a
wireless connection is not
available, the handheld device
still has full functionality with
access to the critical local data
available on the device.
WISER also sends and
receives information over the
wide area wireless network,
receiving new information

from dispatch and other
sources.
Get the information in the
hands of the First Responder
as quickly as possible. The
Palm OS was targeted first;
WISER for Pocket PC is
now available; check the site
for other platforms that will
be coming soon.

New Emergency Public Health Information Center Model
Check out the Health Emergency
Assistance Line and Triage Hub
(HEALTH) model, developed by
Denver Health, a partner in the
Integrated Delivery System
Research Network. The new
operations model for emergency
call centers is designed to help
public health agencies and other
first responders prepare to
provide accurate, timely
information during a health
emergency. The HEALTH

model offers guidance to
organizations on the
requirements, specifications,
and resources needed to
develop a public health
emergency contact center that
is highly integrated with public
health agencies and that can
reduce the likelihood of
hospitals and health systems
being overwhelmed with calls
and requests for information.
See the press release at

http://www.ahrq.gov/news/p
ress/pr2005/healthpr.htm
and see the report
http://www.ahrq.gov/researc
h/health/ and the companion
Contact Center Assessment
Tool Set. A print copy of the
report is available from
ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov
Thanks to Greg Banner, RI
Dept of Health.

FEMA Publications- Call And Order Now!
FEMA has recently revised and
consolidated some of their citizen
preparedness publications and are
in the process of retiring several of
their longstanding brochures.
These will not be re-printed, but
they still contain solid preparedness
information and several are also
available in Spanish. The FEMA
warehouse would like to clear out
their stock and needs your help in
distributing these remaining
brochures to the public!! Now's
your chance to get large quantities
of these publications free ... just
call the FEMA warehouse at 1-800480-2520 to get your copies now!
If any of you are hosting
community events or if you have
other outreach opportunities -please have them order from the
warehouse too. THE LIST OF
REMAINDER PUBLICATIONS
ARE: (Diminishing supplies- so
hurry!)

Your Family Disaster Plan (English
or Spanish, please specify)
Description: Provides guidelines
and instructions to help families
develop a disaster plan.

Emergency Preparedness
Checklist (Spanish only)
Description: Provides a checklist
of suggested disaster
preparedness steps and activities.

Helping Children Cope with
Disaster (English or Spanish, please
specify) Description: Provides
information on how to prep children
prior to disaster and how to lessen
the emotional effects of disaster.

Your Family Disaster Supplies
Kit (Spanish only) Description:
Provides a checklist of
emergency supplies that should
be kept in the home and
contained in a Disaster Supplies
Kit.

After Disaster Strikes (English or
Spanish, please specify)
Description: Contains information
on how to recover financially from
a natural disaster.
Before Disaster Strikes (English or
Spanish, please specify)
Description: Contains information
on how to make sure you are
financially prepared to deal with a
natural disaster.

Food and Water in Emergency
(English only) and you can view
many of these publications on the
Citizen Corps website:
http://www.citizencorps.gov/read
y/cc_pubs.shtm

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

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Mutual Aid Agreements and Incident Command System
Training Payoff
By - Fire Chief Mike Foster, Rio Rico Fire District
Bounded by Old Mexico to the
South, Santa Cruz County,
Arizona is home to some of the
most interesting historical and
cultural heritage sites in the
Country. Though the smallest
geographic county, through it
run some of the most attractive
scenic roadways in Arizona.
But when fatigue and winding
scenic roads reach critical
mass, disaster can strike. Thus
was the fate of an unfortunate
family, involved in a single
vehicle rollover accident,
where the Santa Cruz River
underpasses the Patagonia
Highway (State Route 82).
Their misfortune became a
Santa Cruz County multicasualty incident requiring
multi-agency response and
coordination.
For nearly eighteen years, the
Santa Cruz County Emergency
Manager and Local Emergency
Planning Committee (LEPC)
have had a countywide Mutual
Aid Agreement. Throughout,
they have advocated for the
various public safety and
responding organizations to
train together to manage events
that tax local resources.
Through ongoing funding
provided by the Arizona
Division of Emergency
Management (ADEM) and the
Arizona Emergency Response
Commission (AZSERC),
Incident Command System
(ICS) training has regularly
been held - time and again it
has proven valuable to first

