Fort Walton Beach Resolution — 01-11 - Adopt Comp Emergency Plan — reading text

asking for federal aid when it appears that the combined resources of City, other local, county and state agencies will be inadequate. 3. Relationship between Emergency and Daily Operational Functions. In addition to the Fire Department, emergency management is the day- to- day function of certain city agencies, such as the Police Department. While the routine functions of most city agencies are not of an emergency nature, pursuant to this plan, all officers and employees of the city will plan to meet emergencies threatening life or property. This entails a day- to- day obligation to assess and report the impact of an emergency or disaster event. It requires monitoring conditions and analyzing information that could signal the onset of one of these events. Disasters will require city departments to perform extraordinary functions ( as per 252. 38 ( 3)). In these situations, every tasks that attempt will be made to preserve organizational integrity and assign parallel the norm. However, it may be necessary to draw on people' s basic capacities and use them in areas of greatest need. Day- to- day functions that do not contribute directly to the emergency operation may be suspended for the duration of 6- 1  any emergency. Efforts that would normally be required to perform those functions may be redirected to accomplish emergency tasks. a. The City Manager, through the Fire Department and city department heads, is responsible for the direction, control, coordination of emergency and management activities in Fort Walton Beach. The Fire Chief shall serve as the Emergency Management Director. B. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PHASES The City will meet its responsibility for protecting life and property from the effects of hazardous events, through four phases of emergency management. 1. Mitigation - Actions accomplished before an event to prevent it from causing a disaster, or to reduce its effects if it does, save the most lives, prevents the most damage and are the most cost effective. See also Annex I; Mitigation Programs. City departments will enforce all public safety mandates of the Fort Walton Beach City Code to include land use management and building codes; and recommend to the City Council legislation required to improve the emergency readiness of the community. The City Council will solicit advice from the public, and enact legislation necessary to improve the emergency readiness of the community. 2. Preparedness - City departments will remain vigilant to crises within their areas of responsibility. City emergency service departments will prepare for emergencies by maintaining existing or developing detailed standing emergency PPls to enable first responders to accomplish the tasks normally expected of them. All City departments will prepare for disasters by developing detailed standing disaster policies, procedures, and instructions (PPI) to accomplish the extraordinary tasks necessary to integrate the department' s total capabilities into a city disaster response. The Emergency Management Director will assist in disaster policy preparation for each department. Disaster policies, procedures, and instructions (PPI) must complement this plan. City departments will ensure that their employees are trained to implement emergency and disaster procedures and instructions. Departments will validate their level of emergency readiness through internal drills and participation in exercises selected by the City. Other government jurisdictions within and outside city boundaries will also be encouraged to participate in these exercises. Exercise results will be documented and used in a continuous planning effort to improve the City' s emergency readiness posture. This joint, continuous planning endeavor will culminate in revisions to this plan the constant attempt to achieve a higher state of in readiness for an emergency or disaster response. Preparedness consists of almost any pre- disaster action that is assured to improve the safety or effectiveness of disaster response. Preparedness consists of those activities that have the potential to save lives, lessen property damage, and increase individual and community control over the subsequent disaster response. 6- 2 3. Response - The active use of resources to address the immediate and short- term effects of an emergency or disaster constitutes the response phase and is the focus of department emergency and disaster standing operating procedures and instructions, mutual- aid agreements, and this plan. Emergency and disaster incident responses are designed to minimize suffering, loss of life, and property damage, and to speed recovery. They include initial damage assessment, emergency and short- term medical care, and the return of vital life- support systems to minimum operating standards. When any City department receives information about a potential emergency or disaster, it will conduct an initial assessment, determine the need to alert others, and set in motion appropriate actions to reduce risk and potential impacts. Emergency response activities will be as described in agency policies, procedures, and instruction ( PPI) and may involve activating the Emergency Operations Center (EO C) for coordination of support. City departments will support first responders by providing warnings and emergency public information and helping to save lives and property, supply basic human needs, maintain or restore essential services, and protect vital resources and the environment. Responses to declared emergencies and disasters will be guided by this plan. 4. Recovery - Emergency and disaster recovery efforts aim at returning to pre- disaster community life. They involve detailed damage assessments, complete restoration of vital life- support systems, financial assistance and long- term medical care. There is no definite point at which response ends and recovery begins. However, generally speaking, most recovery efforts will occur after the emergency organization is deactivated and City departments have returned to pre- disaster operation, and will be integrated with day-to- day functions. c. ORGANIZATION 1. Daily Operations ( pre-disaster) - The City is governed by an elected City Council. A City Manager administers the daily routine business of City Government in a manner consistent with policy established by the City Council. The city government is organized into functional departments and divisions, created for the delivery of essential governmental services. 2. Emergency Organization a. The City Manager or his/ her designee may order special, temporary personnel assignments that require individuals to work outside their regular department or job classifications. b. The Emergency Management Director' s duties shall include the on going planning for and coordination of those actions necessary for the creation and maintenance of an effective emergency response capability to prepare for and manage emergency conditions. 6- 3  c. In the event the City of Fort Walton Beach is involved in a disaster, the chain of authority shall be as follows: 1) City Council 2) City Manager 3) Emergency Management Director e. All appointments and work assignments in an emergency situation shall be documented. Department Heads will submit a complete emergency operational plan as to staffing allocation, equipment distribution, and other emergency related needs as requested by the Emergency Management Director. f This plan establishes the city emergency management program. All officers and employees of the city are part of the emergency organization. 3. Incident Command System - This plan formalizes the Incident Command organization and structure. 4. City Emergency Planning Team - A City Emergency Planning Team is hereby established through promulgation of this plan.. The team shall be composed of representatives or alternates ITom selected city departments, plus other agencies as may be necessary. The City Manager shall determine the departments to be represented The team shall formulate emergency management policy recommendations to the City Manager. This includes development and maintenance of this plan, exercise planning and evaluation, and related initiatives. Each agency appointed to this team will: designate a primary representative and alternates ( by name and title); document these appointments to include telephone numbers; and provide a copy to the Emergency Management Director. The Emergency Management Director will chair the team and will schedule periodic meetings as needed. D. CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT 1. Mayoral Succession - Fort Walton Beach Code prescribes the line of succession to the Mayor. 2. Preservation of Records - All city departments will develop policies, procedures, and instructions (PPI) to guarantee the preservation of vital public records, to include their reconstitution if necessary, during and after emergencies. In general, vital public records include those: considered absolutely essential to the continued operation of city government; considered absolutely essential to the city' s ability to fulfill its responsibilities to the public; required to protect the rights of individuals and the city; and, essential to restoration of life support services. Documentation of actions taken during an emergency or disaster is a legal requirement. E. LEVELS OF DISASTER 6-4 1. Localized Disaster - The principal of graduated response will be used in responding to The initial response will be from emergency personnel localized disasters. dispatched by normal procedures. Their assessment of the situation will determine if additional resources are needed. City departments may be called upon to provide additional resources. Mutual aid and the Okaloosa County EOC may provide additional support if resource needs are beyond Fort Walton Beach capability. Activation of the EOC may not be necessary during a " localized" disaster. 2. Widespread Disaster - Hurricanes are considered the most probable widespread disaster which could impact the entire city and adjacent areas. It is anticipated that a full activation of the EOC will be required to coordinate the city' s response. 3. Graduated Response - Most disasters will require a graduated response involving only those persons necessary to handle the situation. For this purpose, three levels of response will be used: a. Level One Emereencv. A " level one" emergency IS a common emergency situation that occurs on a rrequent basis. The responsibility for control of the incident