EPCC meaning

In practice, EPCC (Emergency Planning Consultative Committee) refers to a multi-agency forum, usually convened by the local authority around a major hazard establishment, to plan for off-site emergency response. It supports the preparation, maintenance and exercising of the off-site emergency plan and enables information-sharing and co-operation between the operator, authority and emergency responders. EPCC is not generally a defined statutory term. Such committees are commonly formed to help discharge duties to prepare, consult on and test off-site emergency plans, and to co-operate with other responders, under REPPIR 2019 and the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (and Northern Ireland equivalents), read with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Typical members include the local authority (often chair), the site operator, police, fire and ambulance services, health agencies, environment regulators (EA, SEPA, NRW), and the HSE or Office for Nuclear Regulation (or HSENI), with others invited as appropriate. Usage is broadly consistent in England & Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland and Ireland, terminology varies (for example, external emergency plan committees under the Seveso III regime in Ireland and COMAH in Northern Ireland), but the function—co-ordinating multi-agency planning for major accident hazards—is equivalent.