responders. National
Incident Management
System (NIMS)
requirements have been
easily met in Santa Cruz
County, because it has been
a “matter of fact of life” for
local fire, emergency
medical, and law
enforcement services for
many years.
There is no better example
of benefit to the community
than this recent email
received by me from the
manager of a local Hospital
Medical/Surgical/ICU
program, Gene Powers.
Gene Powers writes:
“I just wanted to let you
know that yesterday, while
on my way home, I came
upon a rollover accident
across from the "Little Red
School House." Initially,
there were no EMS units on
scene so I stopped to render
aid as best I could. As I
quickly assessed the scene, I
found multiple patients
scattered throughout a rather
large area. Having been in
similar situations in the past,
I knew this was going to
severely tax our local EMS
resources.
EMS units soon began to
arrive from Nogales, Tubac,
Rio Rico, and Nogales
Suburban. Patients were
extricated, assessed,
packaged, and readied for

transport in an extremely well
executed manner. I believe the
teamwork exhibited on the scene
yesterday exemplifies a very
cohesive, interdepartmental
working relationship between all
agencies involved.
As I talked with Julie Higuera
this morning, she tells me the
teamwork continued once the
patients arrived here in the ED at
Holy Cross Hospital. Julie
couldn't praise the firefighters
and EMS personnel enough for
their willingness to stay and help
our ED staff care for the patients
who now severely taxed our
resources.
I believe all parties involved
should be recognized for their
hard work and dedication to
caring. My hat is off to all of the
men and women who responded
to this incident. I believe this
community is very fortunate to
have such highly trained and
dedicated professionals who
willingly place themselves in
harm's way on a daily basis.
You should be proud of your
personnel!”
Incident command fell to
Nogales Suburban Fire District,
the smallest of the responding
organizations. And believe me
Gene, we are proud! Thank you
for sharing your observations and
experience.

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 11 of 15

What is That Ammonia Odor? By John Gardner, Chandler FD
In early March, Chandler
Fire responded to an
ammonia odor. When the
emergency response crews
arrived they could not
determine the source of that
odor. They accessed
Chandler's Electronic
Hazardous Materials
Inventory Statements of all
the businesses within that
area from their in-vehicle
mobile data computers and
looked at each facility trying
to determine which facility
might have ammonia on their
inventory list. After looking
at several facility
inventories, it was
determined that one did
indeed have ammonia. The
Incident Commander (IC)
located the emergency
contact from the electronic

report and called him to
inform him that there was an
incident at the facility. The
IC later informed the Fire
Prevention Bureau Staff that
without the information that
was available, he could not
imagine how long it would
have taken the crews to find
the source of the release.
Chandler Fire, separate from
other regulatory
requirements, has been
requiring industries within
the City to report Hazardous
Materials on site since 1989.
In 1997 those industries,
through the suggestion of the
Chandler Hazardous
Materials Advisory
Committee, started
voluntarily submitting the
Chemical Inventory
Statements Electronically.

In July of 2004 the City
Council adopted the 2003
International Fire Code, as
amended. One of the
amendments is to require all
facilities within the City to
submit Hazardous Materials
Inventory Statements in an
electronic format. To date
there are 218 facilities
providing those statements to
the Fire Prevention Bureau.
The Inventory Statements
are reviewed for
completeness and accuracy,
and once they are approved,
a Fire Code Permit is issued
to the facility that is storing,
handling, and/or using
Hazardous Chemicals on
site. For more information
contact: Fire Marshal John
Gardner @ 480-782-2155

Local Government Reimbursement (LGR)
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Local
Governments Reimbursement
(LGR) program would like to
increase the number of
applications submitted annually.
With your help, more local
governments can learn about the
program and receive
reimbursement for costs incurred
responding to hazardous waste
incidents. Please disseminate the
following information to cities,
counties, townships, tribal
organizations, etc. as you see fit.
Thank you in advance for
passing along this valuable
information. Local governments
may be eligible for up to $25,000

from EPA's LGR program
for costs incurred responding
to incidents such as tire fires,
illegally dumped wastes,
transportation accidents and
contamination from illegal
drug labs. EPA's LGR
program was established to
help communities with costs
incurred responding to
releases or threatened
releases of hazardous
substances. These costs
might include overtime pay
for employees, renting or
leasing equipment, and
special technical services
and laboratory costs. This
program was established in

