GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER October 1, 2005 Volume V, Edition 10 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: Local Governments Reimbursement (LGR) - One More Time! • Local Government Reimbursement • Storage Incidental to Transportation • Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Safety Bulletin • Please Take This Survey • Regional Response Team IX Date Changed • NIMS Alerts • LEPC's - Get the Word Out • Google Earth • Planning • Shorts • Upcoming Deadlines • Upcoming Events Individual Highlights: DOT Corner 2 Industry Corner 3 EPA Corner 7 Homeland Security/Tribal Corner 9 LEPC Corner 10 The Local Governments Reimbursement Program provides federal funds to local governments for costs related to temporary emergency measures conducted in response to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances. The program serves as a "safety net" to provide supplemental funding to local governments that do not have funds available to pay for these response actions. Eligible local governments may submit applications to EPA for reimbursement of up to $25,000 per incident. complete a simple LGR application form, that requires a local government to provide basic information about the incident, document its response costs by attaching copies of receipts, and certify that certain program requirements have been met. An applicant may receive a reimbursement check from the federal government in as little as three months after EPA receives the application. Local governments can take action today to help ensure that they are eligible to participate in the LGR program in the future. On February 18, 1998, EPA published a new LGR regulation that simplifies and streamlines the process for applicants. EPA has designed the reimbursement process to be very straightforward. Local governments obtain and EPA's LGR Program is just a telephone call away. If you have any questions about the LGR program and how it works, you can call the LGR HelpLine at 800-431-9209 or e-mail them at lgr.epa@epamail.epa.gov. PLEASE MAIL COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO: US Environmental Protection Agency Local Governments Reimbursement (LGR) Program Attn. Lisa Boynton 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue Mail Code 5104-A Washington, DC 20460 Note: Take a look at AZSERC's website at www.dem.state.az.us/azserc under LEPC and Responder Tools for additional guidance. Contact me at Dan.Roe@azdema.gov or 602-231-6345 if you want to discuss the process. GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 2 of 18 So, What Do You Think? Storage Incidental To Transportation: Getting confused about what is/isn't considered to be in transportation? What is/isn't exempt from reporting under Community Right to Know? As you might expect, you're not alone. EPA/DOT are working to clarify the issues...and answering lots of questions. Here's a scenario.... fixed facility is required to make notifications, and in Arizona, according to our laws, a plan is required from the day that the EHS is on site. Yet, because this product will be under active shipping orders, these same notifications are NOT required. Well... here's what we requested... Let's suppose a question came to your office regarding transportation of an extremely hazardous substance that you referred to the agencies that were best suited (USDOT/EPA) to respond to the question. The question is “Is it considered to be in transportation or not?” We chatted with the jurisdiction's Fire Marshal and advised that the product was going to be in his town. We put the shipper and the jurisdiction in touch with each other so that the community's needs could be met by the fire dept requesting notifications. Fire Departments can do that easily! Fire Codes are a wonderful thing and provide great legitimate authorities to the Fire Chief. In this case, the communications were open and above board and the parties involved were informed. However, it's a puzzle to figure out who is and who is not communicating in such a manner to keep all informed. A facility is going to ship a product to another state but before doing so is going to perform maintenance on the tube trailer that will be carrying the product. So, another state is designated as the end point and it will be considered in transit when it is moved from its current location to a location within your state where maintenance is to be performed. When an assessment is done of what will be in the container, guess what...it'll contain the threshold planning quantity of an extremely hazardous substance (EHS). So the EHS will be at a location for the maintenance and no notification to the SERC, LEPC or FD appears to be required. Something just doesn't seem right, does it? A So when and if the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know is ever congressionally reauthorized... that'd be an interesting tidbit to keep in mind to preclude critical information from falling through the cracks just because of the differences in regulatory authorities. If the chemical is important enough to plan for at a fixed facility, it sure should be part of the process even if considered in transportation. From USDOT: "The tube trailer would be in transportation- stored incidental to movement- if it is being stored temporarily between the time the carrier takes possession of the trailer until it is physically delivered to the destination indicated on the shipping document. For the scenario you describe, if the trailer is picked up by the carrier from the customer and the shipping documents indicate that its destination is (name of state), then the storage in Arizona would be part of transportation and covered by the HMR. However, if the trailer is picked up from the customer and the shipping documents indicate that its destination is the facility in Arizona, then transportation would end when the carrier arrives at the facility in Arizona. It is my understanding that EPA requirements under EPCRA would not apply to a hazardous material that is stored incidental to movement as defined in the HMR. I hope this is helpful." Food for thought regarding what is out there that is NOT captured under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986, isn’t it? GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 3 of 18 Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Safety Bulletin- Take Precautions When Restarting Operations: In wake of Hurricane Katrina, the CSB issued a safety bulletin urging oil and chemical facilities to take special safety precautions during startups. The bulletin's application is NOT limited