The District and Local Crisis Groups, and Information to the Public

In one line

The district group meets every forty-five days and the local group every month, and between them they are the machinery that meets a chemical accident.

In the wording a student can write in an examination: rule 8 of the Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules 1996 requires the State Government to constitute District Crisis Groups and Local Crisis Groups within thirty days of the commencement of the rules, with compositions specified in Schedules 7 and 8 respectively, the District Crisis Group meeting every forty-five days and sending a report to the State Crisis Group and the Local Crisis Group meeting every month and forwarding a copy of the proceedings to the District Crisis Group; rule 9 makes the District Crisis Group the apex body in the district; rule 10 makes the Local Crisis Group the body in the industrial pocket; rule 11 deems the members of the Central, State and District Crisis Groups to be persons empowered by the Central Government under section 10(1) of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986; rule 12 requires major accident hazard installations to aid, assist and facilitate the functioning of the District and Local Crisis Groups; and rule 13 provides for information to the public.

Rule 9, the District Crisis Group

Its character. The apex body in the district to deal with major chemical accidents and to provide expert guidance for handling them.

Its seven functions.

Assist in the preparation of the district off-site emergency plan. The plan itself is prepared by the concerned authority under rule 14 of the rules of 1989; the District Crisis Group assists.

Review all the on-site emergency plans prepared by the occupiers of major accident hazard installations, for the preparation of the district off-site emergency plan. So the Group sees every on-site plan in the district, which is what allows the off-site plan to be consistent with them.

Assist the district administration in the management of chemical accidents at a site within the district.

Continuously monitor every chemical accident.

Ensure continuous information flow from the district to the Central and State Crisis Groups regarding the accident situation and the mitigation efforts.

Forward a report of the chemical accident within fifteen days to the State Crisis Group.

Conduct at least one full scale mock drill of a chemical accident at a site each year, and forward a report of the strengths and the weaknesses of the plan to the State Crisis Group.

Fifteen days for the accident report and one full scale drill a year with a strengths and weaknesses report are the two dates to remember.

Rule 10, the Local Crisis Group

Its character. The body in the industrial pocket to deal with chemical accidents and to coordinate efforts in planning, preparedness and mitigation.