Learn more about the EPA's Office of
Emergency Management and its Response,
Prevention and Preparedness Activities

www.epa.gov/emergencies

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The Nation's Leader for
Environmental Emergencies

www.epa.gov/emergencies

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EPA's Office of Emergency Management is the backbone of the federal government's response to, preparation for and prevention of environmental emergencies. EPA works with other federal agencies, state, local and tribal
governments to respond quickly to chemical and hazardous substance releases and oil spills; and continually strives to protect the public from immediate dangers and future accidents.

RESPONDING TO TODAY'S EMERGENCIES

EPA protects human health and the environment from:

•	Chemical and hazardous substance releases

•	Oil spills

•	Radiological incidents

•	Biological incidents

EPA is:

Designated as the nations lead federal
agency for emergency response to hazardous
substance and inland oil spills

Staffed with about 250 emergency
responders who are ready to deploy to
anywhere in the country

EPA's Emergency Operations Center is the
Agency's nerve center for major incidents.

PREVENTING TOMORROW'S INCIDENTS

EPA works with 650,000 chemical and oil facilities to
prevent dangerous releases 01* spills by:

•	Inspecting the risk management, accidental
release and spill programs of these facilities

•	Providing tools and guidance designed to help
meet release prevention requirements

EPA helps communities plan for emergencies by:

•	Providing tools to state and local planners that help them develop emergency
response plans

•	Maintaining readiness for the next disaster with preparation exercises

•	Working with chemical and oil facility managers to reduce potential harm to
the people and the environment during emergencies

USING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

EPA's ASPECT is the nation's only chemical,
radiological, and infrared & photographic
imagery emergency response platform.

EPA's trained and experienced personnel use cutting
edge technology including:

•	The Airborne Spectral Photometric
Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT)
aircraft, which is available 24/7/365 to respond
anywhere in the United States

•	Real time toxic chemical analysis with the
Portable High Throughput Integrated Laboratory
Identification Systems (PHILIS)

EPA protects the public by:

•	Serving as the nations lead federal agency
for preventing the release of chemicals and
oil

•	Empowering states and local governments
with the "Right-to-Know" information on
chemicals in their communities

EPA's "Right-to-Know" information helps the
public stay informed of potentially harmful
chemicals in their communities.

EPA inspects thousands of tacilities across the
country to help safeguard against accidental
releases.

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