The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requires participation from elected officials, public sector (e.g., police, fire department, EMS, etc.), industrial facility representatives, community groups, and the public. One of the biggest challenges that LEPCs continue to face is a lack of member participation and engagement. Supporting LEPC clients in multiple states over the past 20 years, Alliance Solutions Group, Inc. (ASG) has identified some best practices to help increase LEPC participation and engagement. Consider implementing one or more of the following best practices to enhance your LEPC’s participation and effectiveness.
Contact us at 757-223-7233 or instructor@asg-inc.org to learn more about how we can partner with you to enhance preparedness and community resilience.
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LEPC meeting schedule and agendas: Schedule LEPC meetings on a recurring basis (e.g., 2nd Friday of every month at 10:00 a.m., the first Wednesday of the quarter at 9:00 a.m., etc.). Scheduling meetings at a consistent time and interval should increase meeting awareness and attendance amongst members. Consider “piggybacking” on another meeting that stakeholders are already attending to eliminate traveling to another location. It is best to schedule meetings for the entire year to include activities and milestones. Consider conducting an annual LEPC strategic meeting to discuss and record the upcoming year’s schedule, desired activities, milestones, and hold LEPC position elections. Prior to each meeting, send invite reminders to members and attach an agenda with topics that are appealing. Members are more likely to attend and engage in discussions if a topic applies to them. Furthermore, advertising meetings as an outreach event may increase public participation (e.g., “come to learn more about community hazards and how to protect your family”). However, it may be best to schedule this in the evening hours to increase public participation. In general, in-person meetings are more effective and better attended than virtual options.
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Add a “fun” element: To align with the recommendation above, throw a changeup by scheduling visits outside the typical office meeting setting. As an example, scheduling a field trip to a host facility to learn about their hazardous material processes and related plans/controls in place to minimize the impacts to the public and environment from a hazardous material release incident. A host facility could also share an example of a robust plan recently implemented such as an Emergency Action Plan, Risk Management Plan, or Hazardous Material Shelter-in-Place Plan, just to name a few. Another example may include watching a video of a recent incident to identify lessons learned that may apply locally. This approach will foster relationships and help build a sense of value in attending the meetings.
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Establish committees: Form committees to keep members engaged instead of placing responsibilities or projects on the same few individuals. Examples of committees may include but are not limited to Executive Committee, Public Education and Information Committee, Hazardous Material Facilities Liaison Committee, Emergency Response and Resources Committee, Exercise Planning, and Right-to-Know Committee.
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LEPC meeting incentives: Offering incentives can increase participation and engagement. Examples of incentives may include offering free lunch or breakfast, adding relevant topics to the meeting, and/or creating a system to log time spent at LEPC meetings towards professional development hours or continuing education.
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Utilize a questionnaire to obtain facility information: The LEPC is required to develop a Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan (ERP). This ERP must address a description of response procedures for facility owners and response personnel. Develop and send an electronic questionnaire to facilities storing extremely hazardous substances (EHS) and local hazardous material response agencies to obtain existing hazardous material response capabilities and identify possible gaps that may exist. These groups are required to participate in the LEPC and completing a questionnaire is a form of engagement that may lead to routine participation in future meetings. Incorporate received information into the ERP and update annually or as capabilities change.
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Host exercises: Develop exercises to test and validate procedures in the LEPC ERP. Begin with a discussion-based exercise such as a tabletop exercise and gradually advance to more robust exercises such as a drill, functional, or full-scale exercise.
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Outreach events: Host annual outreach events with various audiences such as schools, healthcare facilities, and community-based organizations to inform them about the hazards present and actions to take in the event of a hazardous material incident in the community.
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Member recognition: Recognize personal and group (e.g., sub-committee) contributions to enhance morale and foster a sense of accomplishment, purpose, and value among the group.
Building an LEPC into a well-oiled machine does not occur overnight. Rather, it is a process that requires patience and perseverance. Try employing one or more of the strategies above to increase your LEPC’s participation and engagement!