Winter 2010, Issue 1
WARN
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Welcome to the WARN Highlights Bulletin!
Greetings and welcome to the first issue of WARN Highlights, a biannual bulletin aimed at im-
proving communication and information sharing between members of the WARN community,
including WARN chairs, member utilities, and partners at the local, state, and federal level.
As we look back on the WARN program's exponential
growth and proven success over the past five years, it
is clear that the age-old principle of "neighbors helping
neighbors" continues to resonate with the Emergency
Response community today. As we continue to work to
attain a more prepared, resilient Water Sector, mutual
aid and assistance will be a cornerstone in this en-
deavor. This bulletin will serve as a space where you
can share lessons learned, provide suggestions on how
to strengthen WARN, and advertise upcoming events.
Photo Credit: www.nationalWARN.org
National WARN Status: October 2010
U.S. EPA has been a proud partner and supporter of the WARN program over the past five years
and is committed to continuing efforts to support your programs through all phases of develop-
ment and deployment. We look forward to working with you over the next five years and be-
yond.
Thanks for reading!
WARN on the Web
U.S. EPA Mutual Aid and Assistance Main Page:
This page has a number of WARN resources, including fact sheets, the
sample Operational Plan and Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement,
WARN Tabletop Exercise Facilitator Guide, and many other relevant
tools/publications.
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/mutualaid
AWWA National WARN Website:
NationalWARN.org provides a central hub where WARN members can
find resources (like fact sheets, Resource Typing Manual, and other
related Emergency Response publications), share Situation Reports
from past activations, and network with other WARNs across the U.S.
http://www.nationalwarn.org
& 'I'm
Review of 2010 National
WARN Chairs Meeting
Spotlight: GAWARN
EPA Tabletop Exercises:
Lessons Learned
Improving Interstate
Mutual Aid
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National WARN Chairs Meeting Snapshot
EPA —Water Security Division
On September 22, 2010, WARN chairs from 34 states gathered in Washington, DC for the third annual National
WARN Chairs Meeting. The meeting was co-sponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Cynthia Dougherty, Director of EPA's Office of Ground Water and
Drinking Water, provided introductory remarks. Kevin Morley, AWWA Security and Preparedness Program Man-
ager, facilitated the meeting, which focused on current and future efforts to improve individual WARNs, WARN-to
-WARN collaboration, and how to engage with the broader Emergency Response community.
WARN Funding
WARN chairs discussed funding sources they
have used to support WARN operations, such as
website maintenance, resource acquisitions (like
generators), outreach to prospective member
utilities, and trainings/exercises.
EPA Recovery and Reimbursement Initiatives
"The WARN program unites us all. It strengthens your
ability to help one another, to maintain your service, and
to support the health of our communities...the EPA is
committed to continuing to support WARN programs
nationwide, by both strengthening existing networks and
establishing new programs."
EPA is working with utilities, FEMA, and other - Cynthia Dougherty
Emergency Response partners to develop infor- Director - EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
mation and tools to support recovery/
reimbursement efforts. These efforts include: a
FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Grant brochure to educate the Water Sector about how to access PA Grant funds*;
web-based materials that provide drinking water and wastewater utilities with information about federal grants
for disaster funding; and the "Reimbursement Tips for the Water Sector" fact sheet*.
*Both of these publications are available at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/index.cfm
Tools to Strengthen WARN Response
Jenny Thomas, EPA, shared a current draft of the "WARN Tabletop Exercise Lessons Learned" fact sheet, which
outlines common lessons learned from thirteen EPA-sponsored exercises held over the past three years. Atten-
dees also discussed the importance of WARN involvement in statewide exercises, the National Level Exercise
(NLE) 2011, and ICS/NIMS trainings.
• WARN chairs engaged in a discussion on the importance of
integrating resource typing into trainings and activation pro-
tocols. GAWARN has used the AWWA Resource Typing Man-
ual to develop mission-ready packages of WARN personnel/
resources.
• EPA provided an overview of EPA's Water Laboratory Alli-
ance (WLA) and led a discussion on how WARN can leverage
Chairs share experiences and lessons learned at the WLA to expand analytical surge capacity and laboratory
the 2010 WARN Chairs Meeting. capability during response.
