The first Pl., Oklahoma responders should contact for help on a hazmat scene is ______.

• A. LEPC (local emergency planning committee)
• B. FEMA
• C. FBI
• D. Red Cross

Answer: (A)

When a hazmat incident occurs, the first place to turn for information and immediate coordination is the local emergency planning committee. The LEPC maintains the community’s hazardous materials data, facility inventories, and emergency plans, and it serves as the primary liaison to your local responders. Reaching out to them quickly provides access to chemical specifics, site contacts, and preplanned response actions, and they can marshal regional hazmat resources as needed. Federal agencies like FEMA come in for large-scale disasters, the FBI handles criminal investigations, and the Red Cross provides humanitarian support, none of which are the immediate technical hazmat resource at the local scene. So the local emergency planning committee is the best first contact.