Emergency Response Program

Mission

The mission of DTSC's Emergency Response Program (ERP) is to provide statewide response to actual and potential releases of hazardous substances that pose an acute threat to public health and/or the environment, including clandestine drug labs. The ERP interacts with a number of other state, federal and local agencies in carrying out these emergency response activities.

The Emergency Response Program responds statewide to calls requesting DTSC assistance for emergency removals from illegal/clandestine drug labs and other Hazardous Materials (HazMat) emergencies. Requests for assistance are handled by the ERP's Emergency Response Duty Officers.

Emergency Response Duty Officers

The DTSC Emergency Response Duty Officers are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. They perform the following functions with regard to a wide variety of hazardous materials incidents statewide including illegal drug labs, spilled or abandoned hazardous materials, train derailments, floods, fires, and earthquakes, and other disasters:

• Authorize the expenditure of state funds.
• Dispatch, assign the scope of work, and provide direct oversight of hazardous materials contractors to perform assessment, stabilization, removal, and disposal as needed.
• Coordinate emergency response activities with various federal, state and local agencies including US EPA, California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), California Department of Fish and Game, California Department of Justice, and local fire, health, and law enforcement agencies.

To contact the DTSC Emergency Response Duty Officer:

Monday - Friday, 8 am – 5 pm, call DTSC at (800) 260-3972 or (916) 255-6504,

After Hours, weekends, or on holidays, call the Cal EMA Warning Control Center at (800) 852-7550 and ask to speak to the DTSC Emergency Response Duty Officer