Background

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is the largest County in the state of Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Sheriff's Office staffs the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and develops Emergency Plans for hazardous sites.

Obstacles

PROBLEM: Data was Frozen in Time, First Responders Lacked Current Info

• Facilities reported to the State by paper. State employees hand entered the data into a system. The State then provided 5 cumulative reports to all County EMAs/LEPCs twice a year.
• Using the reports, LEPC developed Emergency Response Plans as a Word document.
• Data flow process was cumbersome and slow.
• Critical information was outdated and could not be easily searched.
• Significant amount of professional time was used by Emergency Planners to organize lists and cross checking reports.
• Could not run custom reports.
• Difficult to identify gaps since information was old and manually assembled.
• First responders had only paper reports to access during an emergency.
• Reports did not provide first aid or other chemical profile information, requiring Responders to consult several sources.

Hazconnect Accelerates Productivity

The state implemented the Hazconnect to automate reporting and streamline information sharing between businesses, state, and all Responders statewide. Since then, the LEPC has seen significant results in the first year.

• Reports and changes are received in real-time.
• On average, there has been a 25% reduction in planning hours.
• Plan data is automatically populated significantly reducing data entry time and errors.
• Plans are developed collaboratively online between Businesses, LEPC, and Regional Coordinators.
• Approved plans are immediately available for use by First Responders.

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