Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP)

Although many state and local jurisdictions have purchased new equipment in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it is unrealistic to expect that all jurisdictions can be fully equipped to provide an adequate, sustained response to a major terrorist incident. To meet this critical need, G&T launched the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP). PEP consists of standardized equipment sets that are prepositioned in selected geographic areas to permit rapid deployment to states and localities whose jurisdictions have become the target of WMD terrorism.

Highly specialized equipment, as well as off-the-shelf items are stored in 11 pods dispersed nationwide and are transportable by land or air within 1 to 12 hours after the initial request is made by appropriate authorities and approved by DHS. Through formal request and deployment procedures, the Federal Government will transfer custody of these assets to specifically designated state or local officials.

The PEP training and exercise program will be fully integrated in G&T's ongoing training and exercise programs. The lead for PEP training and exercises is the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), and the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) will support the integrated PEP training and exercise program.