Hazardous Materials

MEMA's Hazardous Materials program is responsible for a number of preparedness activities:

  • Providing support to Local Emergency Planning Committees and facilities which inventory hazardous materials under policy set by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
  • Facilitating hazardous materials training and exercises to improve preparedness of emergency responders, LEPCs and facility personnel.
  • Providing information on hazardous materials to the public upon request in compliance with federal Right to Know statutes
  • Administering federal grants to support LEPCs and hazardous materials response teams
  • Assistiing facility owners and operators in complying with federal and state chemical inventory reporting requirements.
  • Maintaining chemical inventory report records and accounting records of associated fees.
  • Reporting to the SERC on status of activities and budget; providing recommendations for policy changes.

References and Resources

ChemTrec
CHEMTREC serves as a round-the-clock resource for obtaining immediate critical response information for incidents involving hazardous materials and dangerous goods.

NOAA: CAMEO Software Suite
The CAMEO (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations) suite of software products consists of four core programs: CAMEOfm, CAMEO Chemicals, ALOHA, and MARPLOT.

US CDC/ATSDR: Managing Hazardous Materials Incidents
The MHMI series is a three volume set (with a video) comprised of recommendations for on-scene (prehospital), and hospital medical management of patients exposed during a hazardous materials incident.

US CDC/The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
NIOSH provides a wide variety of resources to prevent workplace illnesses and injuries

US DOT: Emergency Response Guidebook
US DOT/PHMSA's Emergency Response Guidebook provides first responders with a go-to manual to help deal with hazmat accidents during the critical first 30 minutes.

US DOT: Federal Railroad Adminisration (FRA)
FRA promotes safe,environmentally sound, successful railroad transportation to meet the needs of all customers.

US Environmental Protection Agency
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

US EPA: Emergency Response Program
EPA responds to oil spills, chemical, biological, radiological releases, and large-scale national emergencies, and provides additional response assistance when state and local first responder capabilities have been exhausted or when additional support is requested.

US EPA: National Response Center
The National Response Center (NRC) is the federal government's national communications center, which is staffed 24 hours a day by U.S. Coast Guard officers and marine science technicians.

WISER: Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders
WISER is a system designed to assist emergency responders in hazardous material incidents. WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact us.