It is the mission of the regional “East Central Pennsylvania Regional Task Force” to provide a centralized organization responsible for developing, coordinating and equipping emergency response organizations represented in the regional ECPRTF with the training, preparation, assistance and equipment necessary in disaster preparedness and prevention as well as emergency response to and recovery from a real or threatened act of terrorism or WMD event.
This task force is comprised of the counties of Berks, Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming.
It is the purpose of the ECPRTF to provide a centralized contact through which emergency management and emergency responders can access training, equipment purchasing and other federal and state programs in order to improve the overall awareness and capability of first responders to provide emergency services at a local and regional level in response to a real or threatened act of terrorism or WMD event.
The ECPRTF will provide a centralized organization to not only coordinate emergency response efforts regionally but to facilitate training, exercises and networking with federal and state agencies prior to an actual event. The ECPRTF will also support the efforts of member counties to prepare and plan for, respond to and mitigate/recover from an actual or threatened incident through mutual agreements.
By working together within the region, emergency responders will have developed a more efficient and effective response organization based on the mutual needs and resources and a more thorough knowledge of the capabilities of the other emergency response organizations within the region.