Local Emergency Planning Committee

EPCRA also requires that each community establish a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) to be responsible for developing an emergency plan for preparation and response to chemical emergencies within the community. LEPCs are made up of stakeholders from private-sector business and industry, public safety agencies and governmental entities, and should include (at a minimum):

• Elected local officials
• Emergency management
• Police, fire, and health professionals
• Environmental, transportation, and hospital officials
• Business facility representatives
• Representatives from community groups
• Media

The emergency plan created by the LEPC must include an identification of local facilities and transportation routes where hazardous materials are present; the procedures for immediate response in case of an accident, including a community-wide evacuation plan; processes for notifying the community that an incident has occurred; the names of response coordinators at local facilities; and a schedule for conducting exercises to test the plan. The LEPC is required to review, test and update the plan each year. The plan is then reviewed by the Missouri Emergency Response Commission (MERC) and is available for viewing upon request.