Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined today by Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services Daniel J. Neaverth Jr. and other county officials to announce the implementation of a new essential employee exemption portal to be used by employers during winter storm events and other emergency situations when a driving ban has been declared.

The travel exemption portal will define specific categories of workers using a tiered concept to identify who would be exempt from a travel ban in order to commute to and from their place of employment. The list of essential employees will be reviewed annually and employers will be asked to provide updates when an essential employee’s work status changes for any reason that warrants removal from the exemption list.

The online emergency travel request form, which employers can access by visiting www.erie.gov/dhses/, will help define who is deemed an essential employee permitted to drive during a winter storm travel ban. The portal will be used by employers to apply for such status for employees who work in specific industries that require critical operations.

“We are introducing this new online portal as a way for employers to identify essential employees who would be exempt from a travel ban if one were put in place during a major winter storm or some other major emergency ,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “It is crucial to have essential and emergency workers who perform critical and necessary services to be able to travel to and from their workplaces. We hope to work with employers in determining whether an employee should have essential status and help eliminate any gray areas when it comes time to make travel decisions during a major weather event or some other type of catastrophe.”

Employers with access to the online portal will provide the name of their business or company, the names and work site addresses of the employees they want listed as essential and the name and contact information for each employee’s immediate supervisor. Correspondence between county officials and each employer would then result in a determination on which employees will be granted status to travel to and from work when a driving ban is in place.

Law enforcement officials can discipline motorists for violating a travel ban if the operator of a vehicle is not defined as an essential worker. The categories for specific industries include the following:

Law Enforcement/Public Safety

• Police, fire and rescue, emergency medical services and search and rescue personnel

• Workers who provide information about and access to emergency services

• Workers who respond to abuse and neglect of individuals and who support childcare and protective service programs

• Hazardous materials technicians or specialists

• National Security sensitive operations

Healthcare

• Emergency medical service workers

• Urgent care workers

• Nurses, home care workers and other inpatient and outpatient support workers

• Workplace safety employees

• Pharmacy staff (pharmacists, technicians, and equivalent)

• Hospital and laboratory workers

• Human services workers including social workers, nutritionists and case managers

• Workers who perform cybersecurity functions at health care and public health facilities

Public Works

• Workers involved in the operation and maintenance of public works facilities

• Workers such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters and technicians who maintain basic safety and operations in these facilities

• Highway/Roadway clearing equipment operators

Food and Agriculture

• Farmers, ranch workers and farm support staff

• Employees responsible for food safety and quality

Utilities, Waste, and Wastewater

• Workers involved in construction, maintenance, operations, engineering and logistics across the energy sector (electricity, natural gas, propane, etc.)

• Operational staff at water authorities, community water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, collection facilities and those involved in distribution

• Workers responsible for digital systems supporting water system operations

• Laboratory staff performing water sampling and analysis

For more information:

On the Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, visit www.erie.gov/dhses