Because of the existing and increasing possibility
of the occurrence of disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness
resulting from enemy attack, sabotage or other hostile actions, or
from fire, flood, earthquake or any other cause, and in order to ensure
that preparations of this municipality will be adequate to deal with
such disasters, and generally to provide for the common defense and
to protect the public peace, health and safety, and to preserve the
lives and property of the people of this municipality, it is hereby
found and declared to be necessary:
A. To create a Municipal Civil Defense Agency.
B. To provide for the rendering of mutual aid to other
municipalities both in the State of New Jersey and other states which
may require aid.
C. To cooperate with the federal, state and county governments
with respect to carrying out civil defense and disaster control functions.
It is further declared to be the purpose of
this chapter and the policy of this municipality that all civil defense
functions of this municipality be coordinated, by the Director of
Civil Defense and Disaster Control, to the maximum extent with the
comparable functions of the federal, state and county governments,
including their various departments and agencies, of other municipalities
and of private agencies of every type, to the end that the most effective
preparations and use may be made of this municipality's resources
and facilities for dealing with any disaster that may occur.
It is further declared that the Municipal Civil
Defense and Disaster Control Director may declare a state of local
disaster emergency and initiate disaster control operations whenever,
in his opinion, a disaster has occurred or is imminent, and it shall
be the duty of all persons, firms or others to obey all regulations,
rules or directives issued either by the State of New Jersey or any
agency thereof, the County Coordinator of Civil Defense and Disaster
Control or any authorized member of the county staff, or the Municipal
Director of Civil Defense and Disaster Control or any authorized officer.
The Municipal Civil Defense and Disaster Control Agency shall be governed
by and shall act in strict accordance with Chapter 251, P.L. 1942,
as amended.
As provided in the Civil Defense and Disaster
Control Plan of the State of New Jersey, Section II, Division 2, Paragraph
(h), all requests for mutual aid from outside of this municipality
shall be forwarded through proper channels to the County Civil Defense
and Disaster Control Coordinator, and this municipality and all agencies
thereof are prohibited from sending assistance to another municipality
unless directed by the County Civil Defense and Disaster Control Coordinator.
The Municipal Court of the Borough of Wanaque
shall have jurisdiction in all complaints arising out of any violation
of any rule, regulation, ordinance or statute pertaining to civil
defense and disaster control, and any person, firm or corporation
found guilty of any such violation thereof shall be punishable by
a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than
90 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.