to those facilities impacted by Katrina, but rather poses excellent common-sense considerations to all facility operators facing start-up conditions. The full text of the bulletin is at www.csb.gov and notes that the startup of major processes at chemical facilities is a hazardous phase, saying, “Facilities should pay particular attention to process safety requirements during this critical period to assure a safe and expeditious return to operation." The extra attention is obviously warranted because numerous activities are occurring simultaneously and many automatic systems are run under manual control. The Safety Bulletin points to three catastrophic startup incidents investigated by the CSB that occurred at U.S. petrochemical plants since the agency began operations in 1998. These resulted in a total of 22 deaths, more than 170 injuries, and lengthy shutdowns in production units. Other tragic incidents investigated by the CSB occurred during the startup of batch process and during maintenance operations that followed a power outage. Detailed information about these and all CSB investigations can be found at www.csb.gov . The Safety Bulletin suggests specific procedures to assure safe restarts under the headings, "Rely on Established Safety Systems” and "Check Process Equipment Thoroughly." For example, facilities are urged to follow established startup procedures and checklists, and to recognize that "human performance may be compromised due to crisis conditions." Board Chairman Merritt added that “Many employees in the region have lost homes or loved ones in the hurricane, adding to the stress of an already difficult work situation." The Bulletin calls on facilities to check bulk storage tanks for evidence of floating displacement or damage, and to examine insulation systems, sewers, drains, furnace systems, electric motors and other equipment, including warning systems, to make sure they are fully functional. The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in safety management systems. The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. For more information, contact Sandy Gilmour 202-2617614, cell 202-251-5496 or Lindsey Heyl, 202-261-3614, cell 202-725-2204. (The previous was extracted from a message from the United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Washington D.C.) Paradise Valley Community College Needs Your Input! Please Take the Survey! Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) has been investigating the need for a new degree/certificate program at the community college level that prepares students to enter the emergency planning field. The new program is expected to expand on business continuity planning processes used in industry today. A graduate from this program would have the skills and competencies necessary to assist emergency managers in a variety of organizational settings. The graduate would also be equipped to research, draft, and implement emergency plans specific to the organization. Graduates would have the essential skills to assess specific training needs, develop necessary curriculum, and design effective training delivery technologies. Although they will be serving students in Arizona, they gladly enlist the responses of all who may benefit from a program of this type. Your input is critical to knowing if there is a need and will aid in the development of a framework curriculum. PVCC sincerely hopes you find this survey of benefit to your organization. See Survey on following page. GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 4 of 18 Survey of Interest Crisis Planning and Recovery Occupational Program Questionnaire Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) in Phoenix, Arizona is trying to determine if there is a need to offer an associate degree and/or certificate program in Crisis Planning and Recovery. The focus of this certificate/degree is homeland security and emergency management as well as business continuity planning for private industry, charitable organizations, healthcare facilities, governmental agencies, and other public interest groups for private industry. Your responses to this questionnaire in no way obligate your organization to participate in any of the programs. Please complete this survey to help us meet your educational and training needs. Your responses will be kept confidential. We would appreciate your reply by October 28, 2005. THANK YOU for completing this survey. Please return it to: E-mail: bob.treloar@pvmail.maricopa.edu Robert R. Treloar MT, CET Director, EHST Program Paradise Valley Community College 18401 North 32nd Street Phoenix, Arizona 85032 Company Name: ________________________________________________ Company Street Address: _________________________________________ City: _____________________________ Zip: _____________________ Contact Person: ____________________ Phone: __________________ Email: ________________________________________________________ 1. Do you have employees trained in crisis and recovery planning, crisis management, or trained to respond to emergencies? _________Yes _________ No 2. If yes, how many? Primary duty Secondary Duty Emergency management Trained to respond Preparedness planning 3. What is your organization’s level of awareness in emergency management, preparedness, and homeland security? ____ unaware _____ moderately aware _____ highly aware _____ do not know GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 5 of 18 4. How prepared is your business/company in responding to any type of terrorist attack or natural disaster? ____ not prepared ____moderately prepared ____highly prepared____ do not know 5. Would you hire someone with an Associate Degree and/or Certificate in Crisis Planning and Recovery? _______ Yes _______ No 6. Would you support a current employee or employees, or members of your crisis management team, if one exists, to receive this education? _______ Yes _______ No 7. With this education, what related job duty would you have this person do? Please rank in order of importance. (A few examples include, but are not limited to background research assistance for company planners, develop and maintain company emergency, contingency, and/or recovery plans, oversee your company critical incident program including planning and response, train specific employees in certain elements of response this can be industry specific if needed.) a. ___________________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________________ Training Needs for Current Employees 8. Do any employees in your organization need to be knowledgeable in the following skills? (Please check