The idea that the more informed the community is, the better prepared they will be to cope with potential hazardous materials problems led to the passage of the Federal SARA Title III Community right-to-know Act. Under this federal law, each state was required to set up a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) composed of persons with technical expertise in the emergency response field.
They established emergency planning districts and oversaw the formation of Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCS). By an act of the Idaho legislature, the name of the State Emergency response Commission was changed to "Idaho Bureau of Hazardous Materials" (BHM), effective July 1, 1997. The BHM now resides under the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. If you need to file a Tier II report you will need to send a copy to Canyon County Emergency Management, your local fire department, and the State of Idaho Homeland Security.
Canyon County expanded its LEPC to include all hazards in order to provide more comprehensive and useful emergency planning information to the residents. The Canyon County LEPC meets once a month at different locations around the county. Please contact our office for information regarding our next planned meeting location. At these meetings we discuss All Hazard emergency planning, hazard mitigation, steering and reports from our sub-committees and stake-holders.
The LEPC is a focal point in the community for information and discussion about emergency planning, training and exercising. Membership in the Canyon County LEPC is a matter of choice, concern and commitment. The common element among members is the desire to promote public safety through personal involvement in the community.