Welcome

to the
Knowledge Exchange

Bienvenidos al la
Intercambio de Conocimientos
 EPA Region 6 Emergency
Preparedness and Response Border
Team
• Jim Staves, Program Coordinator
• Paige Delgado, OSC - Gulf Task Force
• Brandi Todd, OSC - Falcon Task Force,
Amistad Task Force
• Jhana Enders, OSC, Maria Cisneros -
TriState Task Force
 Response Authorities
• La Paz Agreement – 1983

– Annex II: PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE

ENVIRONMENT IN THE BORDER AREA AGREEMENT OF
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES REGARDING POLLUTION
OF THE ENVIRONMENT ALONG THE INLAND INTERNATIONAL
BOUNDARY BY DISCHARGES OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES

– Authorizes Direct Coordination between Co-

Chair Agencies
 Border 2012 Program
 Framework for bi-national cooperation to
protect the environment and public health
in the US/Mexico border region

 Grew from 1983 La Paz Agreement

 Signed in 2003

 Results driven, bottom-up approach

 Emphasis on partnerships (border cities,

tribes, border states, and U.S. and Mexico
federal governments)
 Border 2012 Goals
Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3
Reduce Water Contamination Reduce Air Pollution Reduce Land Contamination

Goal 5 Goal 6
Goal 4 Enhance Joint Readiness for Promote Environmental
Reduce Pesticide Exposure Environmental Response Stewardship
Tri-State
Amistad

Falcon

Gulf
Mexico-US
Joint
Contingency
Plan
 JCP Overview
• Joint Response Team
– Co Chairs: EPA, PROFEPA, and Proteccion Civil
– On Scene Coordinators
• Notification Protocols
• Initiation and Termination of Joint Response
Actions
• Coordination with State and Local Agencies
Sister City Contingency Plans

• Local to Local Plans, supported by Border

2012 program, BECC Grants, and DOD
Northcom Knowledge Exchanges
• Vary in scope (ie. coordination vs. mutual
assistance)
• Some movement towards All Hazards and
regionalization
Notification From Mexico
Notification From the US
Activation Flowchart
 Border 2012 Program
Joint Readiness for Environmental
Response Assets
• Preparedness and Response
Capabilities of participating agencies
• BECC Grant Program
• DOD NorthCom Partnership
 EPA Response Assets
Federal On-Scene Coordinators
Response Authorities (National Contingency Plan)
Warrants, Purchasing, contracting
Official Passports
Superfund
Technical Assistance and Site Remediation Contracts
Regional and National Response Teams
Special Teams
 Potential EPA Roles
• Support Local and State response efforts
• Establish / participate in UC/ICS
• Request activation of US / Mexico Joint
Response through JRT
• Lead ESF#10 response activities pending
NRP activation
 EPA Response Assets

ASPECT Aircraft - the nation’s only 24/7 emergency response

aircraft with chemical plume mapping capability,
uses infrared technology to visualize invisible, odorless chemicals
in the air.
EPA Response Assets

EPA Sampling Vehicle

 EPA Response Assets
Environmental Sampling and Monitoring
 Border 2012 Program
Joint Readiness for Environmental
Response Assets
• Preparedness and Response Capabilities
of participating agencies
• BECC Grant Program
• DOD NorthCom Partnership
 BECC Grant Projects
• 2009
• 2010
– Sister City Plan Revision and Exercises
• Brownsville, Matamoros
• Del Rio, Ciuidad Acuna
• Eagle Pass, Peidras Negras
 Border 2012 Program
Joint Readiness for Environmental
Response Assets
• Preparedness and Response Capabilities
of participating agencies
• BECC Grant Program
• DOD NorthCom Partnership
 Tri-State Task Force
Texas/New Mexico/Chihuahua
Accomplishments
Equipment Transfer and Training Juarez, June 2009
• 24 Juarez responders HazMat Technician trained