all that apply and add additional skills if not listed.) Hazard analysis for natural & man-made emergencies or crisis management Development of a site or organizational emergency response plan Individual and group behavior in crisis and emergency situations Good understanding of incident command system Crisis communication Recovery of business operations in emergencies Roles of public, private & non-profits in disaster/emergencies Principles of emergency management Emergency response planning Public information Disaster response and recovery operations Terrorism response planning Mitigation for emergency managers Volunteer resources and donations management Business continuity Risk analysis and assessment Security planning Contingency planning Emergency preparedness GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 6 of 18 9. Please estimate the number of employees your organization would be likely to send to the following offerings designed to meet your training/upgrading requirements. _______ Associate degree in crisis planning and recovery _______ Certificate in crisis planning and recovery _______ Individual courses (academic credit awarded for each course) 10. How should we schedule courses to make the program accessible to your employees? ___ morning classes ___ week-end classes ___ on site training ___ afternoon classes ___ online classes ___ other __________ ___ evening classes ___ multiple-day seminars 11. What topics not already addressed in question 8 would you like your employees to learn? a. _________________ b. ________________ c. _________________ 12. Would you or a member of your organization be interested in serving on an advisory committee to the college to develop an associate degree and college certificate for this occupation so that program graduates will have the skills that your organization needs? ___Yes If yes, please provide name and contact number. Name: __________________ Phone: ____________ ___ No I am not interested at this time. 13. Please provide additional comments or advice regarding this program: GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 7 of 18 Regional Response Team IX: Membership Meeting, General Session and Tour, in Arizona on October 5-7, 2005. (NOTE: This reflects a change to the original schedule) On Thursday, October 6th, Regional Response Team IX, cochaired by the USEPA and US Coast Guard will be holding its next General Session meeting for all interested parties at the San Marcos Resort and Conference Center in Chandler, Arizona. (Logistics and contact info below). Regional Response Team IX (RRT-IX) is a formal organization of tribal, state and federal agencies as defined by the National Contingency Plan. RRT-IX is responsible for ensuring that state and federal resources are available when needed for emergency response within the states of Arizona, California and Nevada and the 146 tribal nations, and that the multi-agency relationships and coordination systems exist to support these emergency response efforts. On Friday morning, October 7, a tour of the Arizona CounterTerrorism Information Center (ACTIC) in Phoenix, Arizona is being arranged. This is an exciting opportunity for registered RRT-IX members. Please RSVP per logistics information below to ensure that your name is included on the advance-security list. On Wednesday, October 5, RRTIX will hold their administrative session and cover committee reports, regional contingency plan overview and topical updates. Meeting agendas will be available on the RRT-IX website. Go to “www.nrt.org ", click on RRT in the upper right hand corner, then click on Region 9 on the map. San Marcos Golf Resort and Conference Center, at a government rate of $103.00 before tax. The San Marcos is located at One San Marcos Place, Chandler, Arizona, 85225. Local phone is (480) 812-0900. Web site is “www.SanMarcosResort.com ". For Reservations, please call the San Marcos Conference Center at (800) 528-8071 or the local number. Ask for the "RRT … to protect human Arizona Conference." Please RSVP for the RRT Meeting with Mr. Tom Merritt. Be sure to indicate which portions of the activities you will be participating in. Tom can be reached at: “merritt.tom@epa.gov ", or (415) 972-3068. (Thanks to Bill Robberson, USEPA, Region IX) RRT-IX made special arrangements for lodging at the EPA Proposes Burden Reduction Rule for the Toxics Release Inventory: EPA is proposing a rule to expand the use of a shortened reporting form (Form A certification statement) for some facilities. The proposal is expected to save 165,000 hours per year, while still ensuring full Form R (long form) reporting on over 99 percent of toxic releases and other waste management activities. The proposal also provides new incentives to facilities to emit less in order to be able to use the shorter form. This proposed action comes after an extensive evaluation by EPA, its stakeholders and reporting facilities to address the concerns expressed about TRI reporting burden. "Since TRI began in 1986, EPA has learned a great deal about the power that public information has to influence corporate behavior and empower communities, and we also have found new ways to use technology to reduce costs for everyone involved, improve data quality and speed the release of the information collected," said Kimberly T. Nelson, assistant administrator for the Office of Environmental Information and Chief Information Officer for EPA. "(This) proposal would provide burden reduction for approximately 1/3 of TRI reporters while still requiring facilities to report on all chemicals that they report on today." (Continued on next page) health and the environment Page 8 of 18 GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER EPA Proposes Burden Reduction Rule for the Toxics Release Inventory: (cont) The proposed rule is part of an on-going effort to streamline TRI reporting. EPA issued a final rule in July 2005 that revised the TRI reporting forms to eliminate information not used, and to make use of data already available in existing EPA information systems. In a separate but related action to the proposal being announced, EPA is notifying Congress, as required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) Section 313(i), that the agency plans to initiate a rulemaking to modify the frequency of reporting under the TRI program. As required by Section 313(i) (5), EPA will delay the initiation of such rulemaking for at least 12 months, but no more than 24 months, from the date of the notification. EPA is taking this step because we believe that alternate year reporting not only offers burden