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 Federal
law requires business and industry operators to perform annual chemical
inventories (Tier II Chemical Report) and submit their report to the Texas
Department of State Health Services (TDSHS), local Fire Chief and the
LEPC no later than March 1st of each year.
The report (Tier II Chemical Report) is a standardized
form created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rate and
identify chemicals and hazardous materials. Whether or not a company must
file this annual list is determined by the type of chemical and how much
is on-hand.
Having this information readily available to Fire Departments
serve two important purposes:
- Enhances response time to an incident with the right equipment and
personnel.
- Immediately alerts first responders whether the public is at risk
and advisories are warranted.
In the event of a chemical release (i.e., spill, leak,
emission, gas cloud), a business or industry must report the incident
immediately. Texas Health & Safety Codes state a specific timeline
for reporting and failure to do so is a violation of both Federal and
State law whether or not First Responders were dispatched to the scene.
If First Responders are dispatched to a release incident
and a Tier II Report is not on file within the jurisdiction, the
operator is in violation.
The responding agencies are entitled to recover the
costs of securing, containing, and managing the incident.
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