Emergency Management

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Wilson County Emergency Management Division is to promote, facilitate and support the County of Wilson to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

The Emergency Management Division provides emergency management and preparedness services to the unincorporated areas of Wilson County and to all the cities within its boundaries. There are currently 4 jurisdictions, public and private organizations and the general population within the boundaries of Wilson County.

The Wilson County Board of Commissioners has designated the Wilson County Emergency Management Agency as the lead agency in matters of emergency preparedness and disaster response. The County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is located in Lebanon and is maintained in a constant state of readiness by the Emergency Management Division.

The County Emergency Manager is directed by the County Mayor to:

Serve as staff to the Board of Commissioners and the Emergency Management Committee;

Direct the daily coordination and cooperation between the emergency management staff and emergency organization of the County;

Ensure that a plan exists to provide information on disaster preparedness to the County;

Ensure that the Wilson County Emergency Operations Plan is developed and maintained;

Ensure that personnel who are part of the emergency organization are trained, and arrange for all necessary exercises to prepare for potential disaster conditions;

Maintain the Emergency Operations Center in a constant state of readiness;

Notify the Emergency Management Committee and Board of Commissioners of Emergency Operations Center activation as soon as practical, and keep the Board of Commissioners informed on all aspects of a current emergency situation as soon as information is available.

WILSON COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

The Wilson County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) functions as the communication and coordination center for County and Cities emergency response organization and disaster preparedness, providing a central point for coordinating operational, administrative, and support needs. It also assists in coordination and communication between Mutual Aid Coordinators and the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) during county-wide and state-wide emergency response and recovery operations.

The Wilson County EOC is used to gather and process information to

and from the County, cities, school and special districts, business and industry, volunteer organizations, individuals, and state and federal government agencies.

In addition, the EOC may become responsible for managing the tactical operations of regional resources designed to more efficiently use the pooled resources or external resources to benefit the County as a whole.

An EOC is responsible for the strategic overview, or “big picture”, of the disaster, and does not normally directly control field assets, instead making operational decisions and leaving tactical decisions to lower commands. The common functions of all EOC’s is to collect, gather and analyze data; make decisions that protect life and property, maintain continuity of the organization, within the scope of applicable laws; and disseminate those decisions to all concerned agencies and individuals.

When a large scale event has occurred, it is important that the response be coordinated. This generally means activating the Emergency Operations Center to assure central coordination, and support to activities such as; public official alerting, care and shelter, evacuation, search and rescue, resource mobilization and recovery operate effectively.

Activation of the EOC is under the following conditions:

  • On the request by a local government or agency
  • A city proclaiming a local emergency
  • County Emergency Proclamation and a City Local Emergency Proclamation
  • State of Emergency Proclaimed in Wilson County or the State of Tennessee
  • Request for Outside Resources by an official member of any city

The EOC can accommodate a staff up to 50 responders working in 12-hour shifts throughout activation. This emergency response and recovery staff is comprised of County and City agencies/departments personnel. The EOC has emergency power, food, water and supplies to support emergency responders for an extended period of time in a catastrophic event.

 

EOC ORGANIZATION

  1. By Activities: (Groups) Policy, Coordination, Operations, or Resources
  2. By ICS: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance
  3. By ESF: ESF’s Under ICS Staff Functions
  4. By MAC: (Groups) Organization, Agency, or Jurisdiction Representatives

EOC FUNCTIONS

  • Coordination
  • Communications
  • Resource Dispatching and Tracking
  • Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination

MAC/EOC

To Support:                                                                               Elements:

  • Incident Prioritization Facilities                                         Facilities
  • Critical Resource Allocation Equipment                           Equipment
  • Communications Systems Integration Personnel             Personnel
  • Information Coordination Procedures                               Procedures & Communications

 

Functions:

  • Situation Assessment
  • Incident Priority Determination
  • Critical Resource Acquisition and Allocation
  • Support Relevant Incident Management Policies and Interagency Activities
  • Coordination with Other Operations Centers
  • Coordination with Elected Officials and Appointed Officials
  • Coordination of Summary Information

PHASES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

 Emergency Management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid their devastation. This process is often seen as occurring in 4 phases: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.