reduction, but also offers other potential advantages that merit consideration. Not only would alternate year reporting result in significant burden reduction for covered facilities, citizens would benefit from the redirection of federal and state taxpayer dollars to improve the quality, clarity, usefulness and accessibility of TRI information products and services. Program savings during the nonreporting years would be reinvested to: (1) improve the TRI-Made Easy (TRI-ME) software, thereby improving data quality and further reducing burden on reporters, (2) conduct more analysis of the TRI data making it more useful to citizens and communities, and (3) invest in greater electronic reporting including a web-based TRI-ME for all reporters. Electronic reporting to EPA enables us to provide even greater taxpayer savings as processing time diminishes. As the agency begins collecting information that will aid an analysis of the alternate year approach, they stand ready to consider all viewpoints on the issues and plan to convene meetings with TRI stakeholders to invite their views. Any changes that EPA may propose as a result of this notice will be done as part of a full notice and public comment rulemaking process. For almost 20 years, EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) has shown that the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities continues to decline. In this year's report, nearly 24,000 facilities reported on approximately 650 chemicals including toxics managed in landfills and underground injection wells as well as those released into water and the air. TRI provides the American public with vital information on chemical releases including disposal for their communities, and is an important instrument for industries to gauge their progress in reducing pollution. TRI tracks releases of chemicals and industrial sectors specified by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 and its implementing regulations. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 also mandates that facilities report data on other waste management activities such as treatment, recycling and energy recovery. Together, these laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals. In addition, since 1994, EPA has by rulemaking expanded the program by doubling the number of covered chemicals, adding seven new industrial sectors, and lowering reporting thresholds for persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (PBT) chemicals. These rulemakings have provided valuable new information to communities but have also increased the burden on reporters. EPA remains committed to an open process that will consider all viewpoints as they go forward. They will move deliberatively and evaluate options using their almost 20 years of implementation experience and data to consider the impacts of any potential action. Additional information, a copy of the proposal and notification to Congress will be available to the public at: http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/mo drule/phase2 To view all EPA news announcements, go to http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/in dex2.htm To receive other EPA news releases by email, sign up at: http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/e mail_signups.htm To stop receiving EPA news releases, go to: http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/e mail_stop.htm (Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, 202-564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov ) GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 9 of 18 NIMS- Day-To-Day Use; Worth Repeating: "This NIMS Alert was the result of some questions that the NIMS Integration Center was getting about how often to use NIMS. Apparently some present at a conference indicated that while they would use NIMS in big events, they did not intend to use it in their day-to-day emergency operations. The response from the NIC was that using it on a day-to-day purpose is crucial to the success of NIMS - this is the only way that people will familiarize themselves with NIMS and be able to use it automatically in a real crunch. I believe this Alert is directed at agencies that deal with emergencies on a daily basis - fire, law enforcement, public health, for example." Anne WilsonFEMA/DHS Region IX From: NIMS-Integration-Center ims-Integration-Center@dhs.gov Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 8:21 AM Subject: NIMS Compliance and Day-to-Day Emergency Operations 8-17-05 NIMS Alert NA: 008-05 The NIMS Integration Center, Aug. 17, 2005 NIMS-Integration-Center@dhs.gov Second NIMS Alert! From Anne Wilson, (Anne.Wilson@dhs.gov ) at FEMA/DHS Region IX. The second NIMS Alert, that came out recently, follows. The alert is also available at www.fema.gov/nims . Undoubtedly, some may have already heard of this one, since it immediately received some press! In short, the idea of using plain English - a tenet of NIMS, since the whole point is for responders from various disciplines and jurisdictions to be able to understand each other extends to even the "10-codes" used by law enforcement. This has caused some consternation, as any change does, but we really must remember the purpose of NIMS and the goal of a standardized, nation-wide system that all emergency workers can understand and use. Please feel free to contact Anne with any questions/concerns /comments. Note: Stand-by for the FY06 requirements and for the NIMScompliant Emergency Operations Plan guidance. Both will be on the NIMS website and Anne will send additional e-mails as they are published. From: NIMS-Integration-Center mailto:Nims-IntegrationCenter@dhs.gov Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:42 AM Subject: Concerning NIMS, ICS and Plain Language. NIMS Alert Concerning NIMS, ICS and Plain Language... Recently NIMS, ICS and the use of plain language have been a matter of public discussion within the response community. The NIMS Integration Center wants you to know that it sees the use of plain language in emergency response situations as matter of public safety, especially the safety of first responders and those affected by the incident. It is critical that all local responders, as well as those coming into the impacted area from other jurisdictions and other states, know and utilize commonly established operational structures, terminology, policies and procedures. This is what NIMS and the Incident Command System (ICS) are all about. There are larger matters at stake here achieving interoperability across jurisdictions and disciplines. The plain language requirement is about the