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OCR for page 24
24 A Guide for Assessing Community Emergency Response Needs and Capabilities for Hazardous Materials Releases
· Explosions or BLEVEs (U.S.DOT Classes 1, 3, 5, and Division 2.1);
· Toxic gas releases (U.S.DOT Division 2.3);
· Toxic liquid releases (U.S.DOT Classes 6 and 8 and some Class 3 materials where toxicity is
not the primary hazard);
· Corrosives (U.S.DOT Class 8);
· Radioactive materials releases (U.S.DOT Class 7); and
· Release of biologically active materials (U.S.DOT Division 6.2).
Performing a Hazard Survey
A fundamental component of the planning process is the identification of the hazmat and
quantities within your jurisdiction. This involves identifying the facilities that manufacture,
store, or use hazmat and the routes over which hazmat are transported.
There are numerous sources of information for acquiring information needed in the hazard
survey. This Guide focuses on the information collected by the LEPCs and their higher, state-
level SERCs. This includes the SARA Title III Tier I/II data submitted to the SERC and LEPCs
[29 CFR 1910.119] and the Facility Risk Management Plan (RMP) [40 CFR Part 68] data sub-
mitted to LEPCs. You may be able to collect a significant portion of this information from existing
products or prior efforts (such as RMP data or commodity flow surveys). Even if a facility does
not have a hazmat inventory that requires it to be covered by the above regulations, many facilities
share their hazardous material inventory information with the local fire marshal or fire chief
so those departments can become part of the response team in the event of an emergency at the
facility. Using these sources you can develop a list of hazards at area facilities.
The volumes and frequency of hazmat being transported though the region often cannot be
obtained from local sources. If there is a major rail line passing through the area, the railroad
typically will provide information on the hazardous material it transports, if requested. For highway
transportation, if there is a weigh station along the route, the state agency performing hazmat
truck inspections may be willing to tabulate the types and number of placarded vehicles being
inspected. If the agency is unwilling, an alternative is to place data collectors at the weigh station
or some other convenient location and tabulate the types and number of placarded shipments
passing through the area.
The following is a comprehensive list of agencies and organizations outside the local area
that may have relevant information to assist in preparing a hazard inventory for a jurisdiction.
A detailed list of information from each type of source is included in Appendix A.
Additional Sources of Information
Regulatory Agencies
A number of federal regulatory agencies require filings and submissions on hazmat related
to their regulated entities. These include reporting on stored materials, planned transportation
routes (for some materials), and unintentional releases. Reports include both telephonic and
paper/electronic reporting. These agencies include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the U.S. Coast Guard, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
the National Response Center, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others.
Associations and Nonprofits
Associations and not-for-profit/nonprofit organizations representing both the shipping
and transportation communities can be good sources of hazmat information. These include
