AWWA WSC67783

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities (Utilities) and the Charlotte Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team (CFD Haz Mat) had a unique opportunity to participate in a training event with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) National Counterterrorism Evidence Response Team (NCERT) in August 2006. This training event was the culmination of more than a year long effort by the Resident Agent in Charge of USEPA Criminal Investigation Division (CID), USEPA Homeland Security Division Staff, Utilities Staff, County Emergency Management, and CFD Haz Mat Staff to develop a program that would provide training for each group in the skills sets necessary to safely respond to a hazardous materials contamination event in the water system, to gain an understanding and appreciation of the expertise and resources available in each group, and to foster a collaborative response to such an event. As an added benefit to this unique training opportunity, continuing education programs for utilities and CFD Haz Mat are underway, and outreach programs for neighboring utilities and Haz Mat teams are under development. This powerpoint presentation provides information the following topics: brief overview of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities; utilities/USEPA CID relationship; USEPA Response Protocol Toolbox training; practical application training needs; and, initial training agenda/approach.