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.
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