This email is a courtesy reminder of a compliance requirement deadline from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, Hazardous Materials Division, in San Bernardino, California.  You are getting this reminder because this email address is listed on a Business Emergency/Contingency Plan or other application for a facility in San Bernardino County, California.   Our records indicate that you have one or more facilities with an active CUPA permit for handling hazardous materials and/or generating hazardous waste.  Such facilities require an annual business plan submission by March 1 of each year.  If you have already filed your annual update or full plan, please disregard this message.  If not, or you don't know, please pass this information on to the person responsible for environmental compliance.

Our Business Emergency/Contingency Plan Guidelines and Forms are available on our website located at  http://www.sbcfire.org/hazmat/forms_guidelines.asp.  You may also pick up forms at our office, or call the number below and request that forms be mailed to you.

Helpful Hints for filing: (Also see the submission checklist on the Cover Sheet in the Business Emergency/Contingency Plan Guidelines and Forms document)

• Verify that you are using current forms.  The most recent changes are to the locally collected inventory information page (Page 2) and the instructions.  There is no need to use new chemical description pages for your chemical inventory if you are using forms that are within the last 3 years.
• Operators of facilities which have no changes are still required to file an annual inventory.  If you have had no changes and are not an EPCRA facility, follow the updating and recertification instructions on page iii.  Any update/inventory must at minimum include the Cover Sheet (which has the recertification statement), the Activities Page, the Business Owner/Operator Identification Page, and any other information that has changed.
• EPCRA facilities may not recertify this plan but must file entire inventories each year.  EPCRA typically applies to handlers of greater than 10,000 pounds of a hazardous substance or the threshold planning quantity of an extremely hazardous substance.  The Business Emergency/Contingency Plan Guidelines and Forms explain this further or you can get information about EPCRA eligibility at http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/ceppoweb.nsf/vwResourcesByFilename/epcra.pdf/$File/epcra.pdf.  EPCRA facilities may also want to get from that same Forms and Guidelines web page the "EPCRA Equivalency Letter", which explains how your business plan in California meets your Tier II EPCRA reporting requirements. 
• It is acceptable to re-sign and re-date previously submitted business plan pages if the information is correct and the format is current.  
• If you have filed a complete plan since November 1, 2006, you do not need to file again for the March 1 deadline unless you have received a specific notice from our office or you have had changes in the plan since that time. 
• We need 1 original and 1 copy of the plan and you need at least one copy at the facility site.
• We cannot accept electronic submissions of business plans at this time.
• Postmarks count, so a plan postmarked by March 1, 2007 is considered by the San Bernardino County CUPA to have met the filing deadline.  You may also drop plans off at our 620 S. "E" Street, San Bernardino office.  
• If you decide to use a service such as FedEx or UPS, please note that the physical mailing zip code is 92408.

If you have unique needs or require further assistance regarding the Business Emergency/Contingency Plan, please call our office at the phone number below and ask to speak to your district inspector.  Note that this office does not issue extensions to the annual business plan deadline.  However, we do consider the lateness in filing and extenuating circumstances in deciding appropriate follow-up.  So, file as soon as possible and if your plan will miss the deadline, feel free to include any relevant information in a cover letter to accompany your plan.

Marilyn Kraft, MBA, REHS
San Bernardino County Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Division
620 South E Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0153
Phone: (909) 386-8401; Fax: (909) 386-8460
mkraft@sbcfire.org
http://www.sbcfire.org/hazmat/index.asp