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The goal of the San Bernardino County California Accidental Release Prevention (CalARP) program is to reduce risks of regulated substances involving regulated substances through the evaluation of hazards and consequences and the development of Risk Management Plans (RMPs) and Prevention Programs.

Authority: The CalARP program is codified in Chapter 6.95, Article 2 of the California Health and Safety Code (CHSC) and the regulations for this program are in the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 19, Section 2735.1 et seq. The San Bernardino County Fire Department has the authority for this program throughout the 20,000 square mile County.

CalARP requires certain facilities (referred to as “stationary sources”) which handle specified chemicals (termed “regulated substances”) to take specified actions to proactively prevent and prepare for chemical accidents. The CalARP program replaced the previous existing California Risk Management and Prevention Program (RMPP) after federal EPA instituted the Accidental Release Prevention Program within the Clean Air Act 112(r).

FAQs

California Accidental Release Program (CalARP)

A Risk Management Plan requires offsite consequence analysis, evaluation of process hazards, and implementation of an accidental release prevention program. Stationary sources are required to coordinate the development and documentation of the prevention program with the CUPA. The most common regulated substances found in San Bernardino County that require a RMP are chlorine, nitric acid, ammonium hydroxide, and anhydrous ammonia. There are hundreds of other chemicals that may require the RMP at specified threshold quantities. These specific chemicals and their threshold quantities are listed in the CalARP regulations found in CCR Title 19.

The California Accidental Release Prevention Program regulations and other Statewide information regarding CalARP are located at the web site of the California Office of Emergency Services. Extensive guidance is available from US EPA’s web site and these tools are useful for stationary sources preparing RMPs whether they are subject to the federal rule or not.

Facilities with new or modified covered processes are required to prepare Risk Management Plans and implement accident prevention programs before operations commence. The risks related to regulated substances may also trigger additional studies or mitigations for new facilities seeking land use approval. Those facilities that have submitted a RMP previously are required to submit a revised RMP no later than 5 years after the initial RMP submission.

For more information about the San Bernardino County CUPA CalAPR submission process, please contact the CalARP subject matter specialist in our office.

Risk Management Plan Content

  • Safety information
  • A hazard review
  • Operating procedures
  • Training requirements
  • Maintenance requirements
  • Compliance audits
  • Incident investigation procedures