City of Fairfax, MN Chapter 36 Emergency Management

[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Fairfax 5-9-2006 by Ord. No. 122. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 36-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this plan is to ensure that in the event of any type of disaster, the City's facilities, equipment, and manpower will be used in a coordinated, effective way, so as to maximize the protection of life and property and ensure the continuity of government.

§ 36-2 Legal basis.

The legal basis for this plan is Public Law 920, as amended, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 12, as amended, and City Ordinance No. 122 dated 5-9-2006.

§ 36-3 Existing government/organization.

Existing government is the basis for emergency operations; that is, City personnel will perform emergency activities related to those they perform on a day-to-day basis. The City organization is as follows:

§ 36-4 Warning and notification.

A. Receipt of warning.

(1) The County Warning Point (Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Center—EOC) is responsible for relaying any warnings it receives which affect the City of Fairfax to it's Emergency Management Director.

(2) The Fairfax Fire Hall serves as the City Warning Point and is responsible for disseminating any warnings it receives to appropriate City officials and staff.

B. Dissemination of warning/notification.

C. For natural disaster/hazardous materials incident/nuclear attack: Notify key City personnel (see personnel notification list below).

D. The Renville County Warning Point (EOC) will perform the following on behalf of Fairfax:

(1) Sound the radio-controlled outdoor warning sirens.

(a) Steady tone (five minutes) for natural disaster/hazardous materials incident.

(b) Wavering tone (five minutes) for nuclear attack.

(2) Activate the Emergency Broadcast System thereby notifying all regional media and the public of the type of danger present.

§ 36-5 Personnel notification list.

POSITION		NAME	PHONE (W)	PHONE (H)
1.	Mayor	Kevin Schafer	426-7005	426-7005
2.	Council Member	Tim Grunke	426-7261	426-7765
3.	Council Member	Tanar Haala	276-8126	426-7365
4.	Council Member	Tom Rike	426-7342	426-7342
5.	Council Member	Cindy Fahey	426-7339	426-7914
6.	EOC Director	Larry Dallman	426-8240	426-8293
7.	Fire Chief	John Case	612-685-3431	426-8390
8.	Street/Utility Supt.	Larry Linsmeier	426-7255	426-7307
9.	City Attorney	Thomas Vanhon	426-7339	426-8324
10.	City Clerk-Treasurer	Marcia Pelzel	426-7255	426-7921
11.	Ambulance	James Schroeder	426-7218	426-7016
12.	Renville Cty. EOC	Mike Hennen	320-523-3838
13.	Road Grader	Cairo Township	426-7549 (Dave Rieke)
14.	Farm Equipment
15.	Century Tel.	Mark Spiess	426-1000
16.	Mn. Duty Officer		1-800-422-0798

§ 36-6 Emergency Operating Center.

A. Direction and control of the City's response to the disaster will take place from the City Emergency Operating Center (EOC). The EOC is located at the Fire Department.

B. EOC activation. The EOC will be activated by: EOC Director/Fire Chief/OCSD.

C. EOC staff are to report to the EOC automatically upon the occurrence of a disaster.

D. EOC equipment/supplies. The City Emergency Management Director is responsible for ensuring that the EOC is operational (that the necessary maps, tables and chairs, communications equipment, message logs, etc., are on hand).

§ 36-7 Emergency responsibility assignments.

§ 36-8 Mayor/Council/City Clerk-Treasurer duties.

A. Ensure the City Emergency Management Director has activated/is activating the EOC.

B. Report to the EOC.

C. Ensure the City Emergency Management Director and/or service chiefs provide an initial damage assessment and casualty report.

D. Ensure the City Emergency Management Director and the service chiefs brief the EOC staff as to the status of the disaster.

E. Be ready to issue a declaration of emergency.

F. In consultation with the City Emergency Management Director, determine whether or not state or federal assistance should be requested. (City resources must be fully committed before state or federal assistance will be available. If assistance is requested, be specific).

§ 36-9 City Emergency Management Director duties.

A. Ensure the City officials have been notified, key facilities warned, sirens activated, etc.

B. Activate the City EOC, make sure that it is fully operational, and that EOC staff have reported/are reporting to it.

C. Obtain initial damage assessment and casualty report, and relay this information to the Mayor and to the County Emergency Management Director.

D. Ask the service chiefs to brief the EOC staff as to the status of the disaster.

E. Ask the City Council to issue a declaration of emergency.

F. Evaluate available resources, including personnel, by checking with service chiefs. If deficiencies exist, take action to obtain needed resources.

