United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Radiation and Indoor Air Radiation Protection Program November 2010 EPA 402F10008 Emergency Response i SPECIAL TEAMS Your Partners in Environmental Emergency Response ------- ------- EPA's EMERGENCY RESPONSE SPECIAL TEAMS work together to prepare for and respond to emergency releases of hazardous substances. They play a critical role in helping the Agency accomplish its mission to protect human health and the environment during chemical, biological, and radiological emergency incidents. In addition to each team's specialized skills, they also maintain an extensive network of emergency response capabilities with other agencies and branches of the military. ------- Radiological Emergency Response Team (RERT) As part of EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, the Radiological Emergency Response Team (RERT) supports federal, state, tribal, and local agencies responding to radiological incidents and emergencies. The RERT provides technical advice, monitoring, sampling, data assessment and cleanup assistance. These services focus on minimizing threats to public health and the environment. The RERT has specialized equipment including two mobile laboratories and two scanning systems used for on-site field sample analysis and assessment. State-of-the-art communications equipment enables the RERT to keep in contact with responders both on- and off-site. The national RadNet air monitoring system is utilized by RERT and provides hourly data on radioactive materials in the air. It comprises both fixed monitors and deployable components that can be transported to the immediate area of a radiological incident. For more than 35 years, the RERT has prepared for and responded to incidents, such as Three Mile Island and in 2000 the wildfires near the Los Alamos and Hanford National Laboratories as well as non-radiological emergencies, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The RERT also supports response planning efforts for NASA launches containing radioactive power sources and national special security events. ------- Environmental Response Team (ERT) As a component of EPA's Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, the Environmental Response Team (ERT) provides multi-disciplined technical expertise and logistical support in responding to hazardous substance emergencies, oil spills, potential and actual releases of biological and chemical agents as well as long-term remedial activities. The ERT assesses the site; verifies the nature and severity of the event; and participates in development of a strategy for the cleanup, decontamination or disposal, and remedy selection. Its response capabilities include, but are not limited to, air surveillance, geophysical surveying, underwater diving, radiation heallkand safety, modeling, risk assessment, rapid turnaround analytical support and the capacity for contaminant-specific method development for sampling and analysis. The Team's extensive response knowledge base is complemented by many specialized assets such as the Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) mobile laboratory. Since its inception in 1978, the ERT has been active in all 50 states, all U.S. territories and commonwealths, and 28 foreign countries. The Team has responded to more than 2,000 hazardous substance releases, oil spills, terrorist incidents and other high-profile emergencies. In addition to its response capabilities, the ERT offers a wide variety of training courses covering all aspects of response. ------- National Decontamination Team (NOT) In 2004, EPA's Office of Emergency Management established the National Decontamination Team (NDT). The NOT joins the other Special Teams under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (commonly called the National Contingency Plan) and is available to support On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs). Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the NDT is dedicated to providing decontamination expertise, especially related to chemical, biological and radiological contaminants that can be used as Weapons of Mass Destruction. Working closely with the ERT, PERT, EPA's National Homeland Security Research Center, and other agencies and research organizations, the NDT provides scientific support and technical expertise for decontamination of buildings, building contents, public infrastructure (including waste/drinking water systems, chemical plants, power plants, food processing facilities and mass transit facilities, such as airports, bus and subway systems), agriculture, and associated environmental media (air, soil and water). Specialized expertise, such as biochemistry, health physics, toxicology, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, engineering, and industrial hygiene is available to assist local, national and international agencies supporting hazardous substance response and remedial operations. ------- National Criminal Enforcement Response Team (NCERT) As a component of the Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training (OCEFT), the re-named National Criminal Enforcement Response Team (NCERT) supports environmental crime investigations involving chemical, biological, or radiological hazards and evidence. It also provides specialized law enforcement services in support of EPA investigations and emergency responses. NCERT is ready to deploy within 12 hours, 365 days a year. OCEFT maintains several strategically placed response platforms that contain safety and forensic equipment to properly process a contaminated crime scene. NCERT's specially trained Special Agents and scientific/technca! personnel collect forensic evidence at high hazard environmental crime scenes. They support surveillance and serve as law enforcement liaisons and protective escorts to EPA's OSCs and Special Teams during national emergencies. Formed in 2001 as a WMD response team, NCERT has responded to numerous man- made and natural events, such as the anthrax attacks, the ricin incident at the Capitol and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It has also supported security efforts at national special security events. The newly re-focused NCERT will continue to support environmental crime investigations and to provide law enforcement support to the Agency's mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA's Special Teams supported OSCs responding in 2005 and 2006 to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and in 2010 to the Deepwater Horizon spilt. ------- To report an emergency, contact your Regional OSC or call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. ------- |