Richmond Emergency Planning Committee
What is the REPC?
The Richmond Emergency Planning Committee (REPC) was formed in accordance with
the "Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 "(Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act ("SARA"), Title II, 42 U.S.C. Section 11001)." The REPC's
purpose is to prepare an emergency plan to minimize the impact upon the community
of possible releases of hazardous substances.
The REPC membership is comprised of elected local and state officials, police,
fire, civil defense, public health professionals, environmental, hospital, and transportation
officials representative of Richmond. Also included in the membership are representatives
of facilities, community groups, and the local media.
What does the REPC do?
The primary duties of the REPC:
- Prepare and coordinate a chemical emergency response plan for all facilities
in the city where extremely hazardous materials are present in quantities above
a threshold planning quantity, as required by SARA Title III, Section 303.
- Collect and maintain SARA Section 312 hazardous chemical inventory reports
(Tier II reports) for facilities required to submit such reports.
- Receive information about reportable accidental chemical releases and ensure
that emergency response plans are followed by the responsible facility when responding
to such releases.
- Assist the City of Richmond in the preparation of a Hazardous Material Emergency
Response Preparedness Assessment.
- Ensure the review, implementation and updating of the Richmond Chemical Emergency
Response Plan and the component plans for each reporting facility.
- Maintain a database of all planning and reporting facilities and the hazardous
chemicals reported by these facilities utilizing the CAMEO chemical information
systems database.
- Provide outreach and education to the community and other municipalities concerning
hazardous materials.
Meetings
All interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend REPC meetings. For
specific meeting locations, dates, times, and directions, please call the Richmond
Hazardous Materials Coordinator at (804)646-6660.
Public Access to REPC Files
Upon receiving the Emergency Coordinator's permission, any person may inspect
and copy REPC files. All requests to review the files shall be made to the Emergency
Coordinator in writing and shall include the requester's name, address, business
(optional), telephone number (optional), a brief description of the files or information
desired, and the dates and times access is desired. The Emergency Coordinator shall
arrange an appointment at a mutually agreeable time.
The public shall not be granted unsupervised access to REPC files. An REPC member
or Fire Department employee shall be present whenever a member of the general public
is accessing REPC files. The Emergency Coordinator shall make every effort to accommodate
requests as expeditiously and as conveniently as possible. However, the Emergency
Coordinator must respond to emergencies and other community priorities, and requesters
may have to wait or interrupt their visits until the Emergency Coordinator is available.
Any person may request copies of any REPC document or file. Requests for copies
shall be made to the Emergency Coordinator in writing and shall include the requester's
name, address, business (optional), telephone number (optional), an exact description
of the files or information desired, the total number of pages to be copied (this
may be supplied by the Emergency Coordinator), the number of copies to make of each
original page, and the dates the copies are needed. The Emergency Coordinator shall
make every effort to accommodate requests as expeditiously as possible. The Emergency
Coordinator may charge the requester an appropriate fee according to current City
policy. Fees shall be paid to the City of Richmond, not the REPC.
The Emergency Coordinator may inform industries or facilities when a member of
the public requests to see or copy their files. The Emergency Coordinator shall
report such requests to the REPC at the next scheduled meeting.
The City of Richmond Tier II reporters are invited to use our new and unique system
for reporting the storage of chemicals. The reporting is done online in order to
streamline workflow and eliminates the need to send paper copies of the report to
the LEPC and Richmond Fire & Emergency Services.
Please direct your Netscape or Explorer browser to the following URL
ERPlan Reporting
Chemicals and Your Obligations under the Law
Keeping Citizens Informed!