G. Ensure good records are kept on expenditures.

§ 36-10 City Clerk-Treasurer duties.

A. Serve as Public Information Officer (PIO).

B. Maintain records indicating City expenses incurred due to the disaster.

C. Assist in the damage assessment process by:

(1) Providing information regarding the dollar value of property damaged as a result of the disaster.

(2) Providing information (name, telephone number, etc.) regarding the owners of property which have been damaged/destroyed as a result of the disaster.

D. Set up procedures to permit acquisition of equipment and supplies needed following a disaster.

§ 36-11 Fire Chief duties.

A. Ensure all personnel are alerted to the disaster, and they report as the situation dictates.

B. Report to the City Emergency Operating Center (EOC).

C. Review the disaster situation as it pertains to the Fire Department, and forward this information to the City Emergency Management Director.

D. Coordinate the activities of your department with the other services.

E. Number one priority will be to rescue injured and trapped persons. For rescue assistance, call Renville 9-1-1.

F. If additional assistance is necessary, utilize mutual aid agreements with other fire departments.

G. Fire Department Hazardous Materials SOP to be used in the event of a release of hazardous material on site and in the affected surrounding area.

§ 36-12 Emergency medical services duties.

A. Ensure that all EMS personnel are alerted to the disaster, and that they report as the situation dictates.

B. Report to the City Emergency Operating Center (EOC).

C. Review the disaster situation as it pertains to the emergency medical services, and forward this information to the City Emergency Management Director.

D. Coordinate the activities of your department with the other services.

E. Number one priority will be to provide appropriated emergency medical services.

F. If additional assistance is necessary, utilize mutual aid agreements with other fire departments.

G. Emergency Medical Services SOP dealing with hazardous materials incidents.

§ 36-13 Support.

A. Support that can be expected from Renville County is as follows:

(1) County Sheriff: All aspects of traffic control, search and rescue and support services as outlined in § 36-7, Emergency responsibility assignments.

(2) County Engineer: All services outlined in § 36-7.

(3) County social services: All services as outlined in § 36-7.

B. Support from private agencies/volunteer groups is as follows: As outlined in § 36-7 and the Renville County Emergency Operations Plan. (Red Cross, Salvation Army, schools, churches, etc.)

C. Support from the National Guard is as follows:

(1) Overview: When a natural disaster or other major emergency is beyond the capability of local government, support from National Guard units may be available. Only the governor has the authority to activate the Guard.

(2) Request procedure: In the case of the county and all cities, the sheriff must submit the request for assistance to the governor's office.

D. Support from state and federal agencies is as follows: Information and assistance in securing state or federal support may be obtained by contacting the Renville County Emergency Management Director.

§ 36-14 Recognized hazards in the State of Minnesota.

A. Civil disorder.

B. Fire.

(1) Urban.

(2) Forest/wildfire.

C. Hazardous material incidents.

(1) Facility.

(2) Transportation.

(3) Highway.

(4) Air.

D. National security event.

E. Natural disaster.

(1) Flood.

(2) Severe weather/thunderstorm.

(3) Tornado.

(4) Winter storm/blizzard.

F. Public utilities failure.

(1) Gas.

(2) Electric.

(3) Telephone.

G. Transportation accident.

(1) Ground.

(2) Air.

(3) Water.

§ 36-15 Emergency Operating Center staffing.

Needs of the incident will always dictate the level of staffing in the EOC. The following personnel and departments/agencies should be considered (this list by no means inclusive, and could change depending on the emergency):

A. Assessor.

B. Auditor.

C. Chief elected official.

D. City Manager/County Administrator.

E. Emergency Manager.

F. Emergency medical services.

G. Engineer/public works.

H. Environmental management.

I. Fire.

J. Law enforcement.

K. Legal advisor.

L. Medical Examiner/Coroner.

M. Public Information Officer.

N. Utility representatives.

§ 36-16 Emergency management functions and responsibilities.

NOTIFICATION AND WARNING — Notifying the public of probable impending disaster in time to take protective action. Includes operation of all communications services for control centers and operational forces.

Responsibility: County Sheriff

DIRECTION AND CONTROL — Management of a community's survival recovery efforts, and the operation itself.

Responsibility: Chief Elected Official; County/City Manager; Director of Emergency Management

EMERGENCY PUBLIC INFORMATION — Providing information and directions to the public about appropriate protective actions. Government spokesperson to the media.

