This document provides state, local, tribal, and territorial officials with information and resources to improve resilience to hazardous materials incidents. Resilience is the backbone of emergency management. The Nation’s ability to weather storms and disasters without experiencing loss significantly reduces our risk. In 2018, through the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) process and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR), 50% of states and territories and 40% or tribal participants identified chemical and radiological hazardous material releases as a hazard of concern. This represents the most frequent technological hazard identified by the respondents; 27% identified radiological hazardous materials, the second highest technological hazard of concern.1 This document compiles information on existing resources and training developed by FEMA and other Federal and whole community partners. It is intended to provide basic, high-level guidance and identifies additional resources and trainings from widely accepted authoritative sources on hazardous materials incidents. This guide provides an overview of:

• Hazardous materials characteristics;
• Hazardous materials incident response;
• Planning for hazardous materials incidents; and
• Practices to mitigate further damage to communities from hazardous materials