4 I PSAI Association Insight, July 21, 2021
FEMA Guidelines Vex Portable Sanitation Providers
(continued from page 2)
How to Help Your Government Customer
As you can see, the FEMA information is woefully out of date,
but if your customer does not have any other resources, it will
be gospel to them. Here are some steps you can take:
1. Remind them the FEMA manual is there as a resource for
planners who lack other information. It does not have the
force of law.
2. Educate them regarding the dated nature of the information
found in the FEMA manual. Explain that, though it was last
revised in 2010, the sanitation numbers within it reflect ratios
that have not been acceptable to crowds since at least the
1980s. They also reflect MINIMUMS from that time period,
not ideals.
3. Demonstrate that your company and the PSAI can provide
more current guidance. Show them the PSAI website
section on renting portable units and walk them through
the calculations found on page 5 of "A Guide to Portable
Sanitation Excellence."
You are the expert, and you can help educate them. The PSAI
can help you as well. As the neutral player, the information
on our website can help them see that following these aged
FEMA guidelines will not result in the event they want. Contact
the PSAI office assistance if you need it—or encourage the
customer to call us. Quite often we take calls from government
purchasing agents who are trying to make sense of what they
are hearing from member companies versus what they are
reading in the FEMA Manual. We are here to help!
Better worksites. Better weekends. Better world.