Palomas received 2 Fire Trucks from Binational Exercise Sept 2008,

Hurley & Columbus. Aug 2008 450 participants

El Paso, July 2009

El Paso trained 6 Juarez Airport ER Firefighters
 Tri-State Task Force
Texas/New Mexico/Chihuahua
Current Projects
• El Paso / Sunland Park / Juarez
Sister City Plan Signing Ceremony Sept 2009

•Presidio / Ojinaga Sister City Plan Updated

Future Projects
 Amistad Task Force
Accomplishments

• International Exercise Workshops

ICS, Equipment, & HazMat training
2008 Piedras Negras railcar collision
•Acuna, 2009 Equipment Transfer and Training
Responders HazMat Technician trained
 Amistad Task Force
Current Projects

• Eagle Pass / Piedras Negras

using BECC grant to update Sister City Plan
Last revised 1998

• Del Rio / Acuna updating Sister City Plan

•Last revised 2001
•Acuna PC & Del Rio Municipality
 Amistad Task Force

Future
• Equipment Transfer and HAZMAT Training
Piedras Negras, 2010

• Knowledge Exchange Eagle Pass or Del Rio, 2010

 Falcon Task Force
Accomplishments

Knowledge Exchange & Tabletop Exercise

April 2009

• ICS Training
•WMD Awareness Course
•Show & Tell of lessons learned/equipment
by Laredo Fire Dept.
•Tabletop Exercise of current Sister City Plan
 Falcon Task Force
Current Projects

Drafting Update Laredo / Nuevo

Laredo Sister City Plan

• Last revised 2001

• PC NL and Laredo Fire are leads
• Draft ready soon
• Possible contractor support via BECC grant
• PC and Laredo Fire meeting often
• 2 city signature initially (1 yr.+)
• General plan first and later more specific
 Falcon Task Force
Future

Equipment Exchange & Training Nuevo Laredo, 2010

• EPA, NorthCom, PROFEPA
• ICS & HazMat Technician training
 Gulf Task Force
Accomplishments

Bi-National Tabletop Exercise

McAllen, June 2009
 Gulf Task Force
Accomplishments

Updated & Regionalized McAllen-Reynosa Sister City Plan

Lead Agencies:
Reynosa, Tamaulipas and McAllen, Texas; Edinburg, Hidalgo, Mission,
Pharr, Weslaco, and Donna (Texas) and Rio Bravo (Tamaulipas)

Goals:
1. Update contact/resource information and
strategy for activation and emergency response
2. Incorporate more communities into the plan
to establish a Regional Plan
3. Expand plan to include public health
emergencies and natural disasters
 Gulf Task Force
Accomplishments

Updated & Regionalized McAllen-Reynosa Sister City Plan

Status: Revised plan generated based on January 2009 training, results of

risk analysis, and input from first responders from U.S. and Mexico.

Result: Updated US/MX Cross-Border Regional Contingency Plan was signed

and tabletop exercise was performed on June 4, 2009.
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects
Regional Emergency Communications Plan
Lead Agencies:
Municipal Fire Departments
PROFEPA,
SEMARNAT
Proteccion Civil
EPA
TDH
TCEQ
Lower Rio Grande Valley COG

Goals:
 Maintain updated list of contact data and capabilities for relevant federal,
state, and local response agencies.
 Develop a communications network using the most effective technology.
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects

Regional Emergency Communications Plan

Status:
 Currently integrating Tamaulipas municipalities into Inter-Operability Plan
established by Lower Rio Grande Valley COG
 Funding required for radio equipment and a mobile communications trailer

Result:
Communications Plan incorporating compatible communications equipment
and binational contact lists that are periodically updated
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects
Regional Hazardous Materials Risk Map
Lead Agencies:
Rio Grande Valley Fire Departments,
Civil Protection
PROFEPA
EPA,
TDH
TCEQ.

