Montgomery County, Maryland
Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC)

Image: LEPC members from County departments and local businesses gathered for the April 2017 Meeting held at Emergenct BioSolutions in Gaithersburg.

LEPC members gathered around a Hazardous Materials Decontamination demonstration

LEPC Members gathers before the Hazardous Materials Decontamination engine

News

The Montgomery County LEPC Q2 meeting, which was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 14th, has been postponed.

The February 2025 LEPC meeting was held on Wednesday, February 19, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM as a hybrid meeting with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) hosting in-person attendees in the large conference room at the Public Safety Headquarters Building in Gaithersburg, MD. Members of the LEPC received a presentation from the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association (ChABSA). The presentation was given by Montgomery County's LEPC Vice Chair and ChABSA member, Bruce Donato. The presentation covered an array of topics to include myths and urban legends of biological research as well as safeguards for communities and workers. An overview of the presentation can be found here, ChABSA LEPC Presentation.

The next LEPC meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, 2025 as a hybrid meeting.
If you have topics you'd like to suggest or are interested in hosting the next LEPC meeting, please contact LEPC Facilitator, Will Shepherd.

LEPC Voting Members

This is the current list of NEW LEPC Voting Members. These appointments will be sent to the SERC for approval

LEPC Chair – Luke Hodgson
LEPC Vice Chair – Bruce Donato
LEPC Facilitator – Will Shepherd
Community Right-to-Know Coordinator – Barbara Moore
Police – Carl Holland
Fire – Battalion Chief Ivan Browning
EMS – Assistant Chief Dan Ogren
Fire Marshal – Rick Merck
Civil Defense – Michael Goldfarb
Public Health – Sean O’Donnell
Environmental Protection – Steve Martin
Transportation – Joe Pospisil
Hospitals – TBD

Regulated Facilities (up to 5)
- Mike Cakouros
- Christine McKendrew
- Jeff Alderdice
- Randy Norman
- Robert Sullivan
Citizens At-Large (up to 3):
- Jen Singer
- Brandon Rytting
- John Gustafson
Federal Facilities - Melanie Robinson
Broadcast and Print Media – VACANT
Community Groups – Hoan Dang

LEPC Vision Statement

To help the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) and Emergency Management Group (EMG) improve coordination with County agencies and partners, make resources available to keep the community safe from the effects of hazardous materials and other natural or manmade hazards, and facilitate emergency planning and preparedness, effective hazard mitigation and response to all emergencies.

LEPC Mission Statement

The Montgomery County, Maryland LEPC helps to promote public health and safety; supports preparedness of members of the public, government agencies, and industry; and provides local subject matter expertise to emergency planning and response agencies by serving as a venue for communication and consultation among a diversity of stakeholders.

About LEPC

The Montgomery County, MD Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC) was established in 1987 in accordance with the EPA Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. The LEPC also has responsibilities under the state of Maryland in the Community Right to Know Regulation COMAR 26.26.01 and the Emergency Preparedness and Community Right to Know Act of 1986.

In 1991, the LEPC recommended the establishment of a local permitting regulation and ER 30-91AM (1991) revised in 1993 was drafted and approved by council to regulate the possession, transport, and storage of hazardous materials within the County.

The LEPC operates under bylaws adopted by the Montgomery County Council. Under the provisions of EPCRA, the LEPC shall develop a hazardous materials emergency response and preparedness plan for the planning district of Montgomery County, Maryland; establish procedures for conducting its public information and education responsibilities; receive and process requests for information from the public; notify the public and regulated businesses on all LEPC activities and meetings; make the Hazardous Materials Plan publicly available; receive reports and information as specified in EPCRA and in accordance with state and local hazardous materials reporting laws.

With the information and reports received from facilities operating within the planning district, the LEPC will perform a hazard analysis, establish and maintain a database of hazardous materials locations and quantities in the planning district together with emergency planning and notification information, and establish and maintain a computer system for data management. Information on all facilities with reportable quantities as well as Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) will be included in the emergency plan. All LEPC meetings, except those specified by the Chairman and announced in advance, are open to the public.

Next Meeting

Date:
September, TBD
Time:
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Location:
TBD

All LEPC meetings are open to the public and are held once a quarter, typically on the third Wednesday of the month. Q1 (Jan-Mar), Q2 (Apr-Jun), Q3 (Jul-Sep), Q4 (Oct-Dec).

Anyone interested in attending a meeting is asked to call 3-1-1 (or 240-777-0311 outside of Montgomery County) for information or send us an email.