Learn about EPA response resources

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First responders to a disaster need information about chemical leaks. And they need it fast. A partnership between EPA and the Defense Department led to the development of equipment mounted on a small aircraft, allowing responders to collect information about potential chemical leaks from a safe distance. The equipment, called the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, or ASPECT, collects data that can be sent immediately to a ground unit, allowing emergency workers at the scene to safely respond to a disaster. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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The DataRAM is a portable, battery-powered monitor often used in emergency response situations because it gives immediate readings of particulate matter levels in the air. The instrument continuously monitors and logs the real-time concentration and median particle size of airborne dust, smoke, mist and fumes. In addition, the unit displays and records air temperature and humidity. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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EPA’s Region 6 formed a dive team from employee volunteers to retrieve materials and conduct sampling in lakes, reservoirs, and coastal areas. The team can dive in contaminated, low-visibility water, and to perform diver rescue. EPA dive teams provide many services including monitoring, sampling and field investigation, environmental response and criminal and civil enforcement. Having scientists and engineers who are able to work directly in the underwater environment makes Region 6’s emergency response teams more efficient and effective. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Following an emergency, EPA uses a helicopter equipped with a high-tech camera to detect chemical spills and leaks. This infrared camera, called HAWK, can detect potentially hazardous chemical releases from a variety of sources. The helicopter equipped with the HAWK camera flies at low levels and speeds. Emergency response personnel also use the HAWK camera for follow-up investigations, in the helicopter or handheld by individual inspectors. The HAWK camera aids EPA's efforts to rapidly identify and address potential environmental threats in disaster areas. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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EPA’s environmental service branch laboratory in Houston is a vital part of emergency response activity. The lab provides timely and accurate scientific analysis to help field personnel make sound decisions about response and recovery actions. Lab personnel support not only EPA’s activities, but also those of local, state, federal and tribal governments in their efforts to recover from disaster. EPA also uses mobile lab units to assess threats closer to the scene of an incident. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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The national Decontamination Team is part of EPA’s Office of Emergency Management. The team consists of highly specialized and experienced emergency responders, engineers and scientists dedicated to providing immediate technical decontamination expertise at the scene of a chemical, biological or radiological incident. Its state-of-the-art technologies help governments and organizations recover after widespread contamination. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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The Radiological Emergency Response Team responds to releases of radioactive material, whether at a nuclear power plant, during transportation accidents or because of a deliberate act of terrorism. The team works closely with EPA’s Superfund division, and with local, state and federal government agencies. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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In response to a disaster, EPA will use a self-contained mobile laboratory to monitor air quality. The mobile unit, named Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer, or TAGA, is capable of real-time sampling and analysis. It can detect chemicals at very low parts-per-billion levels. TAGA also has specialized sampling equipment to use at remote locations and to measure indoor air quality. The TAGA aids EPA's efforts to rapidly identify and address potential environmental threats in disaster areas. This has been a message from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.