Section 19.04 - Emergency Response Plans(1) Each Company shall submit to the Department an ERP that shall be designed to achieve safe and reasonably prompt restoration of service associated with an Emergency Event. The ERP shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) identification of management staff responsible for Company operations, including a description of their specific duties; identification of the number of workers available to respond within 24 hours of an Emergency Event; and an estimation of the number of crews and full-time equivalents available to respond within 24 hours of an Emergency Event;(b) a communications process with customers that provides continuous access to staff assistance. A Company shall provide estimated times of restoration on a website. Such information shall be prominently displayed and updated at least three times per day. A Company shall also provide estimated times of restoration at least three times per day through at least one other form of media outreach, and when requested by customers via telephone.(c) for electric distribution companies, procedures for maintaining an updated list of Life Support Customers, including a process to immediately update a Company's Life Support Customer list when a customer notifies the Company of a medical need for electric service, communicating with Life Support Customers before, during and after an Emergency Event, providing information to public safety officials regarding the status of electric service to Life Support Customers' homes, and procedures for prioritizing power restoration to Life Support Customers;(d) designation of staff to communicate with local officials, including public safety officials, relevant regulatory agencies, and designated Municipal Liaisons, and designation of staff to be posted at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations center;(e) provisions regarding how the Company will assure the safety of its employees, contractors and the public;(f) procedures for deploying Company and contractor crews, and crews acquired through Mutual Assistance Agreements to work assignment areas;(g) identification of additional supplies and equipment needed during an emergency and the means of obtaining additional supplies and equipment; and(h) designation of a continuously staffed call center in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that is sufficiently staffed to handle all customer calls for service assistance for the duration of an Emergency Event or until full service is restored, whichever occurs first. A Company with a call center within 50 miles of its service area, in operation as of January 1,2012, shall not be required to designate an additional call center as long as the call center continues in operation. If the call center is unable to operate during an Emergency Event, the Company shall use a call center within 50 miles of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.(2) The ERP shall set forth the content, format and timeline for each report that the Company shall submit to the Department pursuant to 220 CMR 19.03(4).(3) Each Company, when implementing its ERP, shall designate an employee or employees to remain stationed at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency's emergency operations center for the length of the Emergency Event. The employee or employees shall coordinate communication efforts with designated local emergency management officials and other emergency management officials.(4) Each Company, when implementing its ERP, shall designate an employee or employees to serve as Municipal Liaisons for each affected municipality within its service territory. The Company shall provide each Municipal Liaison with the necessary feeder map or maps outlining municipal substations and distribution networks and up-to-date customer outage reports at the time of the designation as Municipal Liaisons. The Company shall provide each Municipal Liaison with three times daily customer outage report updates for the Municipal Liaison's respective municipality. The Municipal Liaisons shall use the maps and outage reports to respond to inquiries from state and local officials and relevant regulatory agencies.(5) Each Company shall file an ERP, which the Company has reviewed and updated within the previous 12 months, with the Department on or before May 15th each year, for review and approval. The filing shall include a copy of all written Mutual Assistance Agreements into which the Company has entered, and identify and describe any modifications to the ERP and Mutual Assistance Agreements. A Company that fails to timely file its ERP may be fined $500 for each day during which such failure continues. The fines levied by the Department shall be returned to ratepayers through distribution rates.(6) Each Company shall file with the emergency management director of each municipality within its service territory a copy of its ERP and any updates. Failure of a Company to file the ERP with the emergency management director of each municipality in the Company's service territory shall result in a penalty of $500. The penalties levied by the Department shall be credited back to the Company's customers in a manner determined by the Department.(7) A Company's ERP shall go into effect when filed with the Department, pending Department review and approval, and shall remain in effect until a new ERP is filed or the Department directs otherwise. After review of a Company's ERP, the Department may request that the Company amend the ERP. The Department may open an investigation of the Company's ERP. If, after hearings, the Department finds a material deficiency in the ERP, the Department may order the Company to make such modifications to the ERP that it deems reasonably necessary to remedy the deficiency.(8) If a Company makes any updates or changes to its ERP between annual filings, it shall submit such changes to the Department as soon as possible. Such changes shall go into effect when filed with the Department, pending Department review and approval.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1331, eff. 1/27/2017.