EHCMA Emergency Management Committee E-Notify and CAER Line Enhancement Project

Houston Ship Channel Region

EHCMA OUTREACH AREA 133 facilities 10 Cities and Harris County 7 outreach areas 6 LEPC’s 3 ports Critical infrastructre

When Seconds Count Industry must provide responsible agencies information they need to assist in making decisions for communities Initial incident report due within 15 minutes Emergency or Non – Emergency/ Planned or Unplanned Rumor fills the information vacuum when information is not shared. Information spreads quickly in the public mainly through social media. How do we ensure the correct message is getting out?

Background of the CECC The EHCMA Community Emergency Communications Committee (CECC) was formed in 2004 as a result of: Inadequate communications between industry and responsible agencies The CEC Handbook was published in 2006 to establish protocols for emergency communications between industry and responsible agencies, and were adopted by both E-Notify was established as a best practice for emergency notification

Responsibilities (EPRCA) Who is required to carry out the protocols initially established by the CECC? Industry: East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) plants Those facilities designated by an LEPC Responsible Agencies: City or County offices responsible for communications in the community regarding industrial or other events; e.g. offices of emergency management, 911 centers

Benefits of Protocols Industry-agency collaboration produces quicker communications and improves relationships Consistency from establishing uniform definitions of incident levels and reporting requirements Post-event critiques which foster improvement Provides a resource for continuity of information for new plant managers and communicators Community expectations Goal is to have Quick, Clear, Consistent Communications between Industry, Responsible Agencies, and their Communities at the Beginning, During, and Following Incidents  

Uniform Incident Level Definitions

Level 1 Courtesy Message (No Offsite Impact) For events or incidents confined to the plant that won’t endanger the community For non-emergency events or incidents noticeable to the community Heavy flaring, fire training smoke, siren test outside of normal schedule Issued by industry to responsible agencies May be issued by industry or responsible agency to the public, only if the event is visible

Level 2 Watch (Potential Offsite Impact) Plant alerts responsible agency Responsible agency decides whether event may affect community Responsible agency could put community on “watch” for further announcements

Level 3 Warning (Offsite Impact) Plant alerts responsible agency Responsible agency decides what areas need to be notified, if any; e.g. Shelter-in-Place Targeted only to those who need to act

E-Notify and CAER System Update Project Began in Early 2017

System Upgrade Since 2006, the Emerge Steering Committee has been working to enhance the E-Notify system for end users It is time for a full upgrade of the system look and layout The CAER Line also needed to be upgraded or discontinued Members of the Emerge Steering Committee worked with the EHCMA Emergency Management and Communications Committee to create a solution for industry and responsible agencies that seeks to eliminate some of the challenges we continue to experience and streamline the notification process

Upgrade Project Goals Enhance the CAER process (eliminate call in option) and utilize updated technology to communicate to the public (web, app, etc.) Utilize one system to submit incident notifications and CAER messages Simplify E-Notify to make the system more user friendly Utilize EHCMA outreach areas to promote use of the system and identify opportunities to support partner cities in the EHCMA region. Communicate new CAER system to the public Develop an effective training program and materials for the region for E-Notify and CAER message system Reinforce the role of the LEPC regarding incident communications

Proposed Workflow Process

Project Implementation Three subcommittees were established to carry out the project: Tools/Product Development Subcommittee Review current tools and products being utilized throughout the EHCMA region and identify opportunities for improvement to enhance communications Work with the Emerge Steering Committee to review potential changes to the E- Notify system and receive input/feedback Stakeholder Coordination Subcommittee Review the enhanced tools and products, and ensure consistency with CEC Handbook Make any needed updates to the CEC Handbook Coordinate with key stakeholders in the EHCMA outreach areas Training/Metrics Subcommittee Develop an annual training plan to provide continuous training on E-Notify and the CAER system Establish metrics for measuring utilization of the system by system users

Goal: Four Step Process E-Notify Incident Report (continue notification) Notification Options (next) Verification Page for Incident Report (send) CAER Message (post) Confirmation Page showing Acknowledgements Notes: E-Notify report will be submitted immediately, even though the full process has not been completed (incident report is priority) The status bar at the bottom of each page will update as each step is completed; serves as a visual guide for the reporter

Main Updates to E-Notify Completely updated the main menu to simplify for reporters Separated screens for incident report vs. test, training, exercise Added report status bar at the bottom to illustrate there are multiple steps to the report Added “Step” at top of each page or near status bar to illustrate the report progression Added Report Verification Page before sending report Updated Recommended Protective Actions to reduce confusion Added option to select Incident Contact Person Fully incorporated CAER message process to E-Notify; separate process will go away CAER Online instead of phone system

Home Screen of E-Notify

Incident Report (Level 1, 2, or 3)

Incident Report Continued Status Bar

Incident Report Continued - Notification Options Page

Incident Report Verification Page Once you select “Send”, the E-Notify report will be submitted. You continue through the process. Pay attention to the status bar.

CAER Message (Final Step) Based on the scenario, the system will automatically pull any pre-scripted messages entered into the system. If there are no pre-scripted messages, the system will automatically generate a standard message based on the scenario. The reporter can still make changes to the standard message before posting.

This is a message from Kuraray America Septon located at 11414 Choate Rd. Pasadena,TX 77507. At 13:12 on 7/20/2017, a Chemical, Fire incident occurred at our facility. At this time, Flames/Flaring, Odor may be noticeable to the community. We are coordinating with local officials, and working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Stay tuned to local officials for more information. Update will be provided on this site, when needed.

Incident Report Status Page Based on the scenario, the system will automatically pull any pre-scripted messages entered into the system. If there are no pre-scripted messages, the system will automatically generate a standard message based on the scenario. The reporter can still make changes to the standard message before posting.

CAER Message to Website

CAER Message to App Example Example from website

CAER App Examples

Measurement on effectiveness To show plants with low incidents reported, click on 0-9 in the Incidents Reported chart. Map immediately updates to show 95 of 163 plants with < 10 incidents reported over 15 months.

Export these plants to an Excel spreadsheet for downstream reporting, notification, or followup. Snapshot the map view and combine with spreadsheet to generate reports/emails.