1986 under the federal Superfund
law and, to date, EPA has
reimbursed over $3 million
dollars to local governments. To
learn more about the LGR
program, or to request a
reimbursement application
package, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/pr
ograms/er/lgr/ Or call, toll-free
telephone at: 1-800-431-9209
Thanks to Lisa Clark, SRA
International, Inc. Environmental
and Organizational Services
(EOS) 2801 Clarendon Blvd,
Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22201
lisa_clark@sra.com

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 12 of 15

EPI (Emergency Preparedness Initiative) Guide on Special
Needs
The revised edition of the EPI
Guide on the Special Needs of
People with Disabilities for
Emergency Managers, Planners,
and First Responders is now
available.
The revised edition has an
expanded resource section and
additional statistics from a 2004
survey of emergency managers

from across the country. For
those of you keeping count,
this is the 3rd printing of the
Guide.
To date EPI has distributed
well over 67,000 copies of the
Guide to emergency managers,
first responders, and disability
leaders across the U.S. and
abroad.

Pricing for bulk orders will be
made available soon, and the Guide
is still available for download at
www.nod.org/emergency. Requests
for bulk orders or 3 complimentary
copies should be made in writing to
epi@nod.org .
See www.nod.org/emergency
Thanks to Hilary C. Styron,
National Organization on Disability

Shorts
Challenges Remain!
Management of First Responder
Grant program improving, but
Challenges Remain. See GAO05-121, February 2.
http://www.gao.gov/cgibin/getrpt?GAO-05-121
Highlights http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d
05121high.pdf

Protecting Agriculture- A
Report
Much Is Being Done to Protect
Agriculture from a Terrorist
Attack, but Important Challenges
Remain. GAO-05-214, March 8.
http://www.gao.gov/cgibin/getrpt?GAO-05-214
Highlights http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d
05214high.pdf

FEMA Fire Grants
Thanks to the Arizona Fire Chiefs
Association, Douglas C. Woods and
MeiBeck Chung Regional Fire
Program Specialists, DHS/ODPFEMA Region IX and especially to
John Rowlinson, Arizona State Fire
Marshal's Office, Arizona. John
organized workshops and
accompanied FEMA in their travels
around Arizona so that questions
regarding the grants and assistance
could be provided as required.

In California, Arizona and
Nevada combined there are an
estimated 1450 fire
departments. 754 submitted
applications and 331 received
awards. Pennsylvania alone
has an estimated 2500 fire
departments submitted 1779
applications receiving 532
awards, a 30% success rate.

Doug and MeiBeck provided the
following: "As we finish up the
2004 awards and have about a week
to go for the 2005 applications you
may want to communicate to your
members some of these facts.

1. Reasonable NFIRS cost can
be included in your grant
application. See the guidelines!

Still unofficial for 2004 and if my
math is correct about; 38% of all
applications submitted received
awards (National); 44% of Arizona
applications submitted received
awards

Arizona 2005 applications.

2. Break out your sale tax in
you budget line items. Your
goal is to show actual unit cost.
3. Don't bunch up! A SCBA
mask is one budget line item,
the SCBA voice amplifier add-

on is another, the sales tax on both
has its own line.
4. You do not need to be reporting
to NFIRS or comply with NIMS to
apply for the grant. You accept
these conditions when you are
awarded the grant."
The Pace: As of March 24th, 2005
(morning) Arizona had only 96
applications in play for 2005. Doug
and Meibeck are available... call
them if you need them!"
Visit
http://www.firegrantsupport.com
Douglas C. Woods & MeiBeck
Chung
510-627-7208 and...be sure to
check out all the news at the AFCA
website www.azchiefs.org

