&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Interstate Mutual Aid and Assistance:
EMAC Tips for the Water Sector
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) provides a mechanism whereby drinking water and
wastewater utilities can provide interstate (between states) mutual aid and assistance during times of emergency.
EMAC has demonstrated its value in providing interstate mutual aid and assistance for multiple sectors and disci-
plines and can be used to share water sector resources such as equipment and personnel across state lines.
Background
Information
• EMAC is the only congressionally
ratified emergency management
assistance agreement in which all
50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands participate.
• EMAC is a state-to-state
compact accessed through your
respective state Emergency
Management Agency.
• The water sector should
coordinate with Local and
State Emergency Management
Agencies during incidents. An
intrastate WARN can assist with
this effort.
• Additionally, a WARN in one state
can request assistance from a
WARN in a neighboring or distant
state via the state EMAC.
• Requests must be approved by
Requesting and Responding
State Emergency Management
Agencies before utility assets can
be deployed.
• EMAC addresses liability and
other legal issues that may arise
between utilities from different
states during the provision of
assistance.
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) recommends estab-
lishing intrastate (within a state) agreements that encompass all local
jurisdictions, public and private. This requirement ensures that coordina-
tion mechanisms within a state are in place before the more challenging
task of coordinating across state lines is attempted.
Water and Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARN), provide
a framework through which utilities can provide/receive intrastate
mutual aid and assistance. WARN can help facilitate communication
with local and state Emergency Management Agencies, state EMAC
Coordinators and the state primacy agency, during an emergency to
coordinate the deployment of water sector resources under EMAC.
The intrastate coordination of mutual aid and assistance resources
that WARN provides can be invaluable if the need for interstate mutual
aid and assistance through EMAC is needed in the future.
Listed below are tips the water sector can apply to utilize EMAC more effectively
when requesting or providing mutual aid and assistance across state lines.
FOR BOTH REQUESTING & RESPONDING UTILITIES
Before an Event:
Learn more about EMAC. General information on EMAC can be found
at www.emacweb.org.
Develop a relationship with your state EMAC Coordinator. All
EMAC requests and/or offers of assistance must be sent through the state Emer-
gency Management Agency. Your state primacy agency may be able to help you
with this process. Contact information for state emergency management agen-
cies can be found at http://www.fema.gov/about/contact/statedr.shtm.
Raise Utility awareness. EMAC can be used to facilitate the deployment
of utility assets across state lines in a fast and effective manner during a de-
clared state of emergency. However, without a proper understanding of how
to coordinate and properly request resources through EMAC, assets can easily
be overlooked or go unused. Continued on back...
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Interstate Mutual Aid and Assistance: EMACTIPS FOR THE WATER SECTOR '
Train and educate personnel. Develop
information for mutual aid/assistance personnel on
what personal items to take, what to expect during
the deployment, what health and safety risks might
exist, what legal protections they will have, etc.
Have this information ready and provide training
before teams are assembled for deployment.
Know the law. Consult with your emergency
management agency, state primacy agency, and
legal counsel to explore the legal mechanisms that
might be available to deploy volunteers from pub-
lic utilities. Although private utilities are typically
not included in EMAC Missions, check with state
authorities to determine if mechanisms exist within
your state to deploy private resources.
Review all paperwork related to the of-
ficial EMAC request. EMAC Missions are
legally binding, and have important implications
for reimbursement, acceptance of licensure, liabil-
ity coverage, and worker's compensation. Like all
reimbursement packages, upon return you must
be able to show supporting documentation for all
costs on that mission. Before you deploy, make
sure that you have specified the exact number and
type of personnel that you expect to deploy and that
the cost is reasonable. Review the type of required
information with the state EMAC Coordinator be-
fore the next emergency to better understand what
is needed.
Work with other states to strengthen
your state's system or to aid in the de-
velopment Of theirs WARNs should coordi-
nate between states to aid in mutual strengthening
and development. Many WARNs have resources
already identified, credentialed, and ready to de-
ploy. Use your neighboring WARNs as resources
to enhance your own system.
Learn more about WARN. Find general in-
formation on WARN at www.nationalwarn.org.
During an Event:
Promptly request everything that is needed. There
is no standard list of what resources other states may have avail-
able for deployment, so do not assume that your request cannot
be fulfilled.
Be Specific about requests. Rather than requesting "per-
sonnel" and "supplies," specify what types of each are needed
and in what quantities. Responding states will want to know
if they should look for engineers, electricians, or other types of
personnel. If you are uncertain how much of a resource you may
need, estimate.
Use personal contacts to your advantage, if you know
of a resource that exists in another state, you can save time by
communicating in advance with the owner of that resource. Once
you know that it is available, your state Emergency Management
Agency must make a formal request to the state with the resource.
Please give your state Emergency Management Agency the pro-
vider's contact information and the resource request description
(what, how many, price, etc.) to facilitate the request.
Look to your closest neighbors first. Assets may be
available from all over the country, but your neighboring states
may be able to provide the timeliest assistance.
If possible, put out an early advisory through your
state Emergency Management Agency and EMAC.
This can be done in the early stages of a response to inform other
states that your state may use EMAC in the near future to make
requests for drinking water and wastewater personnel and equip-
ment if mutual aid is needed. This will give state authorities the
opportunity to plan appropriately to meet any potential requests.
Plan ahead. Develop cost estimates for assets that may be de-
ployed along with any logistical needs (personnel, equipment, and
length of deployment).
Consider yourself successful if you make your re-
sources available. Sometimes your state may not be the first to
respond or you might be asked to stand down due to a changing situ-
ation. Do not let these situations discourage you. Consider yourself
successful in organizing and staging for being available to help.
Effective Use of Mutual Aid & Assistance
Fully utilize statewide or intrastate mutual aid and
assistance agreements, like WARN.
Communicate with the appropriate local and state
officials to coordinate the response actions and to
gain access to the affected area.
EMAC manages the challenge of addressing
interstate response and liability, workers
compensation, and reciprocity.
EMAC is already signed into law and is available
to the water sector.
Office of Water (4608T) • EPA817-F-07-012 • www.epa.gov/watersecurity • OCTOBER 2007-
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