 Mitigation

The purpose of the Mitigation Phase is to reduce the harmful effects of an incident and lessen the need for a response when a crisis does occur. This is accomplished through the use of such strategies as removing the hazard, reducing its size, segregating the hazard from population centers, reducing the likelihood of the hazard occurring, and establishing hazard warning procedures.

Preparedness

During the Preparedness Phase, emergency managers develop plans of action for when disasters strike. Strategies to be considered are assessing and inventorying resources, planning, training, exercises, and developing procedures. Another step in the Preparedness Phase is the establishment of an Emergency Operations Center, or EOC. An EOC is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level in an emergency situation, and ensuring the continuity of operation of the region. An efficient EOC is essential in Response Phase below.

Response

In the Response Phase, actions are taken immediately before, during or directly after an emergency occurs, to save lives, minimize damage, and to enhance the recovery activities. These include notification and activation of emergency personnel and services, providing for the continuity of government and establishing communications between agencies responding to the incident. Emergency Operations Center will also be activated to help coordinate the response. Also vital are efforts to protect the safety and well-being of the public, including providing medical care, evacuation shelters, and food and water in the aftermath of a disaster.

Recovery

The goal of the Recovery Phase is to return the community’s systems and activities to normal. Tasks in this phase include restoring utilities, removing debris, maintaining essential records and assessing damages. Long-term recovery includes restoring economic activity and rebuilding community facilities and housing. Officials will also coordinate with state and federal agencies to receive aid to help in the rebuilding process for both local government entities as well as private citizens who have suffered losses. Ideally, the recovery phase will overlap with mitigation efforts, and any rebuilding will be done with future disasters in mind.

TIER II FACILITY HAZMAT REPORTING HAS BEEN FEDERALLY MANDATED SINCE 1986:

Any facility, public or private, that has hazardous materials present at or above established EPA threshold amounts may potentially be subject to EPCRA, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. EPCRA is one and the same with the federal law which requires this type of reporting: Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)of 1986, Section 312, Public Law 99-499, codified at 42 U.S.C. Section 11022.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TIER II REPORTING?

The purpose of a Tier Two Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report is to provide State and local officials and the public with specific information on hazardous chemicals present at your facility during the past year. This information is used by local Fire Departments for personnel training, hazmat pre-planning and local/regional response to spills and releases. Tier II data is also used in mapping hazmat facilities and their distance to sensitive populations, such as schools and nursing homes. Tier II information is used to understand how safety training needs can be met in our region at no cost. Tier II data can save lives. The annual, updated and accurate information in a Tier II can help firefighters and hazmat technicians respond to your facility with the correct personal protective gear and spill response equipment, preventing injury or death. Tier II facility workers can also be better protected by this advanced preparation at their local Fire Departments; and they can also implement appropriate safety trainings to prevent accidents. Facility property can be potentially spared damage or destruction. Finally, Tier II data can result in the protection of our local environment, through proper spill prevention, mitigation and response to hazardous materials incidents.

WHO MUST SUBMIT A TIER II HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL REPORT?

Section 312 of SARA Title III requires that the owner or operator of a facility submit their Tier II Hazardous Chemical Report if so requested by a State emergency response commission, a local/regional emergency planning committee, or a fire department with jurisdiction over the facility.

This request may apply to the owner or operator of any facility that is required, under regulations implementing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, to prepare or have available a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for hazardous chemicals present at the facility.  MSDS requirements are specified in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, found in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations at x1910.1200.

WHAT CHEMICALS ARE INCLUDED IN A TIER II?

In the simplest of terms, if you have any chemicals in your private/public work facility, and these chemicals are stored for any ONE DAY at a reporting threshold, they must be annually reported in your Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report. If you are submitting a Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report, you must provide the required information on your facility’s Tier II form for each hazardous chemical present at your facility in quantities equal to or greater than established reporting threshold amounts (*discussed below*), unless the chemicals are excluded under Section 311(e) of SARA Title III.  Hazardous chemicals are any substance for which your facility must maintain an MSDS under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard.

