United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5101)
March 1995
EPA-550F-9 5-00.1
Thinking About Deliberate Releases:
Steps Your Community Can Take
Technical Assistance Bulletin
Recent incidents, such as the deliberate chemical release in
Tokyo, Japan, highlight the need to ensure that locaL
emergency response plans consider this possibility, however
slight it may be. The United States government has
structures and mechanisms in place to address situations like
the Japanese subway incident. However, state and local
authorities and first responders need to be well prepared.
Under the Federal Response Plan (FRP)*, the U.S. Public ,
Health Service (PHS) would provide the lead for.
coordinating a federal effort for health and medical services.
It would be supported by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), the Department of Defense (DOD), and
other agencies. . . '
This bulletin's objective is to bring to your attention how
your local emergency plan review process can address
deliberate releases and to provide suggestions for rapid
action. This bulletin should not cause undue alarm about the
likelihood of deliberate- releases (as they remain highly
improbable events). Throughput the plan review process,
the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) should
coordinate with local fire, police, and health and
environmental departments, hospitals, and other government
agencies and organizations that may play: a role in
responding to a deliberate release.
Most of the elements, contained in your emergency response
plan are directly applicable to a deliberate release scenario.
Some key differences remain, however. The following
section suggests areas of your emergency response plan that
may need additional development. .
The checklist below is not intended to be exhaustive.
However, it should trigger taking another look at your plan
to ensure that it meets special needs. We suggest that^ an
LEPC meeting is an appropriate way to address this matter.
PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE
First Steps
d Determine if there are independent efforts in your
community addressing deliberate releases (e.g., by the
police and fire departments), and if so, coordinate these
efforts with community emergency response planning
efforts.
P Assess the likelihood of a deliberate release and
potential locations, such as transportation facilities,
water treatment plants, and natural gas facilities, where
a release may occur In order to focus planning.
Training and Equipment
Ensure that your plan: . ' -
D Requires personnel to be trained to respond to a broad
range of incidents, including deliberate releases.
(Training should include exercises with deliberate
release scenarios.)
d Identifies access to personnel trained to use appropriate
personal protective equipment and to carry out response
and clean up activities.
* The FRP, coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provides a structure for federal assistance: For a deliberate release, the
PHS within the Department of Health and Human Services (Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8 - Health and Medical Services) would lead a coordinated
federal effort. The Environmental Protection Agency'(ESF #10 - Hazardous Materials) would assist ESF #8. Each ESF provides mechanisms for delivering
federal assistance. ESF #10 integrates the efforts of the federal Regional Response Teams functioning under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances
Contingency Plan (NCP).
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Q Identifies access to personnel familiar with risk
communication techniques. (Training may be obtained
from EPA and FEMA for example.)
O Identifies access to appropriate equipment to respond
(e.g., special monitoring and protective equipment).
(The State representative on the Regional Response
Team may be able to assist in this process.)
Alert and Notification
Ensure that your plan:
D Encompasses mechanisms to identify whether a release
is deliberate.
O Addresses procedures to notify the proper federal (e.g. ,
the National Response Center), state, and local
authorities.
D Outlines a mechanism to contact the Governor or other
officials who might declare an emergency.
O Includes rapid notification procedures for contacting -the
health department, local hospitals, and other medical
facilities to prepare for the possible decontamination of
individuals exposed to extremely hazardous substances
(some of which may be extremely uncommon) and to
provide patient management services.
D Outlines procedures for rapid and continued
communication with all critical parties from local fire,
police, and health departments to special federal
response entities.
D Addresses how to rapidly warn residents of the threat
or occurrence of a deliberate release without causing
undue alarm.
D Considers in place protection/evacuation procedures.
D Addresses additional security measures to be taken in
and around the community at risk.
Site Emergency Procedures
Ensure that your plan:
D Provides for special security clearances for field
personnel and others entering key facilities.
E Allows for periodic communication to the community
on the status of the situation.
n Provides for communication with nearby sites and
facilities that may also be 'targets of deliberate releases.
d Provides for additional experts to remain in contact with
federal and state entities, not typically involved with
hazardous material response efforts, but with an
informed interest in and responsibility for deliberate
release scenarios (e.g., FBI).
n Identifies specific state and federal resources to be
accessed.
Re-entry
Ensure that your plan:
d Identifies access to expert advice and procedures
concerning decontamination techniques for clean up of
uncommon extremely hazardous substances.
n
Discusses the unique aspects of re-entry into the affected
area, such as the possibility of additional threats or
incidents.
Outlines procedures for rapidly releasing-information to
the public and media regarding re-entry.
Remember that your existing emergency response plan
addresses many of the issues that you will need to consider,
but additional efforts now will allow you to respond
immediately to the particular threats and risks involved with
deliberate releases.
In the event of an intentional release of an
extremely hazardous substance,
contact the National Response Center.
1-800-424-8802
For additional information,
contact your State Emergency Response
Commission or State representative on the
federal Regional Response Team.
Highlights personnel and procedures for access control,
rumor control, and evacuation control.
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