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Measuring Conditions and Progress
Goal 5: Enhance Joint Readiness for Environmental Response
State of the Border Region Indicators Report 2005
Supporting Data for Emergency Preparedness and Response
Metadata Summary (PDF) (3 pp, 69K)
Data Tables (PDF) (4 pp, 157K)
Joint Response Team (JRT)
The U.S.-Mexico Joint Response Team (JRT), established by the La Paz Agreement (PDF) (22pp, 123K), is composed of representatives from U.S. and Mexico federal, state and local agencies responsible for emergency prevention, preparedness, and response in the U.S.-Mexico border region. The JRT developed a Joint Contingency Plan (JCP) that established a federal mechanism for cooperation for responding effectively to polluting incidents.
Notification System
The JCP includes a joint incident notification system. Any actual or threatened incident involving releases of contaminants from non-mobile machinery, refineries, manufacturing plants, and other fixed facilities that has the potential to affect the other country is reported. Notifications are received by the National Response Center (NRC) in the U.S. and the National Communications Center (CENACOM) in Mexico. Indicators of progress in improving emergency response include the number of incident notifications in the U.S. side of the border region received by NRC (English (PDF) (1 pg, 340K) | en Español (PDF) (1 pg, 334K), Data Table (PDF) (2 pp, 194K), Metadata (PDF) (1 pg, 39K) and the number of incident notifications in the Mexican side of the border region received by Center for Environmental Emergencies (COATEA) (English (PDF) (1 pg, 347K) | en Español (PDF) (1 pg, 347K), Data Table (PDF) (2 pp, 69K), Metadata (PDF) (1 pg, 34K).
Emergency Preparedness and Response Border-Wide Workgroup (BWWG)
Border 2012 created the Emergency Preparedness and Response BWWG. The BWWG functions as the Steering Committee of the Joint Response Team. The BWWG is comprised of representatives of Mexico's Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA) and the Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil (Protección Civil), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Headquarters and EPA Regions 6 and 9. More information is available on the BWWG webpage.
Sister City Binational Emergency Response Plans
The JCP provides the foundation for establishing Sister City Binational Emergency Response Plans (SCPs). Fifteen sister city pairs have been identified. The plans provide local emergency response teams with a mechanism for cooperative measures and recommendations, including emergency response planning, exercises, and training. Considerable progress has been made in establishing the SCPs (English (PDF) (1 pg, 301K) | en Español (PDF) (1 pg, 342K), Data Table (PDF) (2 pp, 67K), Metadata (PDF) (1 pg, 37K) since 1998. By 2005, 14 plans were in place.
Refinements Since 2007
The Border Indicators Task Force is supporting the Emergency Preparedness and Response Border-Wide Workgroup (BWWG) in its efforts to update the 2005 indicators and to develop additional indicators of joint readiness for environmental response.
If you would like to get involved, please send an email to Steve Young (Young.Steve@epa.gov).
Contact the Border Indicators Task Force Co-Chairs