California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR)
sPILL mANAGEMENt TEAm (SMT) CERTIFICATION rEGULATIONS
Plan holders in the State of California are subject to the new CA OSPR regulations for certified Spill Management Teams (SMT), effective April 1, 2022. SMT members will require different levels of training based on the plan holder's Tier certification and their designation as initial or cascading personnel.
Follow the steps below to determine what training your team will need to comply with the new regulations. There are additional resources below provided by OSPR to assist with the process.
ICS TRAINING
Amergent Techs is proud to offer an ABS-certified ICS-300 course tailored to marine fires and spills that can be taught in-person or virtually. Need to train your Spill Management Team? Contact us today to ask how we can help!
Per SMT training requirements, most initial and cascading response personnel will need to complete a mix of ICS 100, ICS 200, ICS 300, ICS 700, and ICS 800 training.
ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 can be taken online for free on the FEMA website (see links provided below).
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ICS 300 is an in-depth, three-day course that uses scenario-based activities to train emergency response personnel who would function in the Command or General Staff position during a large, complex incident. Our approved course follows the FEMA course framework and objectives but tailors the coursework and scenarios to marine fires and spills. This provides an even more beneficial learning experience for those who will be a part of a Spill Management Team, as the course material and instructor experience is specific and applicable.
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Click here to take the FEMA ICS 100 Interactive Web-Based Course.
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Click here to take the FEMA ICS 200 Interactive Web-Based Course.
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Click here to take the FEMA ICS 700 Interactive Web-Based Course.
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Click here to take the FEMA ICS 800 Interactive Web-Based Course.
Continue reading to learn more about the Spill Management Team regulations and training requirements.
DETERMINING YOUR TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
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STEP 1: Ascertain your Reasonable Worse Case Spill (RWCS) volume.
This worst-case discharge volume should be listed in your contingency/response plan.
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STEP 2: Determine if your RWCS would affect inland or marine waters.
Use the NOAA Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) to decide whether a potential spill would affect marine, inland, or intermittent/ephemeral waters.
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STEP 3: Identify your Tier Classification.
Using the information gathered in the first two steps, use this chart or the link in References below to identify which Tier your facility/vessel falls under. Mobile transfer units with any RWCS volume will be considered Tier I.
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STEP 4: Use your Tier classification to determine initial and cascading response personnel requirements.
Initial response personnel must arrive on-scene within eight hours of activation and must be able to perform their ICS positions for at least 24 hours.
Cascading response personnel must arrive on-scene within 24 hours of activation and must be able to perform their ICS positions for at least 72 hours.
TIER I
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Requires FOUR initial response personnel, including Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, and one additional ICS position.
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Requires cascading response personnel to fill the roles of Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Assistant Liaison Officer, Assistant Public Information Officer, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance Section Chief.
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Must draw upon no fewer than twelve personnel (initial and cascading combined).
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Must ensure the availability of two alternates each for the positions of Incident Commander and Planning Section Chief, and one alternate each for the other ICS positions identified (cross-training may count towards qualified alternates).
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TIER II
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Requires FOUR initial response personnel, including Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, and one additional ICS position.
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Requires cascading response personnel to fill the roles of Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Assistant Liaison Officer, Assistant Public Information Officer, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance Section Chief.
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Must draw upon no fewer than ten personnel (initial and cascading combined).
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Must ensure the availability of one alternate each for the ICS positions identified (cross-training may count towards qualified alternates).
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TIER III ***
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Requires THREE initial response personnel, including Incident Commander, Safety Officer, and Operations Section Chief.
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Requires cascading response personnel to fill the roles of Incident Commander, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Assistant Liaison Officer, Assistant Public Information Officer, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance Section Chief.
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Must draw upon no fewer than eight personnel (initial and cascading combined).
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Tier III spill management teams are not required to provide alternates for cascading response positions.
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STEP 5: Review training requirements for initial and cascading response personnel.
For initial response personnel, training requirements are team-based:
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Tier I must have four initial response personnel that have completed ICS 100, ICS 200, ICS 700, and ICS 800 as well as at least two personnel that have completed ICS 300.
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Tier II must have four initial response personnel that have completed ICS 100, ICS 200, ICS 700, and ICS 800 as well as at least one person that has completed ICS 300.
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Tier III must have three personnel who have completed ICS 100 and ICS 700 as well as at least one person who has completed ICS 200, ICS 300, and ICS 800.
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For cascading response personnel***, training requirements are position-based. The minimum training requirements for all cascading response personnel are ICS 100, ICS 200, ICS 300, ICS 700, and ICS 800. Click here to review the training requirements for cascading response personnel.
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Training requirements applicable to all response personnel: ***
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​All initial response personnel must have familiarity with the oil spill contingency plan(s) they are responsible for implementing.
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All cascading response personnel must have familiarity with the oil spill contingency plan(s) they are responsible for implementing as well as the California Oil Spill Contingency Plan, and the area contingency plan(s) or geographic response plan(s) as applicable to the geographic region(s) in which the SMT is certified to provide services.
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All initial and cascading response personnel must receive eight hours of ICS refresher training per calendar year, which may be accomplished incrementally throughout the year. This may also be satisfied by participating in an actual response or drill/exercise.
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All initial and cascading response personnel must perform their ICS position at a spill or exercise in California at least once every three calendar years. A Spill Management Team that includes more than the minimum number of required personnel need only ensure that the minimum number of personnel comply with this requirement.
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*** Tier III spill management teams that provide services to plan holders that only pose a risk to intermittent/ephemeral waters (as defined by ERMA) do not have to comply with many of the personnel/equipment/training requirements for cascading response personnel. If you believe your plan falls into this category and you have questions, please contact us for details.