“All disasters start local and end local” is something you’ll hear a lot in emergency management.

Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) are a critical “tip of the spear” function in preparing Alabamians for disasters of all types, sizes and severity.

Blount and Montgomery counties held their LEPC meetings this week. For Blount County, this was an important milestone for their LEPC – this was their first official meeting after their kickoff in August. They discussed objectives of the LEPC, elected bylaws committee and discussed the importance of whole community planning.

In Montgomery County, the discussion centered around response capability – specifically that of Montgomery Fire Hazmat teams.