Recovery following a chemical weapons stockpile disposal program accident

In conjunction with disposal planning, the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) was developed to improve emergency preparedness at the eight installations involved and for the communities which surround them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is assisting in the implementation of this program on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding established with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, for Installations, Logistics and the Environment (OASA, IL E). A steering committee and six subcommittees, co-chaired by DA and FEMA, were created, and representatives from state and local governments, as well as other federal agencies, were invited to observe and participate in meetings of these subcommittees. Recognizing the need for a coordinated recovery effort in the event of a chemical incident or accident, the Army and FEMA established one of these subcommittees to guide and coordinate recovery planning. The Army has tasked Argonne National Laboratory to conduct research for offpost procedural planning for the recovery phase, in coordination with this subcommittee. The draft paper Reentry, Restoration and Recovery from a Chemical Weapons Accident: offpost Procedural Planning and Preparedness, A Concept Paper, is a result of efforts by Mr. Tom Hess and Mr. Denzel Fisher of the Army,more » OASA IL E, by Dr. Caroline Herzenberg and other members of the Emergency Systems Section at Argonne National Laboratory, and by Dr. James D. Adams of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Concept Paper was written to provide an overview of the role of recovery planning in the CSEP Program and discusses various technical and social aspects which should be considered by offpost planners. This conference paper presents a brief summary of that work, and hopes to emphasize the importance of recovery planning. 15 refs., 2 figs.« less