The committee traces its origins back to 1986 when Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, the national legislation on community safety. This law sought to help local communities protect public health, safety, and the environment from chemical hazards.

To implement the act, Congress required each state to appoint a state emergency response commission. The commissions were then were required to organize their states into emergency planning districts and to name a local emergency planning committee for each district. In 1988 the Ohio County Commission created the local committee as part of the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency.

The mission of both the state and local committees is to mitigate the effects of a release or spill of hazardous materials.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Local Emergency Planning Committee also functions as the Ohio County Citizens Corps Council and the Emergency Management Agency's emergency board. The Committee meets quarterly in the Emergency Operations Center in the basement of the Wheeling City-County Building at 1500 Chapline St. Meetings are open to the public.

Sites for Kids
Wally Wise Guy: The turtle that teaches children of all ages how to Shelter In Place.

Tox Town: An introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places.