Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
New Yavapai County LEPC seeks community participation, promotes Tier 2 hazardous‑materials reporting
Summary
County emergency officials and local fire marshals introduced the Yavapai County Local Emergency Planning Committee, described the committee’s role under federal and state law, and urged facilities and residents to join meetings and complete Tier 2 hazardous‑materials reporting.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors received a briefing on May 7 from the local emergency planning committee (LEPC), which coordinates government, industry, and the public for hazardous‑materials preparedness and response.
Nate Bailey, LEPC chair and shared fire marshal, and Ashley Alquist, Yavapai County emergency manager, told the board that the LEPC was formed under federal law (Emergency Planning and Community Right‑to‑Know Act, EPCRA) and Arizona statutes to improve planning, reporting and public awareness around hazardous substances. The committee includes emergency services, media partners, community organizations, facility operators and elected officials, and posts agendas and minutes on the Yavapai Ready website.
Speakers said the LEPC promotes Tier 2 reporting for facilities that store threshold quantities of hazardous chemicals and uses Tier 2 data to aid emergency response. The committee does not perform enforcement, Bailey said; enforcement remains the role of fire marshals and regulatory agencies. County LEPC members noted two hazmat teams operate in the county (Prescott/Central Arizona Fire & Medical and Copper Canyon/Verde Valley Fire), and that fully encapsulated protective suits and detectors are costly and require ongoing maintenance.
The LEPC invited supervisors to a regular public meeting and urged industry operators and residents to take part. Ashley Alquist said the committee’s next meeting is May 21 at the county Office of Emergency Management. Fred Heggstad, LEPC coordinator, and Heather Vincent of community organizations active in disaster (COAD) joined the presentation.