ability of area commanders, state and local EOC personnel, federal operational coordinators, and responders to communicate clearly with each other and effectively coordinate “Visit www.azserc.org to see Tribal Reporting response activities, no matter what the size, scope or complexity of the incident. The ability of responders from different jurisdictions and different disciplines to work together depends greatly on their ability to communicate with each other. Everyone has to speak the same language - plain English. Opportunities…“ Although the use of plain language is a requirement for FY06 compliance with NIMS, we understand that the use of 10-codes is not going to be completely eliminated by October 2006. Our goal is that good faith efforts are under way at all levels nationwide to move to plain English for all emergency operations. At the end of FY06, the states will certify to us that "taken as a whole" they and their local jurisdictions are NIMS compliant. Local jurisdictions will be working with their states to achieve compliance. NIMS implementation is a longterm effort and won't end in 2006. NIMS compliance requirements aren't going to go away in 2007 or 2008 either. However, continued resistance to complying with NIMS requirements and using plain language will result in the loss of federal preparedness funding. The NIMS Integration Center DHS/FEMA Aug. 23, 2005 Tribal Program Link: http://www.epa .gov/region09/i ndian GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 10 of 18 Emergency-Management@Yahoogroups.com : Participating on this list? Good information is shared! You may address questions or concerns to the moderators at: EmergencyManagementowner@yahoogroups.com The Emergency-Management home page is where you go to access special features: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/E mergency-Management/ To post a message send mail to: EmergencyManagement@yahoogroups.com Tell your friends to send an email to Emergency- Managementsubscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe to the group. They will get an email requesting they identify themselves to the list moderators. Failing to respond to this email results in their subscription request being denied. Getting too much mail? Switch to the digest mode. Send mail to Emergency-ManagementDigest@yahoogroups.com . You will only get one or two emails per day. If you use an auto responder or are going on vacation for a long time, send mail to Emergency-Management- nomail@yahoogroups.com This setting requires that you read the messages on the web site. After you have set yourself to Digest or No-Mail, you can return yourself to individual delivery by mailing to this address. EmergencyManagementnormal@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: They’d hate to see you go, but to do it send mail to Emergency-Managementunsubscribe@yahoogroups.com When you leave, tell them why. Enjoy the list. Getting the Word Out! Local Emergency Response Plans were required to be completed by Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) not later than October 1988. That's right... 1988! By my calendar, that's 17 years ago. It's interesting to note that there are still many pockets throughout the country where not much is known about those LEPCs. love to know how many on this site are involved with either their local LEPC or their local CERT teams. It is the political activism at the grass roots that often yields the largest societal changes." Input 2: "What are the teams you are speaking about? LEPC, CERT?" Input 3: "LEPC's are the Local I've taken some notes from Emergency Planning Committees exchanges on YAHOO GROUPS as created under EPCRA, the "HAZMAT101." You can learn a Emergency Planning Community lot by subscribing. See Right to know Act. Learn more hazmat101about them at the EPA's website: subscribe@yahoogroups.com http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/ce ppoweb.nsf/content/index.html Input 1: "By the way I would CERT Teams are Community Emergency Response Teams, a citizen training program under the Citizen Corps program...and more information is available at: www.citizencorps.gov Look for the Programs and Partners photo/button at the top of the page." (Thanks for the open discussions that take place on many of the list servers that are out here... great service to all of us! We all still need to get the word out. Share the knowledge; invite a friend to join. -- Subscribe: blank email to hazmat101subscribe@yahoogroups.com ) Hazmat 101 News: Emergency Exercise Design--A Primer Hazmat 101 News (TM) is online. To read the article, go to: http://www.hazmat101.com . Then click Hazmat 101 News. Find the archives at: http://www.hazmat101.com Know someone who would like to join the Hazmat 101 List? Tell them about it. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/h azmat101/ GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 11 of 18 Community Right-to-Know: Hurricane Katrina The Working Group on Community Right to Know claims that government agencies are not providing complete information about environmental hazards around New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality are not informing the public about chemicals in the flood water, or potential toxic hotspots." For example, they claim, "EPA appears to only be testing water in downtown New Orleans, rather than in neighborhoods near industrial areas. In addition, EPA is not even testing for several known carcinogens produced by oil refineries. As a result, emergency workers and citizens returning to their homes will not be able to sufficiently protect themselves or their families." "The public has a right to know what environmental risks have been caused by Hurricane Katrina. In the days, weeks and months to follow, the Right to Know Network will be working with local activists and other allies to pressure EPA to: Economic Network has produced a compilation of news reports and eye-witness accounts (including satellite images) of major industrial facilities have been released contaminates into residential areas." Conduct a full and transparent investigation of potential environmental hazards presented by chemical plants and refineries, hazardous waste handlers, landfills, underground storage tanks and other potential sources; and (Thanks to the Working Group on Community Right to Know, a project of OMB Watch). 