Responsibility: Public Information Officer

SEARCH AND RESCUE — Searching for and rescuing trapped, injured, or missing people.

Responsibility: Fire, law enforcement

HEALTH/MEDICAL — Providing appropriate health and medical care services to the stricken population.

Responsibility: Emergency medical services; Department of Health and Human Services

EVACUATION, TRAFFIC CONTROL, AND SECURITY — Managing movement of people from the path of the threat or disaster to an area of relative safety; protecting life and property; controlling movement of persons and emergency equipment necessary to protect persons and counteract the emergency situation.

Responsibility: Law enforcement

FIRE PROTECTION — Deploying fire-fighting resources to prevent or contain fires and rescue trapped or injured people.

Responsibility: Fire Departments

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT — Monitoring and analyzing a disaster and assessing physical damage; collecting information essential to recovery efforts and future mitigation.

Responsibility: Assessor's Office; Red Cross Disaster Assessment Teams

CONGREGATE CARE — Providing shelter, lodging, food, clothing, and sanitation to the disrupted population.

Responsibility: Ministry; Department of Health and Human Services; Red Cross; Salvation Army

DEBRIS CLEARANCE — Removal of debris resulting from a disaster from public roads, highways, and facilities. Removal of debris from private property is generally the responsibility of the property owner.

Responsibility: Streets Department/County Engineer/Highway Department

UTILITIES RESTORATION — Restoration of public works and utilities damaged by an emergency/disaster.

Responsibility: Utility companies/County Engineer

RADIOLOGICAL/HAZARDOUS MATERIALS PROTECTION — Response to, containment of, and recovery from hazardous material accidents.

Responsibility: Fire Department and law enforcement, with help from Minnesota Division of Emergency Management and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

§ 36-17 Resources.

The following is a list of resources which may be considered for use during an emergency or disaster. This list is noninclusive; local resource manuals should be consulted for locally available resources.

EMERGENCY SERVICES
	Fire
	Emergency medical services
	Police Dept. and County Sheriff
	Emergency Management (County)

MEDICAL
	Hospitals
	Clinics
	Doctors
	Veterinarians

ASSEMBLY AREAS
	Parks
	Churches
	Government buildings
	Community centers

TRANSPORTATION
	Trucks
	Vans
	4-Wheel drive vehicles
	Tractor trailers
	Snowmobiles
	Boats

SUPPLIES
	Food
	Clothing
	Shelter

COMMUNICATIONS
	Cellular phones
	Pagers

MEDIA
	Newspapers
	Radio stations
	Television stations
	News services

INDIVIDUALS
	Clergy
	Local officials
	Doctors
	Nurses
	Amateur radio operators

EQUIPMENT
	Farm tractors
	Construction equipment
	Excavation equipment
	Chain saws
	Portable power plants
	Oxygen tanks

SERVICE AGENCIES
	Red Cross
	Salvation Army

COMMUNITY GROUPS
	Boy Scouts
	Churches
	Legion and VFW
	Girl Scouts
	Senior Citizen Group
	Lions Organization
	Civic and Commerce

§ 36-18 Take care of personal requirements.

A. Tell family of destination and contact numbers.

B. Take medications, toiletries, and clothes as warranted by initial notification.

C. Take list of peers to contact for advice.

D. Remember that your role is policy-making, not operational.

§ 36-19 Establish legal contacts.

A. Contact legal advisors and establish communications links.

B. Review legal responsibilities and authorities (emergency declarations, chain of succession, intergovernmental aid, social controls, price controls, and other restrictions).

C. Monitor equity of service based on needs and risks.

D. Review status of contracts with suppliers of emergency goods or services, if necessary.

§ 36-20 Maintain political awareness.

A. Recognize personal accountability for actions and decisions during an emergency.

B. Check provisions for other public officials (periodic updates; staff updates on politically sensitive issues such as life and property losses, service interruptions, etc.).

C. Establish and evaluate policy decisions throughout incident.

D. Confer with other elected officials when difficult issues arise.

E. Use elected officials to request assistance from public and private organizations if normal channels are not "responsive."

§ 36-21 Keep the public informed.

A. Check plans to inform the public through the media.

B. Ensure designation of a single Public Information Officer (avoids conflicts in official statements).

C. Ensure establishment of a media center, if needed.

D. Channel all releases first through EOC to ensure staff coordination and approval by CEO.

E. Ensure establishment of news media update and access policy as needed.