CSEPP
Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program Exercise and Training Section
CSEPP EXERCISE PROGRAM
The Army has been delegated the President’s broad response authority with respect to releases or threatened releases of chemical agent from any facility under the jurisdiction or control of the Secretary of Defense under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), Section 104 (42 United States Code).
On March 23, 2004, The Department of the Army (DA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a framework of cooperation between the two agencies, identifying their respective roles, responsibilities, and joint efforts for emergency response preparedness involving the storage and ultimate disposal of the United States stockpile of chemical warfare weapons. In the MOU, DA and FEMA agreed to cooperate "in assessing and improving the effectiveness of federal, state, and local response systems and procedures through the design, conduct, and evaluation of exercises". Exercises are an important element in evaluating the implementation of the emergency response plans and assessing the adequacy of the plans and procedures, the capabilities of response organizations, the availability of equipment, and the coordination among the response elements. Exercises also identify needed improvements and possible new funding requirements.
The exercise program provides information for FEMA’s assessment of the emergency preparedness of communities around the installations and is the basis for FEMA’s recommendations to the Army about its effectiveness. Under the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA administers the Chemical Stockpile Preparedness Program (CSEPP) off-post, primarily through its offices in the regions containing chemical stockpile storage locations.
For the exercise program, the “CSEPP Community” is defined as the geographic area made up of the installation, state and local jurisdictions, and other organizations that could be affected by a Chemical Accident-Incident (CAI). The State CSEP Program Manager and staff implement the CSEPP by coordinating multi-jurisdictional exercise program activities.
The purpose of CSEPP exercises is to assess the level of preparedness of the CSEPP community to protect the general public, the workforce, and the environment from the effects of a chemical agent release at U.S. Army chemical stockpile storage sites. The exercises provide a basis upon which to build and strengthen the response capabilities both on- and off-post. Emergency response is the primary emphasis of each community during a CSEPP exercise.
CSEPP TRAINING PROGRAM
Training within the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) is critical since without proper training emergency response personnel may not develop the requisite skills or obtain the necessary knowledge to plan for and respond to a crisis. Training is an essential emergency planning activity for all types of emergency response efforts. Training for CSEPP must be performance-based; that is, it must be tailored to (1) the different functions identified in the emergency operations plan, (2) the characteristics of the personnel who will implement those functions, and (3) the environment in which the response will take place. Personnel should receive job-specific training to ensure they can perform the functions for which they are responsible. Where applicable, training programs will incorporate an evaluation procedure or technique that verifies that the trainees are gaining the skills and knowledge to perform their emergency responsibilities both during exercises and actual crises. Training courses are developed and utilized through the coordinated efforts of federal, state and local officials.
Write or call the CSEP Program Exercise Manager
- R.O. Stanley
(317) 232-6878
Address: Indiana Government Center South
302 W. Washington St., Room E208
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2739
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