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EPA's Response Roles
Like all other federal agencies, EPA is tasked with protecting the health of employees, maintaining essential functions and services, supporting the federal response, as well as supporting states, localities and tribal entities, and communicating with stakeholders.
To support the federal response to an influenza pandemic, EPA will carry out its designated primary and support response roles as outlined in the National Response Framework (NRF).
The NRF contains Emergency Support Functions (ESFs). Each ESF assigns a primary (lead) agency, with support from other agencies.
The purpose of these ESFs is to coordinate the resources and response actions for supporting states and communities in order to minimize or mitigate a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment caused by incidents.
As one of the federal agencies within the NRF, EPA serves a primary role in one ESF and a support role in 9 other ESFs.
- EPA is the primary agency for Oil and Hazardous Material Response – Emergency Support Function (ESF) #10 (PDF).
- During an influenza pandemic, EPA will remain the primary agency responsible for oil and hazardous material response. EPA's responsibilities under ESF#10 include the appropriate actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment caused by actual or potential oil and hazardous materials incidents.
- Because of the potential human health and agricultural consequences of a pandemic influenza, EPA expects to be called upon to support other departments and agencies in key areas such as: