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Home My WebLink About2001 10 30 Fax to Orlando Sentinel *************** -COMM. JOURNAL- ******************* DATE OCT-30-2001 ***** TIME 15:06 ******** MODE = MEMORY TRANSMISSION START=OCT-30 15:03 EI~D=OCT-30 15:06 FILE NO.=034 STN NO. S~t!I1,- ABBR NO. STATION NAM2~ NO. PAG~S__~ON ""0 ~ C:~4' -CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS ************************************ - - ***** - 407 327 4753- ********* CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA 1126 EAST STATE ROAD 434 WINTER SPRINGS, F~ORIDA 3270s.-27l,l9 Telephone (407) 327-1600 , FACSIMILE COVER SHEET DATE: October 30, 2001 TO: Robert Perez Orlando Sentinel FROM: Commissioner Cindy Gennell TELEPHONE: (407) 327-1800 FACSIMILE: (407) 327-4753 (including this CQver sheet) COMMENTS: CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA 1126 EAST STATE ROAD 434 WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA 32708-2799 Telephone (407) 327-1800 " FACSIMILE COVER SHEET DATE: October 30,2001 TO: Robert Perez Orlando Sentinel FROM: Commissioner Cindy Gennell FACSIMILE: (407) 321-7435 TELEPHONE: (407) 327-1800 FACSIMILE: (407) 327-4753 NUMBER OF PAGES: [}] (including this cover sheet) COMMENTS: Local Emergency Planning Committees in Your Community byDeniselmbler Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) are key in Florida's successful implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To- Know Act (EPCRA), established in 1987. The EPCRA leg- islation was passed by Congress in response to a chemi- cal spill in Bhoupal, India, that killed more than 3,000 people and injured thousands more due to poor plan- ning and lack of community awareness. EPCRA is ad- ministered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is implemented by the Florida Department of Community Affairs. The purpose of the law is to encourage emergency planning efforts at the state and local levels and to in- crease the public's access to information about the po- tential chemical hazards that may exist in their com- munities. Formed under Section 301 of EPCRA, the Florida LEPC districts were established by the State Emer- gency Response Commission (SERC) and share the same geographical boundaries as the state's 11 Regional Plan- ning Councils (RPCs). The SERC is a governor-appointed commission composed of representatives from environ- mental organizations, private industry, local and mu- nicipal governments, and first-responder agencies. In recognizing the RPCs, the Florida Legislature stated in 1993 that their geographical structure benefits local communities. That is because the RPCs, and therefore the LEPCs, are Florida's only multi-purpose regional entities that are in a position to plan for and coordi- nate intergovernmental solutions to problems on greater-than-local issues, provide technical assistance to local governments, and meet other needs of the com- munities in each region. The Department of Community Affairs contracts each year with the individual RPCs to provide professional support for the LEPCs in the execution of their respon- sibilities pursuant to the EPCRA legislation. These re- sponsibilities involve developing and conducting re- gional hazardous materials exercises, coordinating re- gional emergency response plans, performing public outreach, providing technical assistance to industry and serving as the regional repositories for EPCRA facility chemical reports. Each LEPC consists of approximately 30 volunteer members representing one of 18 occupational catego- ries such as emergency management, hazardous-materi- als facility owner, first aid, firefighting, and elected and non-elected local officials. LEPC members are nominated by the LEPC chairman, and the appointments are ap- proved by the SERe. The LEPC typically meets once a quarter and submits quarterly activity and financial re- ports to the Department of Community Affairs. Chair- men and the LEPC staff contacts meet quarterly with 24 Florida League of Cities department staff to exchange ideas and address issues of joint concern. The quarterly meetings are held the day prior to the SERC meetings to allow the LEPC repre- sentatives the opportunity to present key issues that may require action by the SERe. LEPC committee members form subcommittees that focus on such issues as com- munity education and awareness, training needs for the region and LEPC membership participation. LEPCs are also responsible for submitting summaries of district activities for HazMatters, a quarterly newsletter presented to the SERC and posted on the SERC Web site at http:// www.dca.state.fl.us/cps/SERC/serc.htm . The 11 LEPCs in Florida are among the most active and productive in the nation. To complement their EPCRA-related activities, the LEPCs receive funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transpor- tation for first-responder training and regional commu- nity planning projects. These funds enable the LEPCs