WHAT IS THE LEPC?
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act, each county in Wisconsin is designated as an Emergency Planning District with a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). LEPC membership is broad and includes representatives from: elected state and local officials, emergency management, law enforcement, fire service, local health, emergency medical service, local media, community groups and industry. This means local people are making local decisions about how to plan for, train for and respond to chemical emergencies in your community. The LEPC is the point of contact for the public to receive information on storage/locations of chemicals, types of chemicals and hazards associated with those chemicals. Most people will agree that efforts to protect the public are best handled locally by the people and for the people whom the law was meant to protect.
WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE LEPC?
Emergency Planning
Enables communities as a whole to prepare for hazardous chemical releases through emergency planning. This planning also provides information and facilitates training for the first responders who are called upon to protect the public in the event of a chemical accident. Your LEPC can provide you with information on evacuation routes, shelter-in-place procedures and other information you may need to help your family plan for a chemical emergency.
Community Right-to-Know
Increases awareness of chemical hazards in your community and allows you and your local government to obtain information about chemical hazards. If you are concerned about the types, amounts or locations of chemicals stored in your community, contact your LEPC.