Arctic Council

Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR)

EPPR website: 

http://eppr.arctic-council.org/

Current chairmanship:

Norway

 

Contact:

Chair

Ole Kristian Bjerkemo

Department for Emergency Response

Norwegian Coastal Administration

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +47 33 03 48 18
Fax: +47 97 04 26 40

Vice chair

Ann Heinrich

Deputy Director

Office of International Emergency Management and Cooperation, US Department of Energy

202-586-8165
Fax: 202-586-2164

 

Executive secretary

Synnøve Lunde

E-mail:
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The Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR) addresses various aspects of prevention, preparedness and response to environmental emergencies in the Arctic. Members of the Working Group exchange information on best practices and conduct projects to include development of guidance and risk assessment methodologies, response exercises, and training. The goal of the EPPR Working Group is to contribute to the protection of the Arctic environment from the threat or impact that may result from an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides. In addition, the Working Group considers issues related to response to the consequences of natural disasters.

EPPR works with Arctic Council Working Groups and other organizations to ensure that the emergencies are appropriately addressed in Council products and work. EPPR also maintains liaison with the oil industry and other relevant organizations with the aim of enhancing oil spill prevention and preparedness in the Arctic.

In 2010 EPPR revised its Strategic Plan of Action to clearly express the vision, guiding principles, and objectives of the EPPR Working Group.

During the Danish Chairmanship, from 2009 through 2011 EPPR conducted the following projects:

• Behavior of Oil and other Hazardous Substances in Arctic Waters (BoHaSA)
• Arctic Rescue
• Development of Safety Systems in Implementation of Economic and Infrastructural Projects
• Conduct of Radiation Emergency Exercises
• Co-operation on oil spill and HNS response in the Arctic
• Managing the cold conditions – A systematic approach
• Guidelines and Strategies for Oily Waste Management in the Arctic Regions
• Preventing Radiological Incidents and Emergencies: Source Control Project

EPPR sponsored specific technical projects to improve capabilities to analyze and respond to radiation related incidents or accidents. These included:

• Delivery of updated radiation survey and personal monitoring equipment to the Emergency Response Team at the Zvezdochka facility in the Russian Federation
• Development of a computer-based training tool, the Radiation Survey Simulation System which employs realistic scenarios and site-specific data to train facility responders
• Under the Community Radiation Information project, EPPR produced the Glossary for Nuclear Enterprise Information Services in Russian to assist public information
  specialists in communicating about radiation and accidents to the public and media

For the 7th Ministerial Meeting EPPR prepared the following documents:

• Behavior of Oil and other Hazardous Substances in Arctic Waters (BoHaSA report)
• Source Control (Prevention Project) Phase Four Report
• A Ten-Year Summary of Source Control Prevention Projects
• Report on the radiological emergency response exercise conducted at “Nerpa” Shipyard facility in the Russian Federation

At its meeting in Whitehorse, Canada, June 15-16, EPPR focused on the following main priority activities during the Swedish Chairmanship from 2011-2013:

• Support the work of the Task Force established by the Arctic Council to develop an international instrument on Arctic marine oil pollution preparedness and response
• Develop recommendations and/or best practices in the prevention of marine oil pollution
• Consider the BoHaSa report recommendations for future projects and activities within EPPR
• Arctic Rescue
• Safety Systems in Implementation of Economic and Infrastructural Projects
• Exercises and training in radiological emergency management
• Technical projects to improve capabilities to analyze and respond to radiation related incidents or accidents
• Pilot project “Arctic Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue Network”
• Pilot project “Arctic Region Oil Spill Response Resource and Logistics Guide”

Working Group Administration: Projects undertaken in EPPR are generally accomplished by each country funding its own effort. Certain projects have been funded substantially by one country, for instance Norway’s generous funding of the BoHaSa project. Financing of projects is projected and planned in the project framework developed in the proposal phase and agreed when the project is approved by EPPR. EPPR has no standing budget and the United States is currently funding the EPPR Secretariat. EPPR meets twice a year.

Download documents and reports from the EPPR website http://eppr.arctic-council.org/