1742 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washington DC 20009, (202) 2348494 http://www.crtk.org/ Implement a monitoring system that identifies released toxics and other environmental hazards and make this information available to the public in a timely manner. OMB Watch lists major sites that store, use, or produce large quantities of toxic chemicals within Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes. It is possible that not all of these sites have been affected by Hurricane Katrina or the ensuing flooding. NOTE: It is a federal requirement under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act for State Emergency Response Commissions to provide the EPA administrator with a listing of ALL reported facilities with Extremely Hazardous Substances above the threshold planning quantity. Might be an interesting exercise to see how many states have done this and more interesting to see what EPA has done with the information received. The Sustainable Energy and Google Earth – Explore, Search and Discover Want to know more about a specific location? Dive right in -Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips. • • • • Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom right in. Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions. Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings. Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own annotations. Google Earth Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more. • Get Google Earth (Free Version) • Learn more Google Earth Plus $20 Google Earth Plus is an optional upgrade adding GPS device support, the ability to import spreadsheets, drawing tools and better printing.• Learn more Google Earth Pro $400 For professional and commercial uses, Google Earth Pro is the ultimate research, presentation and collaboration tool for location information. • Buy | 7-day free trial • Learn more Google Earth Enterprise Solutions are also available for on-site deployment of custom Google Earth databases in your enterprise. Learn more - Have a salesperson contact me Page 12 of 18 GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Some Planning Considerations: Special Needs The National Organization on Disability’s (N.O.D.) Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI) deployed their Special Needs Rapid Assessment Team for Hurricane Katrina under Project Ground Ops Title: N.O.D./EPI’s S.N.A.K.E. Team Special Needs Assessment for Katrina Evacuation Recognizing that the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the special needs and disabled communities would be catastrophic, N.O.D. President Michael Deland immediately sought to gain access to the Gulf region to assess delivery of services and recovery efforts for the nearly 250,000 men, women, and children with disabilities living in the impacted area. It is the goal of N.O.D. to capture any immediate actionable issues and provide this information to officials coordinating the response and recovery efforts. Hilary Styron, Director of EPI received authorization to deploy four rapid assessment teams consisting of nationally recognized special needs emergency management practitioners into the Gulf region impacted by Hurricane Katrina. EPI SNAKE teams are one of the first outside organizations to ever be allowed on disaster-impacted locations to assess these issues. The teams can quickly gather information about the impact and service delivery to those with disabilities, seniors, and medically managed persons. This is an extremely fast in and out operation with the singular goal of capturing systemic points of failure or immediate actionable correction to elevate suffering. place and those gaps that exist and how they are being addressed · information to support or disprove “stories” that emerge from the Special Needs community. Upon completion of analysis of the collected data, all findings will be documented for EPI to rapidly distribute these action items throughout all Federal, state, and local authorities coordinating response and recovery efforts. EPI is currently providing outreach, awareness, and education via the EPI has been monitoring the congressionally designated earmark disaster from pre-event and now through the U.S. Department of into the recovery operations. It has Education Rehabilitation Services become clear that the disability and Administration. Within the special needs communities were approved grant deliverable project woefully under-prepared area is a component for tracking individually. EPI has been in touch special needs in disasters. with several of the authorities Additional information will be within the effected region, as well with Federal entities in Washington made available at www.nod.org/emergency DC. At this point there appears to be no singularly coordinated (Contact Information: Hilary special needs response. Styron, Director- Emergency Data gathered includes: Preparedness Initiative · information about the response National Organization on efforts, how they responded, how Disability; 910 16th Street, NW 6th gaps were filled in the immediate Floor, Washington, DC 20006: sense and in the long term Voice: 202-293-5960; TTY: 202· information on long-term 293-5968; Fax: 202-293-7999) recovery efforts currently be put in Public Health Emergency Law (PHEL): CDC’s Public Health Law Program and CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response announce the availability of a new course, "Public Health Emergency Law" (PHEL). PHEL includes six PowerPoint lecture units that can be used for training non-legal professionals in health departments, emergency management agencies, and other organizations active in public health emergency preparedness. PHEL covers relevant legal principles in the following areas: 1) basic concepts (e.g., plans under which public health and emergency management work together); 2) detecting and declaring emergencies; 3) protecting persons (e.g., use of quarantine and isolation); 4) managing property; 5) mobilizing professional resources; and 6) advanced topics (e.g., legal implications of public communications during emergencies). The course also provides an interactive case study to reinforce learning points delivered during lectures. Detailed information about PHEL and copies of the CD-ROM containing all of the course components are available from PHEL field coordinators at telephone, 770-2200608, or e-mail, wbradford@mcking.com or wrushing@mcking.com . (Thanks to Lloyd Colston, Mayes County Emergency Management Pryor, OK USA) http://www.mayescem.us GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 13 of 18 Emergency Planning Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), created a system of State and local planning agencies for chemical emergencies and provided a way for communities to gain information about potential chemical hazards. Title