Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA), which requires that each state to appoint a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) to provide oversight and regulation of hazardous materials. On the local level, EPCRA mandates participation and direction of a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), to work in a collaborative fashion with manufacturers and consumers of hazardous materials in order to prevent and plan for potential chemical and hazardous material related emergencies.

The Brookline LEPC is composed of members which represent a cross-section of the community, including public safety officials, local officials, state emergency management officials, public health professionals, broadcast and print media, as well as representatives from facilities subject to EPCRA planning requirements. The Brookline Office of Emergency Management coordinates with the Brookline LEPC and oversees reviews of emergency action plans of facilities possessing extremely hazardous substances, conducts periodic site visits to facilities, and reviews annual Tier II reports.

The Brookline Office of Emergency Management and the the Brookline LEPC work collaboratively with all town public safety agencies to maintain required levels of preparedness to prepare for and respond to potential hazardous material incidents, and also investigate and recover from any hazardous material releases that may occur within the town.