to accomplish various planning projects that enhance community safety and awareness, as well as provide hazardous-materials response training to volunteer and professional first responders. Planning projects completed in the past include com- modity flow studies, facility hazards analysis summa- ries and shelter-in-place education enhancement. A com- modity flow study provides a survey of the types of and frequency with which a hazardous material is trans- ported over major roadways through an LEPC district. For the facility hazards analysis summary, a one-page information sheet is created providing key information on each facility in the LEPC district using or storing extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) for first respond- ers to use when responding to a fire or a release at the facility. Shelter-in-place enhancement involves perform- ing outreach to the community on procedures for shel- tering in place and evacuating in the event a hazardous material is accidentally released from a facility. Several districts have recently completed projects that their LEPC decided would enhance that region's haz- ardous materials program. The District 3 LEPC developed a hazardous-materials regional response team, District 11 organized and hosted a hazardous-materials confer- ence, and District 5 organized and hosted a Compre- hensive HAZMAT Emergency Response Capability Assess- ment Program (CHER-CAP) exercise partially funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (See page 26.) This was a regional exercise used to test communi- cations, command structure and the ability to respond to a hazardous-materials incident. Also, from 1998 to 2000, several LEPCs hosted "Safety Streets," an event co- ordinated under the Accidental Release Prevention and Risk Management Program that allowed local industry representatives to inter- face with the commu- nity to discuss the haz- ards presented and the safety precautions in place at their facilities. LEPCs played a pivotal role in bringing fa- cility representatives and the community to- gether. Many LEPC staff contacts perform haz- ards analysis updates for the facilities in their region stor- ing or using EHSs and, along with Department of Com- munity Affairs staff, attend audits of facility accidental release prevention risk management plans. These activi- ties promote community safety, inform the public and aid facilities in mitigating against an accidental hazard- ous-materials release. LEPCs function through the voluntary support and participation of the local community. They provide valu- able training to first responders, assist industry in plan- ning for and mitigating accidental releases, and keep the public informed. If you would like to learn more about your LEPC, a map listing the 11 LEPCs in Florida is provided, or you may access the SERC Web site at http://www.dca.state.{l.us/cps/SERC/serc.htm for additional information Dn the EPCRA program. _ Denise 1mbler is the planning manager for the Florida Hazardous Materials Program with the Department of Community Affairs. District 1 Local Emergency Planning Committees 2 WEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Richard Delp / Staff Contact: Terry Joseph Post Office Box 486 . Pensacola 32593-0486 (850) 595-8910's/c 695-8910 FAX: (850) 595-8967 e-mail address:josepht@Wfrpc.dsUI.us APALACHEE REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: RIchard Smith / Staff Contact: Nell fleckenstein 314 E. Central Avenue, Room 119 . Blountstown 32424 (850) 674-4571 sic 771-4417 FAX: (850) 674-4574 Tallahassee Office (850) 488-6211 FAX: (850) 488- 1 61 6 e-mail address: arpc@thearpc.org NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: John Hudson / Staff Contact: Dwayne Mundy 2009 N.W. 67 Place, Suite A . Gainesville 32653 (352) 955-2200 ext. 108 sic 625-2200 FAX: (352) 955-2209 e-mail address: mundy@ncfrpc.org NORTHEAST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Michael Chlada / Staff Contact: Lori Abramson 9143 Phillips Highway, Suite 350 . Jacksonville 32256 (904) 363-6375 ext. 147 sic 874-6350 FAX: (904) 363-6356 e-mail address: fabramson@nefrpc.org WITHLACOOCHEE REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Milton Hili / Staff Contact: Charlotte Neupauer 1241 S.w. 10th Street. Ocala 34474-2798 (352) 732-1315 ext. 229 sic 667-1315 FAX: (352) 732-1319 e-mail address:/epc5@at/antic.net EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Jennifer Hobbs / Staff Contact: Teri Hunalp 631 Wymore Road. Maitland 32789 (407) 623-1075 ext. 335 sic 334-1075 FAX: (407) 623-1 084 e-mail address: teri@ecfrpc.org 3 4 5 6 f7"'7" JJ 0 =1 o~t? 7 CENTRAL FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Ed Higby / Staff Contact: Burt Mckee Post Office Drawer 2089. Bartow 33831 (863) 534-7130 ext. 104 sic 549-7130 FAX: (863) 534-7138 e-mail address: bmckee@cfrpc.org TAMPA BAY REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Ernie Hiers / Staff Contact: Bill Lofgren 9455 