Hazardous Materials

Disasters are inevitable. Regardless of our level of preparedness, we cannot always predict when an emergency or disaster will strike or the amount of destruction it will cause.

Planning on how to cope with disasters is the responsibility of local and county government. The Campbell County Office of Emergency Management (CCOEM) is the county agency that has the primary responsibility to plan for dealing effectively with any type of disaster, be it natural or manmade.

The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for the hazardous materials administration and enforcement. CCOEM offers multiple services to local jurisdictions, including pre-emergency planning, response assistance and preparedness training.

The primary function of CCOEM is to provide assistance to local jurisdictions and take enforcement action during hazardous materials emergencies. This assistance can take several forms depending upon the incident severity and the capability of local responders. General information on product identification, specific chemical data or incident mitigation advice is available on a 24-hour basis.

OEM officers, working with other local or state resources, industry representatives and technical consultants, can provide vital information to emergency responders on scene. CCOEM maintains specialized detection and monitoring equipment, specialized protective clothing and product control devices.

CCOEM staff is also available to assist with pre-incident planning for a wide variety of chemical emergencies. The CCOEM staff are available to discuss equipment, response procedures and strategies during normal business hours. CCDES staff are knowledgeable of the latest equipment and technology available to responders and can provide information prior to equipment purchases or specialized out-of-state training programs. Also available to local responders is the CCDES library of reference and resource materials. These materials can be used to identify response resources or to develop local training.

This office has responsibility for oversight and remediation activities of contaminated sites while ensuring environmental regulatory compliance for both short-term and long-term projects. This office also offers technical support to facilities in the form of environmental impact assessments of spills and releases and in the many training programs available.

CCOEM is charged with the responsibility of coordinating the development of a countywide hazardous materials training program. Emergency response personnel in Campbell County enjoy the benefit of a comprehensive, integrated, multi-level training program which meets the requirements of state and federal regulations along with nationally recognized standards.

Hazardous materials training has been a concern of CCOEM for many years. On March 6, 1986, training became a major issue for anyone who may be involved in a hazardous materials incident. On this date, the "HAZARDOUS WASTE OPERATION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE; FINAL RULE" was published. This new legislation, as published in 29 CFR 1910.120, requires various levels of training and certification for a wide range of individuals.

To respond to the training needs of fire, police, emergency medical services and other agencies, CCOEM offers programs throughout the county on a regular basis. In addition, CCOEM have undergone extensive training in order to assist individual localities in meeting specific training needs while reducing costs to the locality.

Beyond the responsibilities of emergency response, CCOEM is available to assist with non-emergency training. This assistance includes working with Local Emergency Planning Committees on drills and providing guidance on planning an exercise.