Local Emergency Planning Committee
Purpose:
Duplin County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is responsible for the development and maintenance of Duplin County’s Emergency Response Plan. In these duties they must: review the plan at least annually, and provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens. The committee meets every quarter in, January, April, July, & October, on the third Thursday. New officers for the committee are elected at the January meeting each year.
Meetings are held at 9:00 am in the Duplin County Emergency Operations Center, at 209 Seminary Street Kenansville, NC.
To inquire for membership, simply attend a scheduled meeting of the group, or contact Duplin County Fire & Emergency Management at (910) 296-2160.
At a minimum, the group must include the following representatives:
- Elected state and local officials
- Police, fire, civil defense, and public health professionals
- Environment, transportation, and hospital officials
- Facility representatives
- Representatives from community groups and the media
Community Emergency Response Plans must include the following:
- Identification of facilities and transportation routes of extremely hazardous substances
- Description of emergency response procedures, on and off site
- Designation of a community coordinator and facility emergency coordinator(s) to implement the plan
- Outline of emergency notification procedures
- Description of how to determine the probable affected area and population by releases
- Description of local emergency equipment and facilities and the persons responsible for them
- Outline of evacuation plans
- A training program for emergency responders (including schedules)
- Methods and schedules for exercising emergency response plans
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986 was created to help communities plan for emergencies involving hazardous substances. EPCRA requires hazardous chemical emergency planning by federal, state and local governments, Indian tribes, and industry. It also requires industry to report on the storage, use and releases of hazardous chemicals to federal, state, and local governments.
North Carolina Tier II Reporting Requirements
Tier II reports are forms that organizations and businesses in North Carolina with hazardous chemicals above certain quantities, are required to fill out by the EPA. Known officially as Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory Forms, Tier II Reports are submitted annually to local fire departments, LEPC and State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) to help those agencies plan for and respond to chemical emergencies.
To determine if you have chemicals in quantities that require Tier II reporting, check the EPA’s List of Lists click HERE
North Carolina only accepts Tier II information submitted through E-Plan
A single submission of Tier II information to E-Plan satisfies the requirements for individual submissions to the SERC, LEPC, and local jurisdictional fire department. Click HERE
You may contact the following for additional information:
Tier II Administration: North Carolina Division of Emergency Management
4236 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4236
Phone: 919-825-2277
E-Mail: epcrareporting@ncdps.gov
Helpful Links:
US Environmental Protection Agency
NC Department of Public Safety
Bylaws of the DC Local Emergency Planning Committee
LEPC Hazard Vulnerability Assessment December 2017
