Water and Wastewater Agency Response Networks

WARN Status and Contacts by State

Overview of WARN

Introduction

A Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) is a network of utilities helping other utilities to respond to and recover from emergencies. The purpose of a WARN is to provide a method whereby water/wastewater utilities that have sustained or anticipate damages from natural or human-caused incidents can provide and receive emergency aid and assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, and other associated services as necessary from other water/wastewater utilities.

The objective is to provide rapid, short-term deployment of emergency services to restore the critical operations of the affected water/wastewater utility. The backbone of the WARN concept is the Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement. It is in the Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement where provisions for network activation, reimbursement, liability and other issues are mutually agreed upon by participating utilities. Participation is voluntary; there is no obligation to respond, and there is no direct cost to become a member of the network.

The WARN framework provides a forum for establishing and maintaining emergency contacts, providing expedited access to specialized resources needed to respond to and recovery from emergencies that disrupt water/wastewater utilities, and facilitating training that specifically focuses on the exchange of resources during an emergency. Events such as 9/11, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1997 Red River flood, and more recently Hurricanes Katrina and Rita identified a need for water and wastewater utilities to create intrastate mutual aid and assistance programs because:

• utilities require specialized resources to sustain operations;
• government response agencies and other critical infrastructure rely on water supplies;
• utilities must provide their own support in the immediate aftermath of an incident as state and federal resources will not likely be available or deployed for up to 72 hours;
• large events impact regional areas, making response from adjacent utilities impractical;
• disasters impact utility employees and their families creating greater need for relief;
• agreements must be established and in place prior to an incident for federal reimbursement eligibility; and
• engagement in mutual aid/assistance supports Department of Homeland Security requirements for compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Supporting Information

Economic Benefits of Forming and Participating in a WARN
Since March 2006, the national success of creating Water Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARNs) in each state is undeniable. As of September 2008, thirty-one states have executed agreements to form a WARN program, with multiple states close behind in various states of "readiness" with draft agreements. This report is based on the results of a literature review, survey of utilities, and guidance from utility managers to help characterize their typical emergency responses. It also includes valuable case studies of actual benefits experienced by three utilities in response to WARN activation. The document is titled Economic Benefits of Froming and Participating in a Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN).

AWWA's Action Plan for Utilities to Develop an Intrastate Mutual Aid Network 
In March 2006, AWWA developed a guidance white paper, or an action plan, to assist utilities in developing a WARN program in their states. The document is titled Utilities Helping Utilities: An Action Plan for Mutual Aid and Assistance Networks for Water and Wastewater Utilities. This action plan is the foundation for a workshops series that brings together utility owners/operators interested in establishing a WARN network, with key partners such as state emergency management and water/wastewater primacy agency officials.

Sample Mutual Aid and Assistance Agreement 
This sample mutual aid and assistance agreement was developed by AWWA based on existing WARN agreements. While the sample agreement shares some similarities with previously existing agreements, it is a unique document that includes the strongest elements from the existing agreements. In addition, this sample agreement identified gaps in existing agreements and provides additional articles to ensure the long-term sustainability of the agreement and support a participating utilities compliance with NIMS. You are invited to use this model agreement as a starting point to develop your own intrastate mutual aid and assistance agreement.

Water and Wastewater Sector Statement of Support 
On February 15, 2006, eight water sector organizations issued a joint policy statement of support for the "utilities helping utilities" concept. They also wanted to encourage utilities and local/state governments to establish intrastate mutual aid and assistance networks.

Frequently Asked Questions About WARN 
This FAQ document outlines many fundamental issues about the Utilities Helping Utilities concept. Although some of the issues addressed in the FAQ document are outlined above, this document addresses several more issues, including the relationship existing state wide mutual aid programs such as Emergency Management and Assistance Compact (EMAC), whether WARN activities are eligible for FEMA reimbursement, who should be involved with developing a WARN, and how WARN works during an emergency.

WARN Tabletop Exercise Facilitor Guide
Understanding the ICS and NIMS concepts will also help utilities provide mutual aid and assistance to one another. Encouraging the development of state-wide mutual aid and assistance agreements has been a priority of EPA and water associations. The number of state Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARNs) has grown from 3 three in 2005 to 31 today, with more in the planning stages. EPA has developed a tabletop exercise facilitator guide to help WARNs practice and exercise their WARN operational plans and procedures. The guide includes instructions for planning, organizing, and conducting an exercise and includes sample materials, such as scenarios (flood, hurricane, and earthquake), discussion questions, and presentation slides. By practicing the functionality and operations of activating their mutual aid and assistance agreement, a WARN will be able to respond more effectively and efficiently during an actual incident. The guide and other information about Mutual Aid are available at WARN Tabletop Exercise Facilitator Guide

NIMS Training
Preparing Water Utilities to Respond to Disasters EPA has been working with stakeholders to ensure that drinking water and wastewater utilities are prepared to respond to disasters - both natural and man-made. The Agency has provided training on Incident Command System (ICS) basics and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) tailored to the water sector to more than 1500 people in 48 states over the past 3 years. EPA is making these training materials available on-line to help drinking water and wastewater utilities better understand the ICS structure, coordinate with other first responders within an expanding ICS structure, and implement NIMS concepts and principles. The training is available at NIMS Training

WARN and Other Federal Initiatives 
There are existing federal initiatives that support the development of a WARN. Many of the federal initiatives that support the development of WARN fall under Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD) 5, 7, and 8. This page will outline the important linkage between WARN and the various federal initiatives.

• HSPD-5: Management of Domestic Incidents is the directive that required the development of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Plan (NRP). Full compliance with NIMS is an eligibility condition of all federal preparedness assistance grants for state, territorial, tribal, and local entities beginning in FY 2007. Compliance with NIMS includes formalizing mutual aid agreements with surrounding communities and states for the purposes of sharing equipment, personnel, and facilities during emergencies. Therefore, developing a WARN not only facilities the sustainability and continuity of a utility in the midst of a damaging event, but also helps qualify a utility for security grant funding from the federal government.

The purpose of the National Response Plan (NRP) is to organize the federal response and how federal agencies will support state and local entities. The NRP recognizes that a response to an emergency begins at the local level and works its way up to the state and then federal levels. One of the most important aspects of WARN is that it avoids the federal bureaucracy that many witnessed during Hurricane Katrina. WARN is a localized approach for utilities to help each other in a disaster.

• HSPD-7: National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) is the foundation for an all-hazards risk management framework for protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR). Recognizing that the majority of the nations CI/KR is owned and operated by the private sector the NIPP supports the expansion of mutual aid and assistance agreements. Further, each sector including water, has developed Sector Specific Plans. The Water SSP includes as one of its core goals and objectives supporting the expansion of mutual aid and assistance networks to enhance the overall preparedness and resiliency of the water sector.
• HSPD-8: National Preparedness Goal The purpose of the goal is to help entities at all levels of government develop and maintain the capabilities to prevent, respond to, and recover from major events or Incidents of National Significance. A key priority of the goal is to expand regional collaboration through mutual aid agreements and compacts

Additional Federal Resources Related to WARNs

Letter from the Department of Homeland Security to U.S. Governors on the National Management Incident System (NIMS)

NIMS Implementation Matrix for Tribes and Local Jurisdictions

FEMA Schedule of Equipment Rates may be used as guidelines for developing reimbursement rates for resources mobilized during emergencies.

 
For more information contact: Kevin Morley, Regulatory & Security Analyst at kmorley@awwa.org or 202-628-8303