 

*REPORTING THRESHOLDS*

Minimum Tier II reporting thresholds have been established for Tier II reporting under SARA Title III, Section 312. These thresholds are as follows:

For Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs) designated under Section 302 of SARA Title III, the reporting threshold is 500 pounds (or 227 kg.) or the threshold planning quantity (TPQ), whichever is lower.

For All Other Hazardous Chemicals for which facilities are required to have or prepare an MSDS, the minimum reporting threshold is 10,000 pounds (or 4.540 kg.).

You need to report hazardous chemicals that were present at your facility at any time during the previous calendar year (e.g. a chemical stored and used for a special project for one day at your facility) at levels that equal or exceed reporting thresholds.

WHAT CHEMICALS ARE EXCLUDED?

Section 311(e) of SARA Title III excludes the following substances:

  • Any food, food additive, color additive, drug, or cosmetic regulated by the Food and Drug Administration:
  • Any substance present as a solid in any manufactured item to the extent exposure to the substance does not occur under normal conditions of use;
  • Any substance to the extent it is used for personal, family, or household purposes, or is present in the same form and concentration as a product packaged for distribution and use by the general public;
  • Any substance to the extent it is used in a research laboratory or a hospital or other medical facility under the direct supervision of a technically qualified individual;
  • Any substance to the extent it is used in routine agricultural operations or is a fertilizer held for sale by a retailer to the ultimate customer.

OSHA regulations, Section 1910.1200(b), stipulate exemptions from the requirement to prepare to have available an MSDS.

WHEN DO I SUBMIT A TIER II REPORT?

Owners or operators of facilities that have hazardous chemicals on hand in quantities equal to or greater than set threshold levels must submit either Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report by March 1st every year.

WHERE DO I SUBMIT A TIER II REPORT?

The State of Tennessee will continue to require all facilities operating in Tennessee to electronically file Tier II reports using E-Plan.

Facilities are required to provide Tier II information to the following entities:

  • The State Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
      • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
      • A paper copy is not required.

 

  • The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) in the county the facility is located.
      • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
      • A paper copy is not required.

 

  • The local fire department in the county the facility is located.
  1. Wilson County EMA
      • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
      • A paper copy is not required.

 

  1. Lebanon Fire Department
  • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
  • A paper copy of the electronic submission can be printed from E-Plan and supplied to the fire department to meet this requirement.

 

  1. Mt. Juliet Fire Department
  • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
  • A paper copy of the electronic submission can be printed from E-Plan and supplied to the fire department to meet this requirement.

 

  1. Watertown Volunteer Fire Department
  • Electronic submission of the Tier II report with E-Plan will fulfill this requirement.
  • A paper copy of the electronic submission can be printed from E-Plan and supplied to the fire department to meet this requirement.

 

Does Tennessee Charge for Submitting Tier II Reports?

E-plan charges $25.00 per facility to submit a Tier II report.

    • The charge is paid directly to E-Plan, and the State of Tennessee has no additional charges.
    • The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) has no additional charges.
    • The Local Fire Departments have no additional charges.

 

What is the Link for Filing a Tier II Report with E-Plan?

 

https://erplan.net/eplan/home.htm

    • Use the Online Tier2 eSubmit section for Tier II submitters, facility managers, and business owners

 

Who do I Contact with Technical Questions Concerning the Electronic Submission?

 

The E-Plan website has a contact link for technical support.

 

Who Can I Contact with Chemical Questions, Concerns, or Issues?

 

The State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) can be contacted by phone, email, or regular mail at:

Phone: 615-253-3157 during business hours, or 615-741-0001 for emergencies

Email: epcra@tnema.org

Mailing Address:

SERC

3041 Sidco Drive

P.O. Box 41502

Nashville, TN 37204

 

The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) can be contacted by phone, email, or regular mail at:

Phone: 615-444-8779 ext.123

E-Mail: planning@wilsonema.com

Mailing Address:

WEMA

110 Oak Street

Lebanon, TN. 37087