{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-4-1-103","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 27A, § 27A-4-1-103","heading":"Duties of first responder and lead official - Toll","body":"free telephone number - Duties of Department of Environmental\n\nQuality and Department of Civil Emergency Management - Duties of\n\nresponsible party.\n\nA. For incidents or events involving releases of dangerous\n\nsubstances requiring protective actions, the first responder shall\n\nbe responsible for initial evaluation of the incident and\n\nimplementation of protective action measures.\n\nB. As soon as reasonably possible after arriving at the scene\n\nof the incident, the first responder shall notify the lead official\n\nto respond to the incident pursuant to subsection C of this section.\n\nThe first responder shall maintain authority to implement protective\n\naction measures until the lead official arrives or until the\n\nincident is stabilized.\n\nC. Each contact agency specified to respond to a dangerous\n\nsubstance incident requiring emergency response shall designate lead\n\nofficials who shall be capable of responding on a twenty-four-hour\n\nbasis to an incident.\n\nD. Upon arrival at the incident scene, the lead official will\n\nimmediately assume responsibility for management of the incident.\n\nAll other responding emergency persons are to assist the lead\n\nofficial in the discharge of the duties of the official.\n\nE. If the first responder or the lead official believes the\n\nincident to be of a significant nature to threaten the public\n\nhealth, safety or the environment, the first responder or lead\n\nofficial shall contact the Department of Environmental Quality as\n\nsoon as is reasonably possible. The Department of Environmental\n\nQuality shall maintain a twenty-four-hour toll free statewide\n\ntelephone number to report emergencies.\n\nF. The Department of Environmental Quality shall, as necessary:\n\n1. Provide technical information or advice to the lead\n\nofficial;\n\n2. Provide for personnel for assistance in completing material\n\nidentification;\n\n3. Provide technical assistance on or initiate procedures for\n\ncontainment or suppression of the release;\n\n4. Provide sampling and analysis of contaminated water or soil\n\nafter the release has been contained or stabilized;\n\n5. Notify the responsible party of the release; and\n\n6. Oversee the planning of final containment, cleanup and\n\nrecovery of dangerous materials.\n\nG. The Department of Environmental Quality is authorized when\n\ndetermined to be necessary to protect the public health, safety and\n\nwelfare of the environment to initiate cleanup operations of the\n\nrelease based upon seriousness of the release, location of the\n\nrelease, threat of the release to the public health and safety or\n\nthe environment, responsiveness of the responsible party, or\n\nauthorization of the responsible party. The responsible party shall\n\nbe liable for any expenses incurred in any cleanup operation.\n\nH. 1. Upon the release of dangerous substances requiring\n\nprotective actions, the responsible party shall take immediate\n\nemergency response measures as directed by the lead official\n\nassuming responsibilities for management of the incident or the\n\nDepartment of Environmental Quality if contacted by the first\n\nresponder or lead official pursuant to subsection E of this section.\n\n2. If the responsible party fails to take immediate emergency\n\nresponse measures as required pursuant to paragraph 1 of this\n\nsubsection, the contact agency, the district attorney of the county\n\nwhere the release occurred or the Department of Environmental\n\nQuality, as applicable, is authorized to apply for a temporary order\n\nto compel the responsible party to take immediate emergency response\n\nmeasures.\n\nI. 1. In not less than four (4) hours nor more than seven (7)\n\ndays, as determined by the contact agency or the Department of\n\nEnvironmental Quality, as applicable, the responsible party shall\n\nprovide a written action plan for the proposed cleanup operations to\n\nthe contact agency and shall initiate cleanup operations.\n\n2. The contact agency, the district attorney of the county\nsponse\n\nmeasures.\n\nI. 1. In not less than four (4) hours nor more than seven (7)\n\ndays, as determined by the contact agency or the Department of\n\nEnvironmental Quality, as applicable, the responsible party shall\n\nprovide a written action plan for the proposed cleanup operations to\n\nthe contact agency and shall initiate cleanup operations.\n\n2. The contact agency, the district attorney of the county\n\nwhere the release occurred or the Department of Environmental\n\nQuality, as applicable, is authorized to apply for a temporary and\n\npermanent court order to compel the responsible party to provide the\n\nwritten action plan and to abate the release and restore the release\n\nsite.\n\nJ. The Department of Environmental Quality shall maintain a\n\nlist of licensed highway remediation contractors.\n\nK. The lead official may request the Department of Civil\n\nEmergency Management to provide state resources in managing an\n\nemergency or extreme emergency. If the lead official does not\n\nrequest that the Department of Civil Emergency Management provide\n\nstate resources in managing an emergency or extreme emergency, the\n\nlead official shall notify the Department of Civil Emergency\n\nManagement after the emergency or extreme emergency no longer poses\n\nan immediate threat to the public's health or safety or the\n\nenvironment of the release of dangerous substances.\n\nL. The Department of Civil Emergency Management shall keep a\n\nrecord of each emergency or extreme emergency which includes but is\n\nnot limited to the location, first responder, lead official, type of\n\nemergency or extreme emergency, and actions taken to address said\n\nemergency or extreme emergency.\n\nM. At the request of the contact agency, the Department of\n\nCivil Emergency Management shall provide assistance to the contact\n\nagency, in either reviewing the emergency procedure or emergency\n\nmanagement plan used in managing the completed emergency or extreme\n\nemergency within the jurisdiction of the contact agency.","path":["OK Code","Title 27A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os27A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"d62026fc2326f6af8106e39e50561e3d4fc982cf6a6ed70dc14cc1e4ba2d70db","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-4-1-102","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-27a-27a-4-1-104"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}