The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall
have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings
given herein:
DISASTER
A man-made, natural or war-caused disaster.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The judicious planning, assignment and coordination of all
available resources in an integrated program of prevention, mitigation,
preparedness, response and recovery for emergencies of any kind, whether
from attack, man-made or natural sources.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
The preparation for and the carrying out of functions, other
than functions for which military forces are primarily responsible,
to prevent, minimize and provide emergency repair of injury and damage
resulting from disasters, together with all other activities necessary
or incidental to the preparation for and carrying out of those functions.
The functions include, without limitation, firefighting services,
police services, medical and health services, rescue, engineering,
disaster warning services, communications, radiological, shelter,
chemical and other special weapons defense, evacuation of persons
from strickened areas, emergency welfare services, emergency transportation,
emergency resources management, existing or properly assigned functions
of plant protection, temporary restoration of public utility services
and other functions related to civilian protection.
LOCAL EMERGENCY
The condition declared by the Mayor when, in his or her judgment,
the threat or actual occurrence of a disaster is or threatens to be
of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant coordinated local
government action to prevent or alleviate the damage, loss, hardship
or suffering threatened or caused thereby. A local emergency cannot
be declared where the emergency arises solely out of resource shortage
as such an emergency may only be declared under the Act by the Governor.
MAN-MADE DISASTER
Any industrial, nuclear or transportation accident, explosion,
conflagration, power failure, natural resource shortage or other condition,
except enemy action, resulting from man-made causes, such as oil spills
and other injurious environmental contamination, which threatens or
causes substantial damage to property, human suffering, hardship or
loss of life.
NATURAL DISASTER
Any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven
water, tidal wave, earthquake, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, drought,
fire, explosion or other catastrophe which results in substantial
damage to property, hardship, suffering or possible loss of life.
RESOURCE SHORTAGE
The absence, unavailability or reduced supply of any raw
or processed natural resource or any commodities, goods or services
of any kind which bear a substantial relationship to the health, safety,
welfare and economic well-being of the residents of the City.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
A.
Those conditions which may, by investigation, be found, actually
or likely, to:
(1)
Affect seriously the safety, health or welfare of a substantial
number of residents of the City or preclude the operation or use of
essential public services and facilities;
(2)
Be of such magnitude or severity as to necessitate seeking state
or county supplementation of local efforts or resources exerted or
utilized in alleviating the danger, damage, suffering or hardship
faced; and
(3)
Have been caused by forces either beyond the control of man,
by reason of civil disorder, riot or disturbance, or by factors not
foreseen and not known to exist when appropriation bills were enacted.
B.
For purposes hereof, "state of emergency" includes disasters,
local emergencies, man-made disasters, natural disasters, resource
shortages, and war-caused disasters.
WAR-CAUSED DISASTER
Any condition following an attack upon the United States
resulting in substantial damage to property or injury to persons in
the United States caused by use of bombs, missiles, shellfire, nuclear,
radiological, chemical or biological means, or other weapons or overt
paramilitary actions, or other conditions such as sabotage.
The Office of Emergency Management is hereby created under the Office of the Mayor and shall be managed by a Director who shall be appointed in the manner set forth in §
8-4 hereof. The Office of Emergency Management shall coordinate activities pertaining to natural, man-made and war-caused disasters and shall be the instrument through which the Mayor may exercise the authority and discharge the responsibilities vested in him or her by the Third Class City Code, the Emergency Management Services Code of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, other applicable laws of the commonwealth and the
City of Sunbury and this chapter. See 35 Pa.C.S.A. § 7101
et seq.
The Emergency Management Director shall be an employee or resident
of the City who is recommended by the Mayor and appointed by the Governor
of the commonwealth. The Director shall serve in this capacity without
additional remuneration, shall report directly to the Mayor and shall
be responsible for the planning, administration and operation of the
local organization subject to the direction and control of the Mayor.
These duties shall include but not necessarily be limited to the following:
A. Develop
and coordinate plans for the immediate use of all the facilities,
equipment, manpower and other resources of the City for the purpose
of minimizing or preventing damage to persons and property.
B. Protect
and restore to full use all governmental services and public utilities
necessary for the public health, safety and welfare.
C. Maintain
liaison with the state and federal authorities and the authorities
of other nearby political subdivisions as to insure the most effective
operation of the Emergency Management Plan.
D. Coordinate
the recruitment of volunteer personnel and agencies to augment the
personnel and facilities of the City for emergency management purposes.
E. Assume
such authority and conduct such activity as additionally directed
by the Mayor in order to execute the Emergency Management Plan.
The Emergency Management Deputy Director shall be an employee
or resident of the City who is appointed by the Mayor and shall serve
without additional remuneration, assisting the Mayor and the Emergency
Management Director in the overall administration of emergency management
activities.
The Office of Emergency Management shall prepare an Emergency
Management Plan which shall be submitted to and approved by the Council.
The plan shall establish an Emergency Management Team providing for
the use of services, equipment, facilities and personnel of all City
government divisions and other service providers during a threatened
or actual local disaster emergency. It shall be the duty of all Emergency
Management Team members to perform the functions assigned to them
in the plan and to maintain their portion of the plan in a state of
readiness at all times. All substantive amendments to the plan shall
be approved by the Council; provided, however, that in the event an
amendment is pending at the time a disaster is proclaimed, the amendment
shall be considered approved immediately and shall remain effective
unless specifically revoked by the Council.
The Office of Emergency Management shall establish and staff
an emergency operations center equipped with communication systems
to support government operations in emergencies and provide other
essential facilities and equipment for agencies and activities assigned
emergency functions. Sunbury City Hall shall serve as the main emergency
operations center with the Sunbury Police Department Building serving
as an auxiliary emergency operations center for the Police and Fire
Departments. Should an emergency prevent the use of one of these locations,
the other facility shall be used by all groups.
The Office of Emergency Management may, subject to ratification
by the Council, develop mutual aid agreements with adjacent political
subdivisions and social service agencies for reciprocal emergency
assistance. The agreements shall be consistent with the Emergency
Management Plan.
Any person found in violation of this chapter shall be guilty
of a summary offense and thereby liable for a fine not to exceed $1,000
plus costs of prosecution or 90 days' imprisonment or both.