Adoption of emergency planning practices for chemical hazards in the United States

Abstract

Abstract Emergency preparedness for chemical hazards is a relatively recent phenomenon. The earliest plans were adopted in the late 1960's but more than half of the existing chemical plans were enacted after 1987. The central purpose of this paper is to examine factors underlying variations in levels of community preparedness for chemical hazards. Ideally, the implementation process would be observed directly in a number of communities to determine the events and factors that stimulate the adoption of various planning practices; However, such a study is probably unrealistic, expensive and unlikely to be able to observe enough of the process to be usefui. This paper examines survey data collected in late-1987 and mid-1988, in support of the SARA Title III Section 305b Report to Congress. Five factors related to the adoption of state-of-the-art planning practices among local community emergency management organizations are examined: innovation, available resources, necessity, vicarious experience, and professionalism. While each of these factors exhibit relationships with the adoption of state-of-the-art planning practices, none is sufficient to explain the trends in the adoption of planning practices. Supporting evidence is presented that links the adoption of state-of-the-art planning practices to the evaluation of risk in the community and innovation in other related areas