EPA has released a new document, “Coordination of the Water Sector and Emergency Services Sectors: An Important Step to Better Response,” which describes the mutually beneficial relationship of the water sector and emergency-services sector and provides examples on how to improve coordination between water utilities and local emergency-management agencies.
The document recommends a series of actions for utilities to improve their coordination with local emergency-management agencies, including joint tabletop exercises, sharing and coordinating response plans and emergency contact information, getting to know each other in advance of an emergency, and sharing information about how water services support emergency-management agencies during a response.