This document describes a general consequence management planning and decision framework for use by government and non-government planners, emergency managers, and decision-makers in assessing risk, planning, and executing actions required in the response to and recovery from a nationally significant or large-scale hazardous chemical incident in a domestic, civilian setting.8
Collectively, government agencies and private-sector entities working across jurisdictional levels have decades of experience responding to and recovering from incidents involving accidental or naturally- caused chemical releases, as well as cleaning up legacy industrial sites with significant levels of HAZMAT contamination present. This Planning and Decision Framework for Chemical Incident Consequence Management recognizes this experience and existing governmental and non-governmental expertise in the HAZMAT incident response and recovery arena. The specific focus of this document is to facilitate technical planning and decision-making in response to complex, large-scale, and high-consequence chemical incidents regardless of cause.
The guidance provided in this document is intended to augment existing national doctrine and plans for all-hazards incident response and recovery, including but not limited to: NIMS and the Incident Command System (ICS), National Response Framework (NRF), National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), Federal Interagency Operational Plans (FIOPs) for Response and Recovery, Oil and Chemical Incident Annex (OCIA) to the FIOPs for Response and Recovery, and various other FSLTT emergency response and disaster recovery plans. NIMS ICS doctrine is used within this document to facilitate response and recovery discussion, as ICS serves as the standardized incident organizational structure for the management of all incidents. However, the language and descriptions of ICS within this document are not prescriptive, as ICS must be flexible and adaptable for implementation by all FSLTT stakeholders.
Additionally, technical risk assessment and planning guidance and best practices discussed in this document are intended to support the multiple command, control, and coordination structures set forth in federal statute (e.g., the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act [CERCLA], 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq. and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan [NCP], 40 CFR Part 300, as well as SLTT laws and ordinances relative to chemical incidents).
This framework is intended as a starting point for planners as well as responding technical advisors in determining and implementing scenario-specific consequence management strategies. This includes how to best determine and select protective, health-based exposure levels for various exposure conditions and scenarios, while promoting a cost-effective, fiscally sound, and socio-economically responsible remediation effort. This framework is also meant to help decision-makers formulate timely, effective, and equitable consequence management decisions in the face of incomplete data and high levels of uncertainty, as often occurs in the early phases of an incident involving hazardous chemicals. Finally, this document does not address all aspects of a public health emergency; instead, it provides a focused chemical incident consequence management approach pertinent to response and recovery efforts.