Koger Boulevard, Suite 219 . St. Petersburg 33702-2491 (727) 570-5151 ext. 248 sic 513-5066 FAX: (727) 570-5118 e-mail address: bil/@tbrpc.org SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Bruce Porter/ Staff Contact: John Gibbons Post Office Box 3455 . North Fort Myers 33918-3455 (941) 656-7720 sic 749-7720 FAX: (941) 656-7724 e-mail address: jgibbons@swfrpc.org TREASURE COAST REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: Brian Hanley / Staff Contact: Bruce Pisani 301 East Ocean Boulevard, Suite 300 . Stuart 34994 (561) 221-4060 sic 269-4060 FAX: (561) 221-4067 e-mail address: pisoni@tcrpc.org SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL LEPC Chairperson: George Danz/ Staff Contact: Alex Schore 3440 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 140. Hollywood 33021 (954)985-4416 s/c473-4416 FAX: (954)985-4417 e-mail address:oschore@sfrpc.com 8 9 10 11 Quality Cities - September/October 2001 2S OJ ne Florida emergency-prepaiednes~ group recently had a golden opport~nity t~ test and cr.itiq.ue its .disaster preparedness processes by stagmg a dIsaster exerCIse mvolvmg a leak of hazardous materi- als. Of the many lessons learned from the exercise, probably none was more significant than being made aware of the intense levels of interagency co- operation that are needed to successfully address such an emergency. In Florida, a system has been established to enable local communities to address their own disaster preparedness needs. Local Emergency Planning Councils (LEPCs) are designed to facilitate emergency planning efforts at the local level, assist with regional coordination, and assist local emergency responders address hazardous-materials public safety issues. All states have LEPCs. In Florida, the LEPCs are organized in conjunction with the 11 Re- gional Planning Councils. The District 5 LEPC, representing Citrus, Hernando, Levy, Marion and Sumter counties, was created in 1988 in response to legislation provided by the Emer- gency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act. The Withlacoochee Re- gional Planning Council, in existence since 1973, provides the necessary staff support for the District 5 LEPC with funding from the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management. On April 7, 2000, it was announced to the State Emergency Response Commission that the District 5 LEPC had been selected by the Federal Emer- gency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement the FEMA National CHER- CAP Program in Region IV. (CHER-CAP stands for "Comprehensive Hazmat Emergency Response-Capability Assessment Program" and was established by FEMA to assist local communities in improving their hazardous-materi- als response capabilities. "Region IV," meanwhile, is a FEMA designation referring to an eight-state region in the southeastern United States.) CHER-CAP uses the skills and resources of local, state and federal entities and industry to identify and address local jurisdictions' hazardous-materials preparedness needs. It is also intended to enhance the community's ability to operate within the national response system as described in the National Contingency Plan. The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. De- partment of Transportation are key federal partners in CHER-CAP. While CHER-CAP focuses on is- sues specific to hazardous-materials preparedness and response, it also reinforces preparedness for all haz- ards by drawing together the key partners from the public and private sector at the local level. It gives re- sponders from all disciplines - firefighting, emergency medical ser- vices, law enforcement, public works, health, environment, volunteer or- ganizations and industry - a forum to plan, train and work together demonstrating skills and discovering opportunities for improvements in preparedness and response. Because it joins public and private sector par- ticipants, CHER-CAP can add a tech- nological hazards component to the disaster preparedness process. Upon receiving the news of District 5's selection, Milton Hill, our District 5 chairman, and I came back from Tallahassee with a sense of pride to have been selected and a feeling of enthusiasm for beginning the process. Although we anticipated that the process would be time-consuming and would require a districtwide com- mitment; little did we know just how inadequate our thoughts on the is- sue of time and effort would be! Once reality set in, the LEPC sought assis- tance from Lee Newsome, Emergency Response Educators and Consultants, lne. (EREC), a local company that we knew had expertise in exercise pre- paredness. After 10 months of hours upon hours of preparation and meet- ings after meetings, "C-Day" finally arrived on February 17, 200l. The CHER-CAP full-scale exercise was designed to be as close as pos- sible to a real disaster. The field exer- cise was designed to evaluate the operational capability of the emer- gency management systems in a highly