Introduction
Public Safety operations, especially emergency planning and response activities can involve a variety of different local government agencies, local industry and other community representatives. Within the Public Safety arena, local governments have responsibilities as a regulated entity, an enforcement agent, a generator of various waste streams, and a provider of quality services to the constituents they serve. Pollution Prevention strategies can help local governments efficiently and effectively meet the regulatory requirements associated with public safety operations, provide value added services, and implement a proactive approach to protecting their community from chemical emergencies. The three primary functions associated with public safety are Emergency Planning and Response, Fire Protection, and Police Protection. The opportunities for pollution prevention within these three primary functions can best be realized by examining both a list of the wastes generated and the specific services provided through each of these functions.
Emergency Planning and Response
Services:
Understand and manage risks associated with specific chemicals and facilities in their community
Prepare for and respond to emergencies involving hazardous substances
Provide chemical information to the public
Waste streams:
There are no significant wastes associated with emergency planning and response, other than any wastes created by the clean up of a specific release. Usually these types of clean ups involve state and often federal oversight.
Pollution Prevention Opportunities:
LEPC's, and Local Emergency Coordinators and Planners, are in an excellent position to promote pollution prevention through their relationships with both the facilities that store and release chemicals in their community and the general public they serve and protect. With guidance and assistance from state and regional P2 programs, local agencies involved in emergency planning and response can use pollution prevention as a tool to better manage the risks in their communities by working with facilities to reduce and eliminate the chemicals posing the risk. Through the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), communities are provided valuable information regarding the presence, quantities, and release of chemicals in their environment. This information can be used to identify local prevention priorities and establish a basis for local officials, citizen groups, and state pollution prevention officials to target and approach specific facilities.
Top Pollution Prevention Opportunities:
1) Encourage facilities which are required to develop Risk Management Plans to consider pollution prevention strategies to meet or avoid this regulation.
2) Establish a pollution prevention task force or subcommittee through the LEPC to investigate ways to access state and regional Pollution prevention resources to address chemical concerns and priorities.
3) Incorporate pollution prevention requirements into Right-to-Know and other local enforcement actions.
4) Sponsor and/or co-sponsor pollution prevention workshops and other educational events for industrial facilities.
Fire Protection
Services:
Fire Response and Suppression
Hazardous Materials Response
Fire Code Inspections
Employee Training
Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance
Waste streams:
A majority of the waste associated with fire response and suppression and hazardous materials response operations is a product of the specific nature of the release or the fire that takes place. Fire Protection Services usually involve vehicle and equipment maintenance activities similar to those associated public works and other local government operations. For specific guidance regarding pollution prevention opportunities for vehicle maintenance operations, click here: vehicle/maintenance.
Top Pollution Prevention Opportunities:
1) Safeguarding lives and property, the primary objective of this service can not be jeopardized. There are pollution prevention strategies which can be incorporated through training and response protocols that will minimize the waste generated and long-term environmental impacts associated with the response incident without compromising human health and property.
2) Incorporate Strategies within emergency and fire response protocols and responder training courses to maximize the containment of spilled materials and contaminated fire suppression run-off and to prevent migration to waterways, sewers, and permeable surfaces.
3) Incorporate the use of reusable absorbent booms and pads for materials containment to replace clay and other absorbent materials that can only be used once. Reusable booms and pads can provide the opportunity to recover a percentage of the material released and significantly reduce the amount of waste generated.
4) Consider the use of halon free suppression materials where appropriate and develop a specific protocol for using halon suppressants only for situations where a suitable alternative is not available.
5) Review training exercises and other drill activities for opportunities to substitute less hazardous and non-hazardous materials, and incorporate water reuse and conservation measures where and when the effectiveness of the training is not compromised.
6) Promote site specific pollution prevention strategies through fire code inspections and enforcement activities.
Police Protection
Services:
Patrol/ surveillance to maintain peace and order
Investigation of crimes, and detection and apprehension of criminals
Traffic regulation enforcement and traffic control
Crime prevention, safety outreach, and education
Waste Streams:
Photoprocessing wastes (fixers, developers, film cleaners, etc.)
Vehicle maintenance wastes
Gun cleaning wastes (solvents, rags)
Shooting range wastes (spent casings, lead slugs, lead dust emissions)
Batteries
Office paper and other solid wastes
Top Pollution Prevention Opportunities:
Consider the use of digital cameras to eliminate and/or reduce the need for Photoprocessing.
Consider the use of contracted photoprocessing services through a vendor that recycles photo wastes to eliminate the generation of photo wastes in house.
Most liquid photoprocessing wastes can be recycled through a large commercial photoprocessing company or metals reclaimer.
Consider the use of ceramic or other non-lead bullets for training where the effectiveness of the training is not compromised. Where alternatives to lead bullets are not suitable, the use of traps and other devices should be employed at both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges to capture bullets and bullet fragments for recycling.
Consult vehicle and fleet maintenance directly for pollution prevention opportunities.
Implement a recycling program for office paper, cardboard and other significant solid waste streams.
Additional Resources:
"Preventing Industrial Toxic Hazards: A Guide for Communities," M. Wise and L. Kenworthy,
INFORM.
"Risk Management Planning: Will It Lead to Inherently Safer Operations?" by Carol J. Forrest;
Pollution Prevention Review/ Summer 1997.
"Accidents Do Happen: Toxic Chemical Accidents in the United States," December 1996,
National Environmental Law Center.
"Too Close to Home," National Environmental Law Center.
For more information, contact:
Tom Hersey, Coordinator - Pollution Prevention Programs, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Phone: (716) 858-7674, Fax: (716) 858-7713, Email: hersey@cdbg.co.erie.ny.us.