"Making the Business Case"
Mike Howe (TXWARN) and Patti Lamb (NCWaterWARN) described their outreach efforts to recruit new member
utilities to their WARNs. Both WARN chairs worked with their state primacy agencies to write, sign, and send let-
ters of support for the WARN program to all utilities and municipal officials in their states. This endorsement has
been effective in encouraging utilities to become members of WARN. (Continued on Page 3) —>
WARN Highlights Bulletin
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("Summary: National WARN Chairs Meeting", continued from Page 2)
Emergency Management Assistance Compact fEMACl and WARN
Jack Jowett, National Emergency Management Association
(NEMA)-EMAC Advisor, provided an overview of EMAC and its
role in facilitating resource sharing between state governments
following a Governor's declaration of State of Emergency. Mr.
Jowett recommended that WARNs work within their state's
emergency management system and contact their county Emer-
gency Management Agency to begin the process of requesting
out-of-state resources through EMAC. Knowledge of the EMAC
process is key to efficiently sending and requesting resources
through the interstate compact
Utiliaent Communication System
Susan Ley, Utiligent, provided an overview of the Utiligent Immediate Response Information System (IRIS) sys-
tem. TXWARN is currently using the tool to broadcast messages to utilities following an emergency to determine
their operational status. Contact Ms. Ley, sley@techradium.com. for more information on how your WARN can get
free access to the tool.
"Looking Forward"
Nushat Thomas, EPA, closed the meeting with an open forum for participants to offer suggestions regarding the
types of support WARNs may need to sustain their development. EPA is planning the following activities in the
coming year: support the next National WARN Chairs meeting, host WARN Operational Plan trainings (via webi-
nar or conference call), host as many as eight individual WARN tabletop exercises and one regional WARN table-
top exercise, publish additional fact sheets/outreach materials, further examine interstate and regional coopera-
tion between WARNs, and foster a stronger relationship with EPA Regional offices.
For more information on any of the topics covered at the 2010 National WARN Chairs meeting, please contact
Nushat Thomas (thomas.nushat@epa.gov)
\
Water
^ Laboratory
Alliance
Learn more about the WLA at
http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/
water security /wla. cfm
The EPA Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) provides the Water Sector with an integrated, nationwide net-
work of laboratories. This network offers the capabilities and capacity to analyze water samples in an all-
hazards incident involving chemical, biological, or radiochemical contaminants.
The WLA is composed of utility, public health, environmental, and commercial laboratories. WARNs can bene-
fit greatly from collaboration with the WLA, as the laboratory network provides additional analytical surge
capacity during events affecting water and/or wastewater utilities. Currently, discussions are underway be-
tween WLA and WARN to determine how WLA and WARN resources can be further leveraged to enhance Wa-
ter Sector preparedness and response.
To learn more about the WLA and how your WARN can get involved, contact WLA@epa.gov
WARN Highlights Bulletin
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Georgia WARN - Preparing for the Unexpected
An Interview with Amy Rainmo Kuhs, Georgia Environmental Protection Divis
SPOTUOHT
How did GA WARN get started?
Georgia's WARN launched on March 29, 2007. GAWARN's steering committee is made up of the state's Environ-
mental Protection Division, public utilities, Georgia Association of Water Professionals and Georgia Rural Water
Association. The group meets approximately every sixty days to discuss progress of the program.
Were any funding vehicles used to develop the program?
The Georgia WARN program received the first of its funding through the Urban Ar-
eas Security Initiative (UASI) Grant, which is a security grant program available
through the Department of Homeland Security. This funding became available to
GAWARN through the efforts of the city of Atlanta Watershed Management Team.
The grant funds were used to purchase emergency response equipment, including:
a GAWARN Emergency Response Trailer, a Service Truck for the Trailer, a Water
Quality Laboratory, on-site power supply, Emergency Radio Equipment, Emer-
gency Response Materials/Tools/Supplies, and Personal Sustenance Supplies. The
GAWARN truck and trailer are equipped and ready to respond to any drinking wa-
ter or wastewater emergency in the state of Georgia.
"Georgia WARN...
provides hope and
restoration to
affected water and
wastewater utilities
throughout the state
of Georgia and
outside the state..."
How does GAWARN recruit new members?
The Georgia WARN truck and trailer also serve as a mobile command center that can travel around the state and
be exhibited at different water and wastewater conferences including the annual GRWA (Georgia Rural Water As-
sociation) and GAWP (Georgia Association of Water Professionals) conferences. This has served as one of the best
methods for GAWARN to spread the word about the program and what it has to offer since many of our water and
wastewater personnel attend these conferences.
The GA WARN program usually reserves a booth at these conferences with brochures, pictures and copies of the
Mutual Aid Agreement to try and target the utility workers. Members of the steering committee usually staff the
GAWARN booth so that we can be available to reach out to utility members and answer any questions they may
have about the program. We already have several large and small water systems that have signed the Mutual Aid
Agreement and became a part of the GAWARN network.