stressful environment, which simulated actual response condi- tions. To accomplish this realism re- quired the mobilization and actual movement of emergency personnel, equipment and resources. The exer- cise required the coordinated actions of many agencies, tested a number of emergency functions, and acti- vated the local Emergency Opera- tions Center. Realism was achieved through on-scene actions and deci- sions, simulated "victims," rescue re- quirements, communication devices, equipment deployment, and actual resource and manpower allocation. The full-scale exercise was designed to test and evaluate most functions of the emergency management plans for those involved. Moreover, this exercise was intended to show re- sponse capabilities of participating agencies, their needs and identify potential problems that might affect an actual response in the future. All five counties under District 5 participated to some extent. Ocala While the table-top scenario was not the actual mock-disaster scenario, the process proved very valuable in pre- paring for the real exercise. The exercise began on Saturday, February 17, 2001, at approximately 9:00 a.m. with a farm delivery truck attempting to beat a train to a cross- ing. Hitting the track at an exces- sive rate of speed, the truck's load shifted and was spilled onto the track. A number of items fell from the truck, one of which was a 150- pound cylinder, which became lodged beneath the train's engine. Thanks to the cooperation of a local railroad company, we were able to play with the "real thing." The con- tents of the cylinder were a mixture (pretend, of course!) of chloropicrin and methyl bromide. The initial 911 call was delivered by a privately owned vehicle that was fol- lowing the truck. The second call was initiated by the train crew to report the incident, while the third call was placed from a day care center adjacent to the railroad tracks. The exer- cise was under way! The exercise location was specifically selected due to its close proximity to the day care, an assisted living facility, two churches, a private school, businesses and a heavy resi- dential population. Seventeen evaluators, re- spected professionals in their field from outside of Region 5, were brought in to view and as- sess the exercise. FEMA's evalua- tion criteria required that specific areas be evaluated; examples include "Haz Mat Teams," "Emergency Operations Center," "Incident Command System," "Law Enforcement," "Emergency Medi- cal Services," "Medical Facility, Com- munications," "Public Information" and "Population Protection Actions." Following the mock-disaster, an exercise critique was conducted. During the critique, each evaluator spoke regarding his or her observa- tions. The critique also offered an opportunity for dialog exchange between the evaluator and the spe- cific response entity. Additionally, following the submission of the Af- (Marion County) was chosen because of the extensive transportation net- work that criss-crosses the county (In- terstate 75, Highway 40, Highway 441/301/27, an airport, a railroad) and the heavy industry/transportation of associated hazardous materials cur- rently developing within the county. Prior to the actual exercise, on January 12, 2001, a "table-top" exer- cise was conducted. It was not a tra- ditional table-top exercise. Ques- tions were thrown out with differ- ent situations, and the groups worked within their disciplines to come up with the answers and see what other disciplines they affected. ter-Action Report to FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the response entities were provided a copy of their writ- ten evaluation along with specific recommendations. While many valuable lessons were learned during the planning process and exercise, perhaps the greatest learned was the extent of coordina- tion that will be required in the event of a real disaster. More than 30 agencies participated in the planning process and various elements of the exercise. During the exercise, approximately 250 people were participating at various locations throughout the City of Ocala, Marion County and adjacent counties. District 5 response agencies became more familiar with each other's re- sources, made new connections and developed a lasting knowledge of how to work together to protect all of our communities. It is our hope to truly capitalize on the CHER-CAP experience by holding our next CHER-CAP Exercise Committee Meet- ing in February 2002. At that time, we will review the training efforts that have been implemented as a result of the recommendations by the evaluators during the exercise. For additional information on the Local Emergency Planning Councils or CHER-CAP, you may contact me by phone at (352) 732-1315, ext. 229, or by e-mail at01eupauer.lepc50wrpc.cc. - Charlotte S. Neupauer is the District 5 LEPC coordinator which is administered by Witl1lacoocl1ee Regional Planning Council. Quality Cities - September/October 2001 27