III includes the following:: • Emergency planning • Emergency notification requirements • Requirements for reporting hazardous chemical inventories Regulations to implement the statute are found at 40 CFR Part 355. In Arizona ARS Title 26, Chapter 2, Article 3 adds some additional requirements. Title III establishes two planning authorities for chemical emergencies: State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs), and Local Emergency Response Committees (LEPCs). SERCs establish LEPCs, and supervise and coordinate the LEPCs' activities. LEPCs develop contingency plans that include: • Identification of facilities covered by the law • Methods and procedures to respond to any release • • • • • • • Designation of community and facility emergency coordinators Procedures providing reliable, effective and timely notification by facility and community emergency coordinator Method for determining the occurrence of a release and the area or population likely to be affected Description emergency response equipment and facilities available in the community Evacuation plans Training Methods and schedules for exercising the plan In addition, ARS Title 26, Chapter 2, Article 3 says the plan shall include • Identifying the heads of the emergency response organizations for designated areas or local governments in the district who shall make determinations necessary to implement the plan • A description of specialized equipment, facilities, personnel and emergency response organization available in the district to respond to releases. • Mutual aid agreements with other district and the allocation of emergency response resources for responding to releases. These plans are reviewed by AZSERC in accordance with NRT-1A. Indian Tribes are designated as the implementing authority of Title III on all lands within Indian country. A Tribe may form its emergency planning organization as a Tribal Emergency Response Committee (TERC), as a Tribal Emergency Planning Committee (TEPC), or by joining an off-reservation LEPC. In Arizona independent TERC’s and TEPC’s are encouraged to ensure no infringements on sovereignty. Emergency planning requirements cover facilities that have an extremely hazardous substance (listed at 40 CFR 355 Appendices A and B) present onsite above a threshold quantity. Owners/operators of facilities subject to the law must identify themselves to the AZSERC and their respective LEPC and fire department and develop a facility emergency plan. There are 15 local planning districts (committees) in Arizona. (Thanks to Roger Soden, AZSERC) "Fireline" The first version of the ASSE (American Society of Safety Engineers) Fire Protection Branch Newsletter "Fireline" is posted on the website of the Engineering Practice Specialty. If you have interests in fire protection you will get involved in this branch. It is part of the Engineering Practice Specialty and has a whole series of plans. See: http://www.asse.org/FirelineSum mer2005.pdf http://www.asse.org/dengi.htm http://www.asse.org/practice_spe c_frameset.html (Thanks to Tim Fisher with the ASSE Council on Practices and Standards. Contact info 847/7683411 (T) 847/296-9221 (F) TFisher@ASSE.Org ) GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 14 of 18 Chemical Catastrophe Could be our Katrina: By Tom Moran, Star-Ledger Columnist, Wednesday, September 07, 2005 To the citizens of New Orleans, a break in the levees around Lake Pontchartrain was always the nightmare scenario. But the warnings came and went. And in the end, the people who mattered most were not listening. In New Jersey, the nightmare threat is a terrorist attack on one of our huge chemical plants. We've had our warnings, too. Here are the facts: New Jersey has seven plants that, if attacked, could each put at least 1 million people at risk of injury or death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Try to imagine the scale of that disaster. "Think about Nagasaki or Hiroshima," says retired Adm. James M. Loy, the deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. "Many would say the chemical scenario could be the worst of all of them, if the plume went in the right direction over a populated area." Take the Kuehne Chemical Co., which sits near the Pulaski Skyway in South Kearny, smack in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas of the state. According to the EPA, 12 million people live within range of the chlorine plume and would be vulnerable, depending on which way the wind blew. Those caught in the plume could face a particularly hideous death. It begins with irritation in the nose and throat, followed by coughing, bloody noses and chest pain. The eyes and the skin become severely irritated. Eventually the lungs fill with fluid, making it impossible to breathe. The people at Kuehne say they have spent $1million on improving security at the plant in the last 18 months. And they support mandatory federal safety standards for all chemical plants. "We welcome that at any time," says Manuel Cunha, the plant manager. But the chemical industry as a whole has fought every attempt to impose tough safety standards. Former Gov. Christie Whitman, who was head of EPA after the Sept. 11 attacks, says she tried to impose tougher standards on chemical plants but was thwarted by industry lobbyists and their Republican supporters on Capitol Hill. cause a traffic jam that sets records. The rest of the highway system in the area is barely passable at rush hour, let alone panic hour. A spokesman for the State Police's Office of Emergency Management says plans are in place, and that poor people without cars will not be left behind in New Jersey. Good to know. But if you believe an evacuation would be anything short of complete chaos, then you are probably a very lonely optimist. Acting Gov. Richard Codey says he's meeting today with all his emergency managers, and that chemical plants are on the agenda. Corzine says he's making another run at a federal law this fall, and that Sens. Joseph Lieberman (DConn.) and Susan Collins (RMaine) are on board. And Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the Department of Sen. Jon Corzine, the Democratic Environmental Protection, says he's trying to fill the vacuum by candidate for governor, wrote strengthening state regulations. legislation imposing tougher standards, and was beaten back So this fight is not over by a long as well. shot. And the Katrina disaster So four years after the 9/11 might even improve the odds. attacks, we still have no federal Because now, at least, worst-case regulations requiring the scenarios are not so easy to chemical industry to