Welcome to Boone County, Illinois
About Us
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) of Boone County, IL
The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is responsible for developing a chemical emergency response plan for Boone County and establishing procedures for conducting its public information and education responsibilities.
In 1986 the Congress of the United States; as a result of two large catastrophic chemical incidents, enacted legislation to deal with the potential harm to communities from hazardous materials.
The law; known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act, or EPCRA required local and state governments to work in a collaborative fashion with manufacturers and consumers of hazardous materials to prevent chemical related emergencies and to plan for the emergencies that could not be prevented.
Local Level Engagement
On the local level emergency planning committees or “LEPC’s” were required to be formed. Federal law mandates participation and direction of an LEPC. An LEPC must consist of representatives of the following groups:
- Elected and Local Officials
- Public Safety
- Emergency Management
- Public Health
- Media
- Community Groups
- Representatives of facilities subject to planning requirements of EPCRA
Hazardous Chemical Reporting
Facilities subject to the requirements of the EPCRA must annually submit documentation of their inventory of hazardous materials in the previous calendar year. These reports must be submitted prior to April 1. Among the information in the documents is facility name, contact person, name(s) of material, amount of material, storage methods etc.
It is important to remember that many of these items are used on a daily basis throughout the country in large quantities without incident. However it is the responsibility of the city; in particular the LEPC Coordinator, to have the emergency responders and the community as a whole prepared for any incident that may occur.
The state of the world in which we now find ourselves requires preparedness not only for the un-intentional “accident” that may occur, but we must now prepare and train for the incident in which terrorists intentionally cause us harm.
Community Emergency Response Plan
What are the required elements of a community emergency response plan?
- Identify facilities and transportation routes of extremely hazardous substances.
- Describe emergency response procedures, on and off site.
- Designate a community coordinator and facility coordinator(s) to implement the plan.
- Outline emergency notification procedures.
- Describe how to determine the probable affected area and population by releases.
- Describe local emergency equipment and facilities and the persons responsible for them.
- Outline evacuation plans.
- Provide a training program for emergency responders (including schedules).
- Provide methods and schedules for exercising emergency response plans.