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 13 of 15

Assistance to Firefighters Grant
The 2005 Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) Online
Tutorial is available for viewing at
http://www.firegrantsupport.com/
and click the Application Tutorial
link in the main menu.
This year's online tutorial offers
greater detail to applicants, along
with an option to select the
specific subject matter of interest.
By choosing the subject of interest
in the tutorial's table of contents,
applicants can quickly obtain the
information they need to assist
them in drafting a successful grant

presentation. The online tutorial
also contains direct links to the
2005 Program Guidance to ensure
that the applicant has all the
information available relating to
each portion of the application
process. In an effort to provide
helpful information to applicants
quickly and more efficiently, the
online AFG application now also
contains direct links to the online
tutorial.
Applicants are encouraged to view
the following resources, which are
linked to the AFG Tutorial:

- What's New for 2005
- Top 10 Reasons Why
Applications Are Not Funded at
Panel Review
- Top 5 Reasons Why Applications
Do Not Make It to Panel Review
- FAQs
Your comments or questions
regarding the 2005 AFG Online
Tutorial are welcome. E-mail
Firegrants@dhs.gov or call the
AFG Help Desk at 1-866-2740960.

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Visit our web site at:
http://www.dem.state.az.us/azserc
and click on “USFA Federal
Assistance to Fire Fighter Grant
Recipients” to see the listing of
Federal Fiscal Year 2004 Grant
Recipients.
For Firefighting Vehicle:
Tonopah Valley Fire DepartmentPima County- $225,000
San Jose Fire District- Cochise

County- $178,200
Mescal Volunteer Fire
Department- Cochise County$60,885
For Operations and Firefighter
Safety:
Tri-City Fire Department- Gila
County- $ 49,401
Jerome Fire Department- Yavapai
County- $74,112

Golder Ranch Fire District- Pima
County- $656,910
Coolidge Fire Department- Pinal
County- $ 74,520
Tempe Fire Department- Maricopa
County- $256,887
Salt River Fire DepartmentMaricopa County- $47,403
North Ranch/Linda Vista- Pima
County- $8,934
Chino Valley Fire District- Yavapai
County- $76,036

Upcoming Deadlines: (Thanks to www.ercweb.com)
CAA Reminders
Existing sources subject to
organic hazardous air pollutant
emission controls under 40 CFR
63, subpart H, for equipment
leaks from Groups II and IV
chemical process units must
submit semiannual report to
EPA- April 22
RCRA Reminder: Annual
RCRA training is required by
law (40 CFR 265.16) for
workers at hazardous waste
facilities.

DOT Reminder: DOT Docket
HM-126F (49 CFR 172.700)
makes training mandatory for
almost anyone who manages
hazardous materials, regardless
of the amount. This affects
employees who classify
materials and determine proper
shipping names, select or fill
hazardous materials packages,
mark, label and placard
containers/vehicles, filling out
shipping papers, load or unload
vehicles, move hazardous
materials, or corporate
transportation vehicles.

GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER

Page 14 of 15

Upcoming Events (See http://www.dem.state.az.us/azserc/upcoming.htm
for further details)
April 5th – 8th 2005,
NASTTPO (National Association
of SARA Title III Program
Officials), Western Inn, Seattle
Washington
April 12th – 14th 2005,
Bioterrorism and Public Health
Threats Conference-2005:
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic
Disease / Bioterrorism and Public
Health Threats Conference-2005,
Sponsored by the Arizona
Department of Health Services.
The location will be the Mesa
Public Safety Training Facility. An
agenda and registration form will
be available at
www.azdhs.gov/phs/edc/edrp/index
.htm If you need more information,
please contact Jack Steele at (602)
364-3295 or steelej@azdhs.gov
April 18, 2005,
TRI (Toxic Chemical Release
Inventory) Training. EPA
contractors will be providing
training on from 8:00am to4:00pm at the University of
Phoenix, Hohokam Campus. Go to

http://envr.abtassoc.com/tritraining/
TRIReg.exe?region=9 and scroll to
Region IX listings to register.
You'll also find directions to the
campus at that site. Contact Nancy
Sockabasin, Region IX TRI
Coordinator at
Sockabasin.Nancy@epa.gov if you
have any questions.
Contact the EPA Call Center at 1800-424-9346 and/or visit
www.epa.gov/tri for assistance.
April 21, 2005,
Attend the Premier Brownfields
Event in Arizona! For details on the
event and to register online, visit
the City of Phoenix Brownfields
Land Recycling Program website at
http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/BRO
WNFLD/brownfld.html.
Registration deadline is April 13,
2005. Conference Location:
Phoenix Civic Plaza South, 225 E.
Adams St., Yuma Rooms, Phoenix,
Arizona.

