Do You Know Whats In Your Community A Strategic Risk Management Approach to Better Prepare for Chemical Emergencies

Communities throughout the United States are susceptible to hazardous materials releases, with varying impact. Unfortunately, some of those incidents have caused catastrophic casualties, irreversible environmental damage, revenue loss, and nonconventional impacts such as community and industry social implications—many of which could have been prevented. This thesis creates a framework to help communities better prepare for chemical emergencies. The research examined two case studies, revealing three major disconnects and several challenges that emergency management professionals face to pursue a delicate balance of natural resources, population growth, limited resources, security, and the need for commercial goods—made possible by the necessary use and manufacturing of chemicals. This framework enables communities throughout the United States to better prepare for chemical disasters. It offers first responders, emergency management professionals, the private sector, and community members a collaborative path toward making their communities more resilient to chemical disasters in order to diminish preventable hazards and lessen inevitable impacts.