United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
MUTUAL AID/ASSISTANCE
AGREEMENTS
Integrating WARN and Other Mutual Aid Agreements
BACKGROUND
In February 2006, eight major water organizations signed the Joint Policy Statement on Mutual
Aid and Assistance Networks, encouraging utilities and local/state governments to establish
intrastate mutual aid and assistance networks. The organizations committed to the "Utilities
Helping Utilities" concept and encouraged their members to join mutual aid and assistance
networks, such as Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARN).
In addition to WARN, utilities often participate in one-on-one agreements with neighboring
utilities, as well as public agency statewide mutual aid and assistance programs. Participating in
multiple agreements provides utilities with flexibility in evaluating the most effective and
efficient means of obtaining resources during an emergency.
OTHER AGREEMENTS AND WARN
Unlike typical statewide mutual aid agreements, WARN membership can include both public
and private utilities. 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. The agreement allows
utilities to share equipment, personnel, and other resources.
WARN recognizes the need for member utilities to manage existing agreements with local,
neighboring utilities, statewide programs, and interstate programs.
Utilities may participate in these and other agreements, and retain full WARN membership;
serve on the various WARN committees and subcommittees; as well as serve as the WARN
Chair, if elected to the position. Utilities that participate in other agreements can also request or
send resources through their WARN during an emergency, but are not obligated to do so, as is
true for all WARN members.
EMERGENCY TIMELINE AND MUTUAL AID ^^^^^^B
During an emergency, a utility must determine what resources it needs and evaluate the options
available to obtain those resources. This may include three possible mutual aid or assistance
mechanisms i Emergency Timeline and Mutual Aid
(1) Activate existing local
agreements or contact
neighboring utilities with which
they have pre-written
agreements.
(2) Access a public agency
statewide mutual aid program.
(3) Access WARN resources, if
the utility is a member. By
activating WARN, a utility can
reduce the response "gap"
between local and statewide
mutual aid, and can sustain access to resources into the recovery phase, while this may not be the
case with other options.
WARN Mutual Aid
Emergency
Occurs
Response
Recovery
- Office of Water (4608-T) | EPA 817-F-11-001 | January 2011 | http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecuritv -
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Water
Emergency
Occurs
MUTUAL AID AND ASSISTANCE AGREEMENTS AND WARN
page 2 of 2
INTEGRATED RESPONSE EFFORTS ^^^^^^^"*
Depending on the complexity of an emergency, response actions may consist of accessing
multiple mutual aid and assistance agreements concurrently. WARN is structured to
accommodate this and past responses have demonstrated how effectively this can work:
Easter Earthquake,
Mutual Aid and Assistance Activation California (2010) -
CalWARN members
responded as a mutual aid
task force under both the
CalWARN agreement and
the State Master Mutual
Aid Agreement to staff the
utility, county, and state
emergency operations
centers.
Water Contamination
Incident, Alamosa,
Colorado, (2008) -
Resources from CoWARN
and other mutual aid
networks (Rural Water and
the Mid-America Alliance)
provided sampling
expertise and resources for
flushing and disinfecting
the water system.
WATER UTILITY:
- Assesses impact of emergency
- Determines if resources are sufficient
- Deploys available resources
- Identifies need for mutual aid/assistance
Mutual Response
Agreements with
local/neighbor utilities
Water/Wastewater
Agency Response
Network (WARN)
Statewide Mutual Aid
Agreement
for all resources
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WARN
FALSE
WARN membership
precludes participation in
other mutual aid and
assistance agreements, or
using resources from
contractors or associations
WARN obligates members to
send resources
WARN membership is
expensive
Putting the WARN agreement
through legal review is cost-
prohibitive
TRUE
> The Joint Policy Statement signed by the wastewater and water organizations
supports mutual aid and assistance networks of all kinds; the WARN program is
not the only option
> WARN encourages member utilities to access local agreements and statewide
programs, and does not attempt to replace them
> WARN member utilities can participate in other mutual aid and assistance
agreements
> No member is obligated to send resources if they decide not to for any reason
> Most existing WARNs do not require a membership or retainer fee
> All member utilities volunteer time to develop and maintain their WARN
> Some states' Attorneys General have reviewed the WARN agreement, in
addition to legal experts from numerous drinking water and wastewater utilities,
and additional review may not be necessary
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information is available through outreach products developed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to aid utilities in the development of mutual aid and assistance networks. To
learn more, please contact Nushat Thomas of EPA (thomas .nushat@epa.gov) or Jenny Thomas of EPA
(thomas.jenny@epa.gov). Additional information is also available at:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecuritv/mutualaid/index.cfin
Office of Water (4608-T) | EPA 817-F-11-001 | January 2011 | http://water.epa.qov/infrastructure/watersecuritv
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