May 24-26th, 2005
ARIZONA EMERGENCY
SERVICES ASSOCIATION
(AESA)
Attend the 32nd Annual
Conference, May 24-26th, 2005.
San Marcos Resort & Conference
Center at 1 S. San Marcos Place,
Chandler,
Arizona. Early registration is $185
(includes annual membership to
AESA); after
May 6th, the fee increases to
$200.00. Proceeds benefit the
AESA Professional
Development Scholarship Fund.
Contact
chris.burdette@tusconaz.gov or
jeff.clark@chandleraz.gov and
FOR FULL DETAILS AND
REGISTRATION, GO TO:
www.azaesa.org

Thanks to AZ-CHMM Chuck
Paulausky for sharing

Commercial products and services are mentioned for informational purposes only and
should not be construed as AZSERC endorsements.
Let’s Hear From You!
Send us your inputs and
feedback on the newsletter;
including, exercises and other
LEPC related activities in
which you've been involved.
Let us know what you’d like to

see in future editions. Talk to
us!
We appreciate your input and
look forward to hearing from
you!

Sincerely,

Daniel Roe
Daniel Roe,
Executive Director

Arizona Emergency
Response Commission
5636 E. McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85008-3495
Phone: (602) 231-6346
Fax:
(602) 392-7519
Visit:
www.dem.state.az.us/azserc
www.azserc.org (for reporting)
Daniel Roe – Executive Director
Roger Soden – Emergency Services
Program Coordinator
Steve Steed - Planner II
Bryon Howe – Programs & Projects
Specialist II
Sylvia Castillo – Admin Asst III
Vacant – Admin Asst II
Commissioners:
Frank F. Navarrete, Chair
Catherine R Eden,

ADHS Director

Stephen A. Owens, ADEQ Director
Victor Mendez,

ADOT Director

Help us reduce hard copy mail outs. Send us your email and tell us to
switch you to electronic notification. Thanks
E-Mail azserc@azdema.gov

Roger Vanderpool, ADPS Director
Designees:
Daniel Roe,

ADEM

David Engelthaler, ADHS
Shannon Davis,

ADEQ

Sonya Herrera,

ADOT

Jeffery W. Resler,

ADPS

Advisory Committee:
Corporation Commission
Industrial Commission
State Mine Inspector
State Fire Marshal
Radiation Regulatory Agency
Department of Agriculture
Arizona Fire Chiefs Association
Mesa FD & Lake Havasu FD
State Attorney General
Smith and Associates – Sybil Smith

About Our Organization…
The AZSERC was established
by Arizona Law (Arizona
Revised Statutes-Title 26,
Chapter 2, Article 3) and is
tasked with the implementation
of the Emergency Planning and
Community Right to Know Act
(EPRCA) in Arizona.

Intel Corporation - James Wick
Apache Nitrogen – Pam Beilke
VA Med. Center - Dan Johnston
Gatekeeper Newsletter:
Daniel Roe – Editor in Chief
Bryon Howe – Editor

This Commission oversees 15
Local Emergency Planning
Committees and supports
community, industry and
government and academia in:
planning, release and incident
reporting, data management

guidance for inventory
reporting, public disclosure of
information about hazardous
chemicals in Arizona as well as
development of training and
outreach programs.
The Commission supports
individual agency goals and
objectives. This is accomplished
through the receipt and
coordination of emergency
notifications of chemical
releases, collection and
provision of chemical inventory
information to interested parties,
training and grants programs.

Additionally, the AZSERC
provides consultative services,
conducts and participates in
workshops and coordinates
development and review of
plans and programs for 15 Local
Emergency Planning
Committees. Further, the
AZSERC serves as a state
clearinghouse for hazardous
chemical emergency
preparedness and planning
activities and information
through coordination with
federal, state, local
governments, industry and
community interest groups.