Under the CERCLA- SARA Title III act, state and local governments were encouraged to form Local Emergency Planning Committees to provide information to the citizens about the hazards that exist in their communities. While the initial intent was focused on hazardous chemicals, more groups are broadening their scope to include many different hazards. We established our LEPC with the intent that it would be an all-hazards committee.
The LEPC members include people from various first responder groups, schools, media, government, businesses, and the community. We meet once a month at the Greene County Emergency Operations Center on C. Weldon Smith Drive. The meetings are the 2nd Monday at 11:00 a.m. The meetings usually last for about one hour and are open to the public.
Our scheduled meeting dates for 2009 are as follows:
- January 12
- February 9
- March 9
- April 13
- May 11
- June 8
- July 13
- August 10
- September 14
- October 5 (Columbus Day on regular meeting date)
- November 9
- December 14
Citizens Corp
During a disaster we often find ourselves without enough trained personnel to meet all the needs. For example, we have one fire fighter per 280 persons nationwide. The Citizen Corps was established to encourage more people to volunteer to help fill the need when disaster strikes. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is one of the groups included in Citizen Corps. Those persons wishing to be part of a CERT team will be given training to allow them to function as helpers and support for first responders during a disaster. Teams are usually formed within communities but may also be formed as part of an organization or business.
Anyone wishing to be a part of a CERT team should call the EMA office at (706) 453-7716. For additional information, go to www.citizencorps.gov.