Emergency committee achieves full certification
By Hilary Shepard Contributing Writer

(l to r) Selectman Leigh Emery; Susan Abladian, BOD chair; Lt. Robert Rand, LEPC chair; Selectman Timothy Dodd and Selectman Lydia Goldblatt display the certificate the town's LEPC received. SUBMITTED

Westborough - The Westborough Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) has achieved full certification from the State Emergency Response Commission, part of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

According to LEPC Chair Bob Rand, the community is safer because of the process the committee went through to achieve full certification.

"The learning process that we went through to get here is most important," Rand said. "It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when we have another incident. We plan for the worst and hope for the best. The most important part is communication between people."

The certification is the highest level achievable from MEMA, the agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters. MEMA created the certification process to ensure that all local LEPCs are meeting state goals.

According to MEMA, the mission of any LEPC should be: to create a response plan for a hazardous material incident; to exercise this plan annually; to train emergency responders to adequate levels; and to create a system to collect, store and respond to public requests.

The Westborough LEPC has been in commission since 1987 when Congress passed legislation requiring all communities to have an LEPC. The committee is made up of state-mandated interest groups including elected and local officials; law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services and health personnel; local environmental and transportation agencies; hospitals; and representatives of broadcast and print media.

The 17 current members of the Westborough LEPC have been working to achieve full certification for six years, during which they held provisional, and before that start-up, certifications.

The Westborough LEPC's initial task was to develop an emergency plan to prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies. The committee also handles emergency releases and hazardous chemical inventory information submitted by local facilities and makes this information public. The committee has the authority to request additional information from facilities or monitor hazard reduction procedures, and can take civil action against a facility if deemed necessary.

It also provides the public with information about hazardous substances, emergency planning, and environmental risks.

Full certification for the LEPC has benefits, including compliance and eligibility for EPA reimbursement grants for emergency response to hazardous substance releases.

In order to achieve full certification, the LEPC updated the town's hazardous materials emergency plan. The plan was tested during tabletop scenarios and realtime "incidents."

The town's response network also underwent training, which was mainly funded by $20,000 in state grant money from the Central Massachusetts Regional Homeland Security Council.

In order to maintain the full level of certification, the LEPC must continue training emergency response personnel, maintain and exercise hazardous materials emergency plans, and manage input from mandated reporters.

The full certification will be valid for three years at which time the committee must reapply. For more information, call 508-366-3040 or visit the town of Westborough's Web site.