gird for dismiss. attack. We remain vulnerable. Which brings us to the possibility (Thanks to multiple sources for of an evacuation. Try to imagine sharing) the mess once news breaks that a NOTE: A good kick-off point to toxic plume is spreading. discuss issues in your planning The Pulaski Skyway has no district. shoulder, so one breakdown can GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 15 of 18 GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 16 of 18 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG): on the preparation and submittal of competitive applications as well as to provide an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria. Applicants who have questions regarding the fire prevention and safety grant opportunity should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EDT), but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand. ASAP: Another Meaning We know ASAP to mean "As Soon As Possible." It is also used to mean "As Secure As Possible." Accurate, Speedy, Appropriate, Permanent. rapidly copied, assessed, posted. Explained briefly: Permanent record = All incoming / outgoing messages logged and recorded. Non-written sources authenticated and documented per agency SOP. CDC and Nuclear/Radiological Events: You can see what the Center for Disease Control's roles in the event of a nuclear or radiological terrorist event are at: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiatio n/cdcrole.asp The Department of Homeland Security today posted at the website for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) an online tutorial to assist applicants in preparing this year's Fire Prevention and Safety grants. The application period is September 6, 2005 until October 7, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The applicant tutorial is available at www.firegrantsupport.com and is designed to instruct users The AFG is administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. (Thanks to Lloyd Colston, Mayes County Emergency Management Pryor, OK USA http://www.mayescem.us ) Shorts: Accurate = precise, concise, clear. Repeat critical information, acknowledge communications, authenticate sources. Speedy = Incoming messages Appropriate Distribution = Ensure correct recipient and coordinating agency staff each get the message Thanks to EmergencyManagement@yahoogroups.com Link to CDC Public Health Image Library: Try the Center for Disease Control's webpage at http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.a sp. Wealth of information! Upcoming Deadlines: SDWA Reminder Unfiltered public water systems must submit summary report to the state for previous year – October 10 CWA Reminder Owners or operators of unfiltered public water systems must submit a report to the applicable state authority that summarizes compliance during the previous fiscal year with all watershed control program requirements and on-site inspections specified under 40 CFR 141.71 -October 10 CAA Reminder 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 – October 22 CWA Reminder Owners and operators of industrial facilities in EPA Region 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, or 10 subject to terms and conditions of EPA’s NPDES storm water multi-sector general permit must submit compliance monitoring results from the fourth year of the permit to EPA – October 2 CAA Reminders Each producer, importer, or exporter of a Class II controlled substance must submit a report to EPA providing information on the production, imports, and exports of such chemicals during the previous quarter – November 14 GATEKEEPER NEWSLETTER Page 17 of 18 Upcoming Events (See http://www.dem.state.az.us/azserc/upcoming.htm for further details) October 5-7, 2005 RRT Meeting IX (see page 7) October 19-20, 2005 First On-Scene Operations (FOSO) 16-Hour Training Hosted by the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe Mohave Valley Fire Department, Station 82 1395 Levee Drive Mohave Valley, Arizona October 19-20, 2005 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no registration fee for this training. However, due to limited number of spaces available, registration is necessary and will be limited to thirty (30) participants. Contact Cynthia Naha for additional information at (602) 258-4822. October 19-21, 2005 NAEM EHS Forum: The 13th Annual EHS Management Forum hosted by the National Association of Environmental Managers (NAEM) is being held at the Pointe at Tapatio Cliffs, October 19-21, 2005. See http://www.naem.org/forum.html for information. Industrial Materials)." See www.dem.state.az.us/azserc upcoming events for additional information. November 15 – 17, 2005 HazMat Explo9 & NASTTPO Mid-Year Meeting Orleans Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Nevada. For additional information, call (702) 455-5710 or send an e-mail to info@hazmatexplo.org. Visit www.hazmatexplo.org for the latest information. Also see www.nasttpo.org . February 21-22, 2006 Second Annual Gatekeeper Regulatory Roundup 2005 Join EPAZ, ACHMM, and AZSERC for a two day conference for all Environmental, Health & Safety Professionals! November 17, 2005 Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) invite you to attend a one day course on: Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: "The Medical and Psychological Consequences of TICs (Toxic Industrial Chemicals) and TIMs (Toxic Featuring: Prominent Presenters, Keynote Speakers, Local & National Regulatory Agencies, Great Networking with Hundreds of your Environmetal Colleagues. Located at the: Chaparral Suites Resort 5001 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, Arizona For more information please visit: www.epaz.org or www.thunderbirdchmm.org 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: Fax: (602) 231-6346 (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 Vacant – Programs & Projects Specialist II Sylvia Castillo – Admin Asst III Chrissy McCullough – Admin Asst II Commissioners: Frank F. Navarrete Chair Susan Gerard ADHS Director Stephen A. Owens ADEQ Director Victor Mendez ADOT Director Roger Vanderpool ADPS Director Designees: Daniel Roe ADEM Don Herrington ADHS Shannon Davis ADEQ Sonya Herrera ADOT Terry Conner ADPS 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 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. Apache Nitrogen – Pam Beilke Nominees: Intel Corporation - James Wick Sanmina-SCI – Steve Thorne Gatekeeper Newsletter: Daniel Roe – Editor Chrissy McCullough - Staff 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, tribal, state, local governments, industry and community interest groups.