GAWARN Emergency Response Trailer
(Photo Credit: Joseph Ramos)
How does GAWARN make use of its website
(www. GA WARN, org) ?
GAWARN has developed an interactive website program where
utilities are able to request help, respond to incidents and upload
their resources into the program. The GAWARN website has inte-
grated the AWWA Resource Typing Manual, allowing each mem-
ber to enter specific information about their utility's resources,
including pumps, generators, and others. The website makes it
possible to request resources from neighboring utilities that have
available resources.
(Continued on Page 5) ->
Have an article idea for the next
WARN Highlights bulletin?
WSD-outreach@epa.gov
WARN Highlights Bulletin
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("GAWARN—Spotlight", continued from Page 4)
Has GAWARN been activated to date?
GAWARN had its first activation in response to the Iowa Flooding in
June 2008. No actual deployment was necessary, however it was an ex-
cellent preparatory and learning opportunity to prove how important
the GAWARN is to water and wastewater utilities. Since then, GAWARN
has been involved in several activations for emergency response efforts
including the September Flooding of 2009 that affected a tremendous
amount of water and wastewater utilities and caused them to become
offline. The GAWARN activation made it possible for FEMA Emergency
Support Function (ESF) #3 personnel and utility personnel to identify
available resources if they were needed. During the current hurricane
season, GAWARN reached out to its members and utility staff and encouraged them to know their resources and
to be prepared to respond to utilities in the affected areas as needed.
What would you say to a prospective utility that is notyet a member of WARN?
The WARN program is a critical step in water incident and disaster preparedness. Other benefits of the program
that make it more appealing to water utilities include no cost to participants, enhanced access to specialized re-
sources, access to resources during an emergency without pre-contractual limitations or retainer fees, and expe-
dited arrival of aid. The agreement also contains indemnification and workers' compensation provisions to pro-
tect participating utilities, and provides for reimbursement of costs as needed.
The GAWARN Mutual Aid and Assistance agreement is available to all public and private water and wastewater
utilities in the state. GAWARN is a great tool that provides hope and restoration to affected water and wastewater
utilities throughout the state of Georgia and outside the state for both natural disasters and man-made incidents.
tured in our "WARN Spotli
Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems:
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency
The EPA has developed an updated Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Pre-
paredness, Response, and Climate Resiliency [TTX Tool) to assist those interested in planning and facilitating Wa-
ter Sector-specific tabletop exercises. The TTX Tool expands on the capabilities of the first version of the tool,
published in 2005.
The updated TTX Tool contains fifteen scenarios that address an all-hazards
approach to emergency preparedness and response, including natural hazards,
manmade incidents, as well as the potential impacts of climate change on the
Water Sector. The natural and manmade hazards address short-term emer-
gency response activities, whereas the climate change-related scenarios pro-
vide an opportunity for utilities to consider and implement long-term planning
to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change. Each scenario has a fully-
customizable Situation Manual, additional discussion questions, and Power-
Point presentation. Users can modify these materials, allowing them to conduct
a tabletop exercise to meet their specific needs.
Please email ttxtool@epa.gov to request copies of the TTX Tool!
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WARN Highlights Bulletin
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Staying in Shape: Lessons Learned from WARN Tabletop Exercises
EPA — Water Security Division
Over the last few years, EPA has sponsored thirteen WARN tabletop exercises (TTXs) across the country. In Fiscal
Year 2010, exercises were completed in Louisiana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Arizona, and
the National Capital Region. WARN TTXs are discussion-based exercises that bring WARN members together to
discuss key issues, as well as foster relationships between WARN members and other emergency responders.
At a TTX, attendees talk through the response to a hypothetical incident, such as an ice storm, hurricane, or flood-
ing event. Walking through a response allows a WARN program to evaluate their WARN mutual aid agreement
and test operational procedures. Common objectives at WARN TTXs include:
• Expose participants to the benefits of participating in a water and
waste water utility mutual aid and assistance agreement via state WARN.
• Define participants' roles and responsibilities in the WARN process, in-
cluding utilities, state drinking water primacy agency, state wastewater per-
mitting authority, state and local emergency management agencies and fed-
eral response partners (as appropriate).
• Evaluate the Draft WARN Operational Plan and customize it to the con-
ditions and situations in the state.
