U.S.-Mexico Border 2012
Historic HAZMAT Equipment Transfers Across the Border Region
Increase Sustainable Border Readiness for Disasters, Hazardous Chemicals Spills
As part of a groundbreaking first between the U.S. and Mexican governments, personal protective suits, multi-gas meters, and related hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response equipment were transferred to Mexico under an innovative Border 2012 bi-national collaboration.
These equipment transfers and accompanying hazardous materials response training are part of a bi-national initiative involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mexico’s La Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Attorney General for Environmental Protection or PROFEPA), U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mexico’s Direccion de Protección Civil (Federal Civil Protection Agency), and the U.S./Mexico Border Governors Emergency Management and Civil Protection Worktable.
“The training and transfer of response equipment for our colleagues from Mexico are important steps to achieve effective response along the border. EPA is pleased to have the U.S. Northern Command as a partner in making our border a safer place to live.”
Malcolm D. Johnson, Acting Deputy Director of the US NORTHCOM Interagency Coordination Directorate commends this “unity of government approach to sustainable disaster preparedness and response, and thanks EPA for their leadership in implementing this inaugural project that lays the framework for future partnership successes.”
“Thanks to this collaboration between EPA, NORTHCOM and Mexico’s Protección Civil, many of the millions of residents within the border region will now benefit from improved training, state-of-the-art equipment, and enhanced emergency response capabilities of our Mexican partners”
EPA and USNORTHCOM worked with Mexico’s PROFEPA and Protección Civil leaders to select the inaugural cities to receive the equipment and specialized training. Transfers of equipment across the border were completed in May and June, with border ceremonies to mark the bi-national transfers. The recipient cities included the highest risk areas of Tijuana, Baja California; Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; and Nogales, Sonora. To support a coordinated regional response, training and equipment was provided jointly to Mexicali, Baja California/San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora as well as to Acuña and Piedras Negras in Coahuila.
Mexican trainers served on the training teams, and topics covered included practical chemistry and toxicology, air monitoring, contaminant survey and detection, safety and decontamination, and terrorism and biological sampling. Students practiced donning and doffing HAZMAT suits, and engaged in drills involving simulated responses to drug labs, chlorine releases, railroad and pipeline spills, and tanker rollovers. Border sister city firefighters are also working together to calibrate and maintain the HAZMAT equipment.
To date, over 90 Mexican border city first responders have been trained and certified to contain and stabilize hazardous substance releases. (Training for Nogales responders will begin later this summer). Each of the five cities has a capability of responding to incidents with a trained 6 person Level A HAZMAT response team (highest level of protection) and 12 person Level B team. Students were certified by the corresponding U.S. Border State standards. In the highest risk area of Tijuana, 16 firefighters met the highest Hazardous Material Technician Level certification provided by the California Emergency Management Agency.
The trained Mexican responders recently led the effort to assess and mitigate impacts from a mercury spill in a Calexico, CA high school that migrated across the border to residences in Mexicali, Baja California. U.S. and Mexican responders also worked together successfully and seamlessly in a joint response to a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) railroad container leak at the Otay Mesa, CA Port of Entry, and to a diesel spill in Coronado Bay, San Diego.
Over the next two years, this initiative will be implemented in ten remaining Mexican Border sister cities and other areas of the Republic of Mexico. The next round of training and equipment transfers is expected to commence in early 2010.
This bi-national partnership is also increasing emergency response capacity through Knowledge Exchange events designed to enhance cooperation, strengthen bi-national contingency plans at the local, state, regional and national levels and reduce the risks of emergencies and disasters throughout the Border region.
These projects fulfill numerous U.S. and Mexican objectives, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s Integrated Homeland Security mission, the U.S./Mexico Border 2012 goal to “Enhance Joint Readiness for Environmental Response,” and the Mexico Federal Civil Protection Five Year Plan to design and implement prevention activities and build response capacity.
These projects fulfill numerous U.S. and Mexican objectives, including the U.S. Department of Defense’s Integrated Homeland Security mission, the U.S./Mexico Border 2012 goal to “Enhance Joint Readiness for Environmental Response,” and the Mexico Federal Civil Protection Five Year Plan to design and implement prevention activities and build response capacity.
USNORTHCOM was established October 1, 2002, to provide command and control of U.S. Department of Defense homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities in defending, protecting and securing the United States and its interests.
The Border 2012 Program works to protect the environment and public health for the 10 states on both sides of the 2,000-mile border, including 26 U.S. tribes and seven groups of Mexican indigenous people. The bi-national Border 2012 approach seeks to reduce pollution in water, air, and on land, enhance joint readiness for environmental response and improve environmental stewardship along the U.S./Mexico border.
EPA is the National Coordinator for Border 2012’s program areas in the United States.