The Kanawha Putnam Emergency Planning Committee provides a forum for the emergency plan, development, review and sponsors drills to test the effectiveness of the plan, citizens with information about possible community hazards to help prepare themselves, their families and workplaces for emergencies, offers a forum for communities, response officials and industry to work cohesively toward common emergency management goals.
Organizational membership meetings are held the last Wednesday of every other month except for November and December beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Saint John XXIII Pastoral Center at 100 Hodges Road in Charleston. You are invited to attend the next membership meeting to learn more about the committee or feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need additional information.
What We Do
The KPEPC is a volunteer, community group that:
- Brings together community resources in Kanawha and Putnam counties to create a common plan for responding to emergencies;
- Sponsors drills that test the emergency response plan's effectiveness;
- Evaluates the plan's effectiveness after actual incidents and revises the plan accordingly;
- Provides citizens with information about the location of toxic chemicals in their communities;
- Provides information to help citizens prepare themselves, their families and their workplaces for all types of emergencies, and
- Offers a forum for communities, governments, industry and citizens to work cohesively toward common emergency management goals.
- The KPEPC is a planning, NOT a response organization.
Our Vision
A community prepared to respond to all types of emergencies.
Our Mission
The KPEPC brings together resources in Kanawha and Putnam counties to create a common plan for managing community emergencies.
History
Emergency planning has a long history in the Kanawha Valley. Originally called the Kanawha Valley Industrial Emergency Planning Council, the organization was formed in 1952 by chemical facilities and the West Virginia State Police. Their objective was to develop mutual response programs for fighting fires and chemical leaks at the facilities. In 1985, the name was changed to the Kanawha Valley Emergency Planning Council to allow non-industry groups to join the organization.
To stress the importance of emergency preparedness, the name was changed to the Kanawha Valley Emergency Preparedness Council (KVEPC) in 1989. The Kanawha/Putnam Local Emergency Planning Committee (KPLEPC) was formed in September 1987 by the West Virginia Emergency Response Commission (WVERC) upon nomination by the two counties. The WVERC established the KPLEPC to comply with the requirements of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA). The Kanawha Putnam Emergency Planning Committee (KPEPC) was formed in 1995 by combining the Kanawha Valley Emergency Preparedness Council and the Kanawha/Putnam Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Our By-Laws
The Kanawha Putnam Emergency Planning Committee By-Laws are reviewed annually.
Current By-Laws (Revised August 2021)