Frequently Asked Questions

The Local Emergency Planning Committee is a group of individuals from specific agencies and interested community members who assure the county has the planning and resource capabilities for chemical emergencies. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

After a chemical incident in India that killed and injured thousands of people in 1985, there was concern whether the same kind of incident could happen in the United States. In answer to rising attention, President Ronald Reagan signed the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act into law on October 16, 1986. Title III of that act is known and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Law (EPCRA).

One of the first actions of the act was for each governor to appoint a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). This commission divided the state into Local Emergency Planning Districts (LEPD’s) and appointed members of that community to the Local Emergency Planning Committee. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

Members are selected from certain agencies and businesses who would have an interest or play an active role in response to a chemical emergency. They assist in formation and annual review of an emergency plan that is required by the law. EPCRA specifies certain roles that must be included in the membership of the LEPC, they include:

-Elected officials

-Emergency medical services

-Federal facilities (military, parks and prisons)

-Fire departments

-Hospitals

-Local emergency planners

-Local industrial facilities

-Media

-Police

-Public/community members

-Transportation representatives

Individuals from each of these groups are appointed to the LEPC through the State Emergency Response Commission. The appointments are reviewed yearly and changed as needed. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

Each Local Emergency Planning District must have a written plan that covers response to incidents involving hazardous materials. These plans cover who will respond and what roles they have in public safety, containment, cleanup and recovery from a incident.

Harford County maintains this plan and along with specialized planning for natural occurrences such as earthquakes, hurricanes and other severe weather. There are also special annexes for incidents occurring at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station and Aberdeen Proving Ground with the chemical weapons stockpile.

This plan is available for public review at:

Emergency Operations Center

2220 Ady Road

Forest Hill MD 21050

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Harford County Emergency Operations Plan, HAZMAT Annex is submitted yearly to the State Emergency Response Commission for review. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

Each facility that maintains more than specified amounts of a hazardous substance in inventory that is classified as a hazardous substance by federal standards is required to report it to certain agencies. The reports are called Tier II reports and they are due prior to March 1 of each year. These reports list the chemical name, amounts stored, storage information and the hazards associated with the specific substance.

This information is sent to the local fire department serving the facility, the Local Emergency Planning Committee and to the State Emergency Response Commission. The information on the report is then reviewed by the agencies to assure the plan covers any threats that may arise from these hazards and that proper resources are maintained to respond to an emergency situation involving these substances.

Certain chemicals that can do excessive harm to public safety and the environment are listed as Extremely Hazardous Substances or EHSs. EHSs are given lower reporting amounts called Threshold Planning Quantities or TPQs, which require reporting for amounts as low as 10 pounds up to 500 pounds or more of these chemicals. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

All Tier Two Reports are maintained for public information and are available from the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). To obtain this information contact the LEPC at the Harford County Division of Emergency Operations 410-638-4900. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

You can also write the LEPC at the following address and request the documents to be mailed to you:

Harford County Local Emergency Planning Committee

2220 Ady Road

Forest Hill, MD 21050

Please be sure to include your return address and what facility or geographical area you are requesting reports for.

Through the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), a citizen can request a copy of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for specific chemicals on-site at the facility. A MSDS will provide you with specific information on the chemical to include its hazards, safety precautions, medical treatment for exposure and characteristics.

You may contact the LEPC at 410-638-4900 or email your request through a form provided on our website. The office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit our

Millions of pounds of chemical products are transported through Harford County every day on our highways, railways, pipelines and airlines.

The Local Emergency Planning Committee conducts routine studies of what is being transported through Harford County with the TRANSCAER System, an organized method of gathering data from carriers and making sure the proper resources are available for an emergency involving those substances. This includes placard counts of the tractor trailers on our highways, cargo reports from railroads and updates on the pipeline operations. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

If you operate a business in Harford County, free assistance is available from the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) on all your compliance needs under SARA Title III. Members will come out to your facility and assist you in determining your reporting requirements. They will also help you fill out the forms correctly and mail them to the proper authorities. The entire process normally only takes a few hours. To obtain this assistance call the LEPC at 410-638-4900.

Harford County Code requires that all releases of a hazardous material be reported at once to the Harford County Division of Emergency Operations. You may call 911 to make the report, even if a full response from the hazmat team and fire department are not needed. The dispatchers at 911 are trained to take the information and make the proper notifications based on the type of material and the environment into which it was released.

For a small spill that has been contained and presents no public or environmental hazard, you may just have a visit from a hazmat representative. If the spill is large or a threat to the public and/or the environment, a full response will be sent to assist you in cleanup.

Facility operators are required by local, state and federal law to make other notifications to proper authorities. On the local level they should call 9-1-1 and make the report. Maryland law requires notification to the Maryland Department of the Environment and in certain cases federal notification will have to be made through the National Response Center. Non-reporting can result in criminal charges and/or huge fines, some as high as $25,000 per day. If you are in doubt, report it.

The Right-to-Know, a guide for environmental compliance is available free from the Local Emergency Planning Committee. This publication covers all reporting requirements, phone numbers and report forms to assist you in making proper notification in the event of an accident. Contact the LEPC at 410-638-4900.

Each facility that maintains, produces or transports hazardous materials should have a written emergency plan known to all employees. They should know who has to be contacted and to do so even if they cannot reach management personnel. Failure to make notifications in a timely manner can result in large fines to the owner\operator of a facility/vehicle.

The Local Emergency Planning Committee will assist you in preparing this plan, free of charge. Call 410-638-4900 to make an appointment.

Under Harford County Code, a written report can be required for any release of a hazardous material. Under SARA Title III certain releases require written reports to the Maryland Department of the Environment and to the Environmental Protection Agency. Failure to file these reports can result in fines up to $25,000 per day of non -compliance. Please call 410-638-4900 for more information.

The Harford County Local Emergency Planning Committee meets monthly except in August. The meetings are:

-3 p.m.

-Third Wednesday of each month

-Emergency Operations Center

2220 Ady Road

Forest Hill, MD 21050

You may call 410-638-4900 for meeting information and directions to the college. The public is always welcome.