On September 9, 2026, The Orange County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), conducted a tabletop drill “Resist Rushing In”. This hazardous-material emergency response exercise was designed to strengthen responder safety, interagency coordination, and community preparedness while supporting the emergency planning responsibilities of the Local Emergency
Planning Committee (LEPC). The exercise emphasized one of the most important principles in hazardous-material response: responders must resist the instinct to immediately enter a hazardous area before identifying the hazards, establishing command, determining appropriate protective actions, and requesting necessary resources.
The drill objectives evaluated the ability of participating agencies to recognize a potential hazardous-material incident, establish Incident Command or Unified Command, identify hazardous chemicals using facility information and Tier II data, establish appropriate isolation and protective-action zones, select proper personal protective equipment, and coordinate notifications to emergency response agencies and appropriate officials. Participants also practiced emergency warning, public protective actions, evacuation or shelter-in-place decision making, perimeter control, accountability, emergency medical coordination, and communications among Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, Industry (Facility and Pipeline),
and other response partners.
The exercise supports the Orange County LEPC responsibilities under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by strengthening emergency planning, emergency release notification procedures, use of hazardous-chemical inventory information, and coordination between facilities and local responders. Exercise observations and participant
feedback will be documented to identify strengths, corrective actions, training needs, and opportunities for improvement to the LEPC emergency response plan. For Additional information, please contact the Orange County Office of Emergency
Management.
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