LEPC & Preparedness Coalitions

Decision Aid specializes in the implementation of active and engaged emergency planning committees/coalitions for jurisdictions and institutions. We're not talking about “yet another meeting”, but a coordinated approach to bring the right players to the table, stimulate discussions around emergency and continuity issues, and establish an action plan with next steps to resolve gaps.

Local Emergency Planning Committees

And did you know these efforts are REQUIRED in many cases? One of the most best examples of the requirement for proactive planning with stakeholders is the requirement for Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC). Required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), LEPC membership must include at a minimum elected state and local officials, police, fire, emergency management, and public health professionals, environment, transportation, and hospital officials, facility representatives, representatives from community groups and the media. Our experience has shown that many of these groups haven't met in years, haven't maintained meeting records, and generally haven't enhanced preparedness within the jurisdiction. While required to plan for hazardous materials, we recommend using the LEPC concept to plan for all threats and hazards as a way to streamline community preparedness and maximize the value of your stakeholders limited time.

Coalitions of Coalitions

On the other side of the spectrum there are jurisdictions with numerous committees and coalitions on the topic of emergency planning, all with duplicative missions and membership. This approach is likely to lead to fractured planning efforts and the eventual loss of participation from key organizations with better things to do than attend ten different preparedness committee meetings a month. Decision Aid can assist in untangling the complicated framework of Local Emergency Planning Committees, State Emergency Response Commissions, Healthcare Coalitions, Emergency Support Function groups, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), and ad-hoc task forces and working groups.

Institutional Preparedness

In institutions, there are also typically regulatory or accreditation requirements to establish a safety or emergency management committee. The committees typically require participation from all business units as well as representation from applicable labor unions. Emergency plans, training, and exercises for the institution should be developed and executed by this committee to ensure a streamlined safety and emergency management program.

Emergency or continuity planning efforts that don't involve the stakeholders that would be expected to be involved during an incident are destined to fail. In the event of an incident in your jurisdiction or organization, would you be able to say advanced planning with all stakeholders was conducted?