Goals:
 Identify and gain access to existing sources of information on
hazardous materials storage along the border.
 Utilize hazardous materials storage data to create a GIS map.
Provide GIS map to stakeholders and emergency response personnel.
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects
Regional Hazardous Materials Risk Map

Status:
Coordinating with the Texas Department of Health, Texas DPS, EPA,
the director of Civil Proteccion (Tamaulipas), and the Maquilador
Associations of Matamoros and Reynosa to acquire data.

Result:
Electronic GIS HAZMAT Risk Map showing locations of hazardous
materials storage, transportation, and disposal for use by first
responders and emergency management personnel.
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects
Update Matamoros-Brownsville Sister City Plan
Lead Agencies:
Civil Proteccion of Matomoros, Tamaulipas and Brownsville, Texas Fire
Department

Goals:
1. Update contact/resource information and strategy
for activation and emergency response
2. Incorporate more communities into the plan to
establish a Regional Plan
3. Expand plan to include public health emergencies
and natural disasters
 Gulf Task Force
Current Projects
Update Matamoros-Brownsville Sister City Plan
Status: BECC Grant awarded in 2010 through the Border 2012 Grant
Program to update 2002 Plan. Updates to plan on-going.

Result: Will have an updated Sister-City Plan that incorporates Harlingen,

San Benito, and Los Indios; and execution of a bi-national exercise.
 Gulf Task Force
Future
Develop Roma-Aleman & Rio Grande City-Camargo Sister City Plans
Lead Agencies:
US EPA and local governments; potentially Civil Proteccion in Cd. Aleman
and Camargo (Tamaulipas), and the Fire Departments of Roma and Rio
Grande (Texas).

Goal:
1. Create Sister-City Joint Emergency Plans for
these cities by interagency, multi-state, and
bi-national coordination.
 Gulf Task Force
Future
Develop Roma-Aleman & Rio Grande City-Camargo Sister City Plans
Status: Proposed to appropriate officials after Gulf Task Force Meeting in
November 2008.

Result: Process will result in Sister-City Joint Contingency Plans for these
cities.
 Gulf Task Force
FY 2010 Goals

 Provide HAZMAT Equipment and HAZMAT Technician/Equipment

Training
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Reynosa, Tamaulipas

 Knowledge Exchange
Brownsville/Matamoros
Risk Mapping Knowledge Exchange-Place/Time TBD

 Bi-National Exercise
Proposed for Summer 2010 at the Los Indios Bridge
 HAZMAT Technician Training
Conducted in compliance with "Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency
Response" standard (HAZWOPER), 29 CFR 1910.120.

• HAZMAT Technician training focuses on:

• recognizing and evaluating a hazardous materials incident
• organizing the response team
• protecting response personnel
• identifying and using response resources
• implementing basic control measures
• refining decision-making skills to protect the public and the environment
• EPA specific: equipment training
•
HAZMAT Equipment
5-DUPONT® Tychem® Responder® CSM™ Level A Suits
• DUPONT® UNIVERSAL PRESSURE TEST KIT
• 5-DUPONT® Tychem™ Haz-Mat Training Suits
• 5-Scott Airpak 75 SCBA kits (masks, air tanks, harnesses, and valves)
• 5-Scott AV3000 Masks and cartridges (VOCs, Mercury/Chlorine, Ammonia/Methylamine,
and Organic Vapors/Acid Gas/H2S)
• 5-DUPONT® Tychem® CPF-3 HD Level B Suits
• 5-DUPONT® Tychem® Level C Suits
• Nitrile gloves, Latex gloves and booties
• LONGUARD Hazmax® EZ-Fit Boots
• Chem-Tape
• Ludlum Model 192 MicroR Radiation Meter
• Industrial Scientific MX-6 Multi-gas Monitor
• (PID, LEL, CO/H2S, NH3, Cl2 sensors and calibration gas included)
• RMC Medical Decon Shower (pool, shower, pump, barriers, decon deck)
• Magnetic tanker Tourniquet
• Hot Zone Flashlights (intrinsically safe)