Many of these exercises produce similar lessons learned, which are valuable for any WARN program:
• Develop and refine WARN operational plans
• Conduct training specific to EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact)
• Strengthen the connection to the emergency management community
• Continue Incident Command System (ICS) training
• Implement accounting and documentation procedures
• Understand and incorporate resource management and resource typing concepts
• Update member utilities' emergency response plans
• Conduct additional training and exercises
A "Key Lessons Learned" fact sheet is currently in development at the EPA and will be shared with the WARN
community following its publication. Additionally, EPA is planning to sponsor WARN tabletop exercises in the
coming year. If you are interested in working with the EPA to host an exercise for your WARN, please contact
Jenny Thomas (thomas.jenny@epa.gov).
Community-Based Water
Resiliency (CBWR)
The EPA recently launched the CBWR initiative, which was developed to increase the understanding of interde-
pendencies between the Water Sector and other critical services in their communities. The CBWR electronic
tool was created to assist communities in assessing their current preparedness levels and provide low to no-
cost tools and resource solutions for launching water resiliency programs. Currently, modules have been cre-
ated for water utilities; health care and public health sector; state and tribal drinking water primacy agencies;
and concerned community members.
WE ARE SEEKING BETA-TESTERS
Visit http://alscorp9.securesites.net/cbwrt/index.html
(User Name: cbwrt, Password: cbwrt2010).
Please send all questions and review comments to Nushat Thomas (thomas.nushat@epa.gov)
WARN Highlights Bulletin
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Crossing the Border: Improving Interstate Mutual Aid in the Water Sector
EPA—Water Security Division
Over the past several years, WARNs have emerged as valuable networks that
utilities can use to help other utilities respond to and recover from emergen-
cies. Currently established in 46 U.S. States and the National Capital Region,
WARN has been recognized as a best practice model for emergency response,
encouraging other sectors, including law enforcement and fire, to develop simi-
lar mutual aid networks. The EPA will continue to support the WARN program
by helping drinking water and wastewater utilities fully prepare for and re-
spond to any natural or human-caused incident that poses a risk to the Water
Sector.
While there has been significant progress in strengthening the intrastate resource sharing capabilities of WARNs,
the EPA is working with partners to improve the ability of WARNs and individual utilities to share resources
across state lines. Currently, the congressionally-ratified, nationwide Emergency Management Assistance Com-
pact (EMAC) serves as the most comprehensive interstate mutual aid agreement Following a Governor's declara-
tion of State of Emergency, EMAC can be activated to facilitate state-to-state resource sharing. However, as evi-
dent from past incidents like Hurricane Katrina, there are sometimes barriers that inhibit the successful deploy-
ment of WARN resources through EMAC. Additionally, more research is required to investigate the state statutory
authorities regulating utility-to-utility, city-to-city, and other interstate mutual aid agreements serving as alterna-
tives to EMAC.
In order to improve the capabilities of WARNS to deploy resources through EMAC and other interstate mutual aid
agreements, the EPA is engaged in a number of activities:
• Sponsoring as many as 8 individual WARN tabletop exercises and 1 regional WARN tabletop ex-
ercise in Fiscal Year 2011 to improve WARN activation protocols and response between WARNs and
other partners in the Emergency Response community.
• Working with WARNs, associations, state officials, EMAC officials and other partners to improve the
working relationship between WARNs and EMAC.
• Investigating interstate mutual aid agreements, as alternatives to EMAC, and their capabilities/
limitations in facilitating interstate resource sharing.
The EPA looks forward to working with WARNs to develop additional ways to improve interstate resource shar-
ing in the Water Sector. If you would like to learn more about these efforts or have ideas to share, please contact
Jenny Thomas [thomas.jenny@epa.gov] or Steve Epting [epting.steven@epa.gov].
Upcoming WARN Events
EVENT
WARN Chairs Quarterly Call
ICS/NIMS Trainings
Region 6 Tabletop Exercise Tool Training
National Level Exercise (NLE) 2011
Annual WARN Chairs Meeting
DATE
January 2 011-
date TBD
Varies
January 2011 -
date TBD
May 2011
September 2011
POINT OF CONTACT
Kevin Morley
kmorley@awwa.org
David Goldbloom-Helzner
Goldbloom-helzner.david(n)epa.gov
Jenny Thomas
Thomas.jennv@epa.gov
EPA Water Contact:
Kevin Tingley
Tinglev.kevin@epa.gov
Nushat Thomas
Thomas.nushat@epa.gov
Office of Water (4608-T) | EPA 817-N-10-001 | December 2010 | http://water.epa.gov/drink
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