This newsletter is a joint venture between a workgroup of Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) and statewide county emergency management representatives. This workgroup was formed to provide guidance and training to Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC), as they work to reenergize and improve participation in emergency planning in their communities.

Why Exercises Matter: Building Readiness Before an Emergency

Emergency plans are most valuable when the people responsible for carrying them out have practiced working together before an incident occurs. Preparedness exercises give communities an opportunity to test plans, clarify roles, and strengthen coordination among emergency management, fire and law enforcement agencies, public health, public works, schools, health care providers, businesses, volunteer organizations, and other partners. By practicing in a structured setting, participants can identify issues while there is time to resolve them—not during an emergency when decisions may need to be made quickly.

Exercises can range from a short discussion-based tabletop session to a functional or full-scale exercise that tests communications, emergency operations center coordination, field response, public information, evacuation, sheltering, and resource management. A scenario such as a hazardous materials release allows partners to walk through the actions they would take, the information they need, and the decisions they must make. This practice helps organizations validate procedures, confirm contact information, and become more familiar with each other’s capabilities and limitations.

For chemical emergencies, exercises are especially important because a successful response depends on timely notification, coordinated protective-action decisions, responder safety, and clear public messaging. A well-designed exercise can test how information flows from a facility or field responder to local officials, how partners decide whether residents should shelter in place or evacuate, and how the public will receive instructions. Exercises also help ensure that local emergency plans, including EPCRA-related planning, remain practical and current as facilities, personnel, technology, and community conditions change.

Just as important, every exercise should produce lessons that improve future readiness. Participants should document what worked well, identify gaps or corrective actions, assign responsibility for follow-up, and update plans, training, or agreements as needed. Regular, inclusive exercises build relationships and confidence across agencies and organizations. They help Wisconsin communities move from having a plan on paper to having a shared ability to act—protecting residents, responders, businesses, and the environment when it matters most.

2027 LEPC Pre-Conference Offering: LEPC Resilience & Engagement

LEPC 101/201

The Wisconsin Emergency Management Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) team along with the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) Best Practices Workgroup is pleased to present a LEPC Resilience & Engagement session as pre-conference training at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Emergency Management and Homeland Security in Middleton, Wisconsin on March 22, 2027. Tim Gablehouse, Past President of the National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials (NASTTPO), will be presenting LEPC 101 and 201. More details will follow in the December 2026 Newsletter.

Sulfuric acid is widely used in:

• Lead-acid batteries and battery manufacturing.
• Fertilizer production and agricultural chemical processing.
• Petroleum refining and chemical manufacturing.
• Metal processing, cleaning, pickling, and electroplating.
• Wastewater treatment and pH control.
• Paper, textile, detergent, and pigment manufacturing.