An Emergency Response System

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An Emergency Response System
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E-Plan a highly secure, internet based,
hazardous materials information system for first
responders

• Designed and developed PRIOR to 9/11/01 through a
  cooperative agreement between EPA and UTD, with
  input from local, state, and federal agencies of
  the Region 6 Response Team
• Presents facility, and chemical hazards data in a
  rapidly accessible format that puts critical
  information first, is easy to use, and concise.
• In use in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico,
  Oklahoma and Minnesota, North Carolina, Georgia,
  and NY.
• Funded by DHS through an Interagency Agreement
  with EPA. Free of charge to users.

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Current E-Plan System Features

• Contains RMP facility data
• Over 96,000 Tier 2 facility records
• Data for over 22,000 unique chemicals, linked
  directly to chemicals in tier 2 inventories
• Data sources NFPA, DOT-ERG, MSDS, NIOSH, CHRIS
• Interoperability with Tier 2 Submit and CAMEO

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Current E-Plan System Features (cont)

• Ability to search for
• Individual facilities
• All facilities in a geographic area
• All facilities with specified chemicals in a
  geographic area
• All facilities with certain quantities of
  specified chemicals in a geographic area
• Display facilities, schools, and hospitals in
  Google Maps

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E-Plan Security Features

• Individual User IDs and Passwords
• Local or State user Authorization
• Role based permission levels
• Secure physical location (UTD Cybersecurity and
  Emergency Preparedness Institute)
• Firewalls
• 128k encryption (Credit Card level)
• System access logs
• 6 years operation with no breaches or data loss

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E-Plan use during Katrina Response
Search for all facilities in Orleans Parrish with
Chlorine
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E-Plan use during Katrina Response
System lists all facilities matching search
criteria
Select Google Maps to display
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E-Plan use during Katrina Response
Select Facility of Interest
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E-Plan use during Katrina Response
Facility Emergency Contact 24-hr number
Interactive Facility Chemical Inventory
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Summary of Key E-Plan Benefits

• First Responders are better prepared to handle
  hazmat and WMD incidents.
• State and Federal Agencies can better visualize
  threats and share a common hazmat operational
  picture.
• Reduced data management costs for fire
  departments, and local and state agencies
• E-Plan data can be downloaded to support risk
  analyses and a variety of GIS uses.

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State Implementation Strategies

• Batch uploads (annual) of State managed data
  (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,
  Oklahoma)
• Tier 2 e-filing using E-Plan to generate tier 2
  submit forms (New York)
• Other e-filing (RCRA contingency plans in North
  Carolina)

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Key Steps for State Implementation

• Develop System utilization and access policies.
• Appoint authorizing officials for granting system
  access.
• Develop training strategy for potential system
  users.
• Coordinate Tier 2 loading or entry strategies
  with EPA Regional Coordinator and E-Plan System
  Administrator.

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E-Plan Contact Info

• Jim Staves, EPA Region 6
• Staves.james_at_epa.gov
• 214-789-3417
• Vinson Poole, EPA Region IV
• Poole.vinson_at_epa.gov
• 404-562-9186
• erplan.net