NRT Home

Guidelines for Places of Refuge Decision Making (2007)

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide: (1) an incident-specific decision-making process to assist U.S. Coast Guard Captains of the Port (COTPs) in deciding whether a vessel needs to be moved to a place of refuge (POR) and, if so, which place of refuge to use; and (2) a framework for pre-incident identification of potential places of refuge for inclusion in appropriate Area Contingency Plans.

Commandant Instruction 16451.9: U.S. Coast Guard Places of Refuge (POR) Policy (2007)

This Instruction provides policy guidance, a sample checklist, and a risk assessment job aid to field commanders, Area Committees, and Regional Response Teams (RRTs) to aid in preparing for and responding to a vessel requesting a place of refuge as described in reference (a), or similar events in which a vessel, not in need of immediate Search and Rescue (SAR) assistance, may pose a variety of risks to a port or coastal area. This Commandant Instruction focuses primarily on the decision process of selecting the lowest risk Place of Refuge option for a stricken vessel. In any such situation, Operational Commanders will also be conducting other, simultaneous operations, including, but not limited to, developing transit plans, staging pollution, fire, and/or hazmat response equipment, and addressing any security concerns.

NRT Factsheet - Sorbents and Solidifiers (2007)

The NRT – RRT Factsheet Application of Sorbents and Solidifiers for Oil Spills is a planning document written by the NRT Science and Technology Committee. It was developed to inform readers of the acceptable use or prohibition of solidifiers listed on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) NCP, Subpart J Product Schedule for mitigation of oil spills. This Factsheet will also assist product manufacturers and members of the response community in distinguishing a sorbent from a solidifier for purposes of listing such products on the Schedule and applying them in the field. Finally, the document can be used for identifying the benefits and shortcomings of using solidifiers in different situations (e.g., light oil, sheens, heavy viscous oils, low temperature) and contrasting that to the use of sorbents.

Selection Guide for Oil Spill Applied Technologies, Vol. 1: Decision Making (2003)

Developed by Region III and IV Response Teams, this guidance is designed to help OSCs and spill responders evaluate in real-time dispersants, surface washing agents, bioremediation agents, surface collecting agents and other miscellaneous oil spill control agents when mechanical measures prove insufficient.

Guidelines for Bioremediation of Marine Shorelines and Freshwater Wetlands (2001)

Provides technical assistance for spill responders responsible for designing and operating the field bioremediation of marine shorelines and freshwater wetlands only. Evaluates current bioremediation techniques, critiques existing theories and literature on oil bioremediation, nutrient dynamics in shorelines and analytical chemistry of oil and presents an approach to planning remediation. May also be useful for OSCs, equipment manufacturers and remediation consultants.

National Institute of Standards and Technology Presentation (2001)

Presentation given by NIST, a technical institute within the Department of Commerce, to the NRT. This presentation details the capabilities of NIST's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory.

ICS UC Technical Assistance Document (2000)

Provides guidance to all responders who are part of the NRS on the organizational management concept of an Incident Command System (ICS) led by a Unified Command (UC) for emergency response (updated from the 1996 ICS/UC TAD).

Matrix of Response Functions (2000)

Produced by the Response Subcommittee for NRT Activation, this matrix identifies the capabilities (i.e. assessment, mitigation, response and recovery) of NRT member agencies to respond to chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological releases.

Catastrophic Failure of Storage Tanks (1997)

This EPA alert identifies hazards posed by above-ground, atmospheric storage tanks that maybe prone to catastrophic failure. The alert provides examples of recent accidents, identifiess tank design and lax inspection/maintanence procedures as the cause of such catestrophic failure, advises how to evaluate risk and describes maintence procedures that can help prevent such failure.

FAQ's on Transboundary Issues: US-Mexico Inland Response to Hazardous Materials Accidents (1997)

Answers frequently asked questions (FAQ's) concerning emergency response to hazardous material accidents along the inland border between the United States and Mexico. Issues addressed in this draft were identified by the NRT Response Committee's Subcommittee on Transboundary Issues.

Rupture Hazards of Pressure Vessels (1997)

This EPA issued alert identifies major factors in pressure vessel failure, gives guidance on evaluating potential explosion hazards, summarizes pressure vessel laws and certification standards, and provides references.

Temporary Storage Devices (Towable) (1995)

Provides information on the use of towable, temporary storage devices (TSD) in oil spill response as an immediate temporary storage receptacle, on-site.

Technical Guidance for Hazardous Analysis: Emergency Planning for Extremely Hazardous Substances (1987)

Supplements NRT-1; Provides technical assistance to LEPCs to assess lethal hazards related to airborne releases of extremely hazardous substances as designated under Section 302 of SARA.

Oil Spill Response Strategies for Coastal Marshes during the Deepwater Horizon MC252 Spill

Programmatic Agreement on Protection of Historic Properties During Emergency Response Under the NCP

Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS)