Emergency Management - Taney County, MO

Meetings

The Taney County LEPC meets the Third Thursday of every even numbered month.
Meetings are held at 11:00 a.m. at a selected restaurant in Taney County.
Business and public are welcome to attend.
For locations and other information contact the office Monday-Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 at 417-546-7233.

Officers:
Chairman -- Daryl Brown
Vice Chairman -- Ted Martin
Secretary -- Kathryn Metzger
Treasurer -- Nathan Bower

Who we are and What we do

The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III required each state to establish a State Emergency Response Commission; the Missouri Emergency Response Commission or MERC for the state of Missouri. MERC then specified Local Emergency Planning Districts where LEPCs were established.

Initially the LEPCs task was to develop an emergency plan to prepare for and respond to hazardous materials emergencies. The plan must also be reviewed, tested and updated annually.

Other responsibilities include receiving emergency release and hazardous chemical inventory information submitted by local facilities and making this information available to the public upon request. The LEPC is also the focal point in the community for information and discussions about hazardous substances, emergency planning, and health and environmental risks.

The LEPC consists of representatives of state and local officials, law enforcement, emergency management, firefighting, emergency medical services, health, local environment and transportation agencies, hospitals, media, community groups, and facilities subject to reporting under EPCRA. Participation is open to interested citizens.

Hazardous materials and detection equipment is also provided to emergency first responders.

Reporting Requirements and the Tier II

Facilities covered by The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) must submit an emergency and hazardous chemical inventory form to the LEPC, the MERC and the local fire department annually. Tier II forms require basic facility identification information, employee contact information for both emergencies and non-emergencies, and information about chemicals stored or used at the facility.

The MERC web site (linked above) provides a "List of Lists" containing the substances reportable under EPCRA.

Substances generally must be reported if its chemical characteristics can pose hazards to people or the environment and may fall into one or more of the following categories:

Flammable

May ignite easily at low temperatures; can explode under certain conditions.

Reactive

May combine with other chemicals to produce dangerous fumes; may explode when combined with air, water, or other chemicals.

Corrosive

Can eat through other materials, including metal; may cause tissue or skin burns.

Toxic

Can harm or cause death to living organisms: harmful effects may be felt immediately or years after a person is exposed to the substance.

Common facilities that must report are those storing more than the following quantities:

1,600 gallons of gasoline
1,340 gallons of diesel
2,000 gallons of propane
1,540 gallons of E85

Swimming pools with more than 100 pounds of chlorine
Water and Sewage Treatment Facilities with more than 100 pounds of chlorine
Ammonia (such as refrigeration systems) with more than 500 pounds
Most solvents at more than 10,000 pounds
And some lawn chemicals based on certain quantities of herbicides and pesticides

The easiest way to know when to report is if there is over 500 pounds of an Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS), OR if a MSDS is required to be maintained and there is over 10,000 pounds of the product requiring the MSDS.

Information submitted by manufacturers on Tier II forms is available to the public. To view the Tier II information on file for Taney County or the response plan contact the LEPC at (417) 334-3440.

What the symbols mean

Shipments of hazardous materials carrying certain quantities must carry visible placards to comply with USDOT regulations. Some containers in storage may have similar placards.

A few of the common placards

Combustible

Buildings, rooms, and containers where hazardous chemicals are stored must be marked in many places. Most often the marking system developed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) is often used.

Each of the four quadrants have specific meanings:

Blue

Health Hazard

Red

Flammability Hazard

Yellow

Reactivity Hazard

Lower

contains symbols indicating special hazards such as OXY for oxidizers

The quadrants also contain numbers from 0 to 4 indicating the relative degree of hazard, with 4 indicating extremely dangerous materials.