3.2. Locally Executed Response

In addition to the Responsible Party, local partners such as public works, law enforcement, emergency medical services, hospitals, and fire departments know the community’s needs, capabilities, and resources, and are best positioned to effectively and immediately mitigate the consequences of an incident. Coordination with these entities as well as planning committees, healthcare coalitions, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), and chapters of national-level associations may occur on-scene at incident command posts (ICP) and at local emergency operations centers (EOCs). Local incident management may also involve Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Groups) composed of senior officials who are authorized to commit agency resources in support of response activities, thus supporting resource prioritization and allocation and enabling decision-making by elected officials and those managing the incident.³³

Large-scale chemical incidents may require support across jurisdictional lines. As a part of all-hazards planning for other large-scale emergencies like floods and wildfires, many communities may already have formal mutual aid agreements (e.g., MOUs, MOAs, LUAs) with neighboring jurisdictions to provide aid in support of all-hazards response and recovery. Ensuring that these agreements include specialized chemical incident support should be a priority consideration. Further, these local plans should not be limited to agreements for the sharing of personnel, supplies, and equipment across nearby jurisdictions (discussed in KPF 1, “Prime the Pump” Pre-Event Planning), but should also incorporate agreements for the sharing of communications plans. This is especially true if local chemical risks point to the possibility of responders, including public information officers (PIOs) and communications staff, being located in an area in which they could receive dangerous chemical exposures, and, therefore, be advised to evacuate. With appropriate contingency planning for communications, a neighboring jurisdiction (nearby city or county) could step in to disseminate immediate protective action messages to people in the affected area. Additionally, to maximize response effectiveness, communications interoperability across jurisdictions will need to be ensured pre-event. Entering into these discussions before an incident occurs allows local officials to advocate for particular communication emphases in formal plans and agreements and establish the importance of rapid communication for saving lives and minimizing other adverse health and safety effects early in the planning process.