Episode 112: Enhancing Emergency Preparedness in Communities Near Chemical Stockpile Sites

Since the 1950s, the U.S. Army maintained stockpiles of chemical munitions that were produced as a way to deter the threat of chemical attacks from foreign adversaries. In 1985, under the direction of Congress, the Army began destroying the aging chemical weapons, while ensuring that the communities surrounding the eight stockpile sites across the country remain safe. Three years later, in 1988, an agreement was made between FEMA and the U.S. Army to establish the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, or CSEPP. CSEPP is a readiness program that is designed to enhance the emergency preparedness of the communities surrounding these stockpile sites, not only as it relates to the stockpile munitions, but also to any disaster. Today, stockpiles of chemical munitions remain at only two sites in the United States, and one of those sites is in Pueblo, Colorado. On today's episode, we'll learn more about Pueblo's annual CSEPP exercise - what goes into planning it and what it looks like as over 2000 local, state and federal partners come together to practice their plans in case an emergency were to occur at the Pueblo Chemical Depot.