&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Water Sector Mutual Aid and Assistance:
Utilities Helping Utilities
Background: The events of 9/11, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and severe flooding in New
England and the Midwest in 2007 have shown the need for water and wastewater systems to share
resources to overcome disasters occurring at a local or regional level. The Water Sector's professional
associations, with support from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Water Security Division
(WSD), are working to encourage local utilities in every State to establish intrastate mutual aid and
assistance agreements between both drinking water and wastewater utilities.
These agreements, formally known as Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARN), embrace
a utility-driven model to facilitate an effective and efficient flow of personnel and resources after an
emergency. By adopting the WARN approach to mutual aid and assistance, drinking water and
wastewater utilities in each state are able to sign a single agreement covering issues such as
indemnification, workers' compensation, and reimbursement. Unlike existing statewide mutual aid
agreements, WARN membership is open to both public and private utilities. The agreement also allows
for utilities to share equipment, personnel, and other resources required to respond effectively to any
crisis. WARN helps utilities reduce the typical response "gap" between local agreements and activation of
statewide agreements, as it does not require an emergency declaration prior to activation.
WARN Activation Timeline: Reducing the Response "Gap" During Emergencies
WARN Activation
Interstate
Mutual Aid/Ast
Emergency
Occurs
Declared
Emergency
Governor
Declaration
Recovery
Mission: The mission of WARN is to provide expedited access to specialized resources needed to
respond to and recover from natural and human caused events that disrupt public and private drinking
water and wastewater utilities.
Purpose: EPA supports the development of WARNs to:
• Promote the establishment of intrastate mutual aid and assistance agreements to enhance
preparedness, improve incident response, and provide utility resilience in the face of a disaster.
• Support individual WARNs by providing tools and technical assistance such as tabletop exercise
materials and guidance on developing WARN implementation protocols.
• Support Department of Homeland Security requirements for compliance with the National Incident
Management System (NIMS).
Recognition: Due to the outstanding support EPA and the American Water Works Association (AWWA)
provided to this grassroots, utility-driven effort, the International Association of Emergency Managers
(IAEM) awarded them the 2006 "Partners in Preparedness" award. The model agreement implemented by
WARN is recognized as a "Model Agreement" by the DHS/FEMA National Integration Center (NIC)
Incident Management Systems Division.
Water Security Division
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Water Sector Mutual Aid and Assistance: Utilities Helping Utilities
Page 2
Stakeholders:
• Utility owner/operators as the key participants
• State water and wastewater primacy agencies participate as advisors and in a supporting role
• State emergency management/homeland security agencies help integrate WARN into state programs
• Water Sector professional associations such as AWWA, NRWA, WEF, AMWA, ASDWA, NACWA,
NAWC, and ASIWPCA, who in February 2006, signed a joint policy statement on mutual aid and
assistance titled, "Utilities Helping Utilities," to promote programs such as WARN
EPA Support: EPA is fully committed to the development of WARNs, providing extensive outreach,
facilitation, and technical support through:
• WARN Workshops - An EPA grant to AWWA supported twelve WARN Workshops with
participation from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Workshop speakers included EPA staff, as
well as other WARN experts supported through EPA contracts.
• Work Products and Outreach - EPA facilitated the development of the March 2006 "Utilities Helping
Utilities Action Plan," numerous fact sheets, a Frequently Asked Questions document, and has
presented the WARN concept at a number of national conferences and meetings.
Next Steps: The number of
statewide agreements has more
than tripled in the past year,
leading to a better prepared and
more resilient Water Sector. This
success has led to a need to
exercise and validate the
processes and protocols utilized
during activation and
implementation of a WARN. EPA
has responded to that need by
developing tabletop exercises and
a protocols guidance document.
The tabletop exercises will help
WARN members coordinate more
effectively with state and local
emergency management agencies,
state primacy agencies, and
federal agencies. They will also
enable participating utilities and
agencies to define their roles and
responsibilities more precisely
and realistically.
Mutual Aid and Assistance Activation
Water
Emergency
Occurs
Water Utility:
-Assesses impact of emergency
- Determines if resources are sufficient
- Deploys available resources
- Identifies need for mutual aid/assistance
t
Mutual Response
Agreements with
local/neighbor utilities
I
Water/Wastewater
Agency Response
Network (WARN)
t
Statewide Mutual Aid
Agreement
for all resources
WARN includes both public and private drinking water and wastewater
utilities and does not require a formal disaster declaration for activation
While initially focused on intrastate networks, interstate mutual aid and assistance agreements may be
needed to share resources across state lines. EPA and WARN partners are exploring the use of
mechanisms, such as the National Emergency Management Agency's (NEMA) Emergency Management
Assistance Compact (EMAC), to meet this critical objective. EPA has developed an outreach document,
titled "EMAC Tips for the Water Sector," which includes information the Water Sector can apply to
utilize EMAC more effectively when requesting or providing mutual aid and assistance across state lines.
For Additional Information: Visit www.NationalWARN.org. or contact John Whitler of EPA
(whitler j ohn(g),epa. gov).
Office of Water (4608T) • EPA 817-F-07-015 • www.epa.gov/watersecurity • OCTOBER 2007
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