Tools and Resources for State, Local and Tribal Governments
EPA provides a number of databases and tools that are particularly useful for government personnel and responders.
- ALOHA® - Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres
- CAMEO® - Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations
- CERCLIS - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System
- EnviroMapper
- HATS3 - Hazards Analysis for Toxic Substances, Version 3
- MARPLOT® - Mapping Applications for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks
- OSWER Tribal Programs
For information about other emergency management databases and tools, please see Databases and Tools.
ALOHA® - Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres
ALOHA is an atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of hazardous chemical vapors. ALOHA allows the user to estimate the downwind dispersion of a chemical cloud based on the toxicological/physical characteristics of the released chemical, atmospheric conditions, and specific circumstances of the release. Graphical outputs include a "cloud footprint" that can be plotted on maps with MARPLOT to display the location of other facilities storing hazardous materials and vulnerable locations, such as hospitals and schools. Specific information about these locations can be extracted from CAMEO information modules to help make decisions about the degree of hazard posed.
For more information, see Downloading, Installing, and Running ALOHA.
CAMEO - Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations
The CAMEO software package includes the CAMEO program, as well as MARPLOT and ALOHA. The original application, called CAMEO, connects the planner or emergency responder with critical information to identify unknown substances during an incident. It contains a chemical database of over 6,000 hazardous chemicals, 80,000 synonyms, and product trade names. CAMEO provides a powerful search engine that allows users to find chemical-specific information on fire and explosive hazards, health hazards, firefighting techniques, cleanup procedures, and protective clothing. CAMEO also contains basic information on facilities that store chemicals, the inventory of chemicals at the facility (Tier II), and emergency planning resources.
For more information, see the CAMEO homepage and Downloading, Installing, and Running CAMEO.
CERCLIS - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System
CERCLIS, or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System, contains information on hazardous waste sites, potentially hazardous waste sites and remedial activities across the nation. The database includes sites that are on the National Priorities List (NPL) or being considered for the NPL.
For more information, see CERCLIS Database.
Enviromapper
Enviromapper is a mapping tool that combines hazardous substance and release data from numerous EPA programs, including Superfund sites, and maps selected features in your zip code.
For more information, see Enviromapper Storefront.
HATS3 - Hazards Analysis for Toxic Substances, Version 3
HATS (August 1998) is intended to be a complete guide to community planning hazards analysis for Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). With HATS and either the data available in "Technical Guidance for Hazards Analysis" (1987, EPA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Department of Transportation (DOT)) or in the CAMEO Screening and Scenarios module, a LEPC can complete its planning requirements.
To obtain the HATS Program, download and run the HATS.exe file. For more details, see the about_hats.txt file.
MARPLOT® - Mapping Applications for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks
MARPLOT is the mapping application. It allows users to "see" their data (e.g., roads, facilities, schools, response assets), display this information on computer maps, and print the information on area maps. The areas contaminated by potential or actual chemical release scenarios also can be overlaid on the maps to determine potential impacts. The maps are created from the U.S. Bureau of Census TIGER/Line files and can be manipulated quickly to show possible hazard areas.
For more information, please see the Downloading, Installing, and Running MARPLOT.
OSWER Tribal Programs
EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) has created the OSWER Tribal Programs website to improve outreach, consultation, and communication efforts with Tribes by providing relevant information about our programs and current efforts.