Tompkins County Administrative Policy Manual

EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN

Objective: To establish procedures for County government and affiliated emergency responders to follow in the event of a disaster, as defined by Article II-B of the New York State Executive Law
and including, but not limited to, flood, fire, storm, acts of terrorism, earthquake, large-scale hazardous materials incidents, health epidemics, etc…; and to direct the development of a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP).

Policy Number: 01-19

Reference: Natural Disaster Plan for Tompkins County; NYS Executive Law II-B; Suggested Program Plan to Reduce the Impact of Floods, September 1982 (Planning Department); Resolution 184 (1981); County of Tompkins Executive Orders Nos. 1 and 2 (May, 1975)

Effective Date: June 28, 1983

Modified Date:July 18, 2000; June 6, 2006

Resolution #: 00-168; 06-91

Policy Tompkins County shall have in place an Emergency Action Plan Statement: that deals with preparedness for, mitigation of, responses to, and recovery from both natural and human-caused emergencies disasters and that conforms with all legal mandates, is particular to Tompkins County and is kept current.

Department: Legislature

Procedure:

1. There shall be an Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) to assist in the coordinating relief efforts and requests
for outside aid and to assist with emergency planning. The EPC members are appointed by the Director of Emergency Response and shall include:

1 Elected County Official	1 Elected City Official
1 Municipal Official selected by the Tompkins County Municipal Officials Association	Cornell University Representative
Ithaca College Representative	County Director of Emergency Response
Volunteer Fire & EMS Representative	City Fire Chief
City Emergency Management Officer	Cayuga Medical Center Representative
Commercial Ambulance Representative	Public Health Director
County Sheriff	City Police Chief of Designee
County Highway Manager or designee	City Public Works Superintendent
Red Cross Executive Director	Commissioner of Social Services or Designee
County Administrator (also serves for Planning Comm. & Airport Mgr. or designee)	A City Administrator
Ass’t Director of Emergency Response or designee

2. The EPC shall prepare a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for Tompkins County, incorporating and updating existing response plans, mutual aid agreements, hazardous materials plans, and shall develop additional plans and agreements as appropriate. The Committee shall review and revise the plan yearly and shall facilitate appropriate training activities.

3. The County Planning Department is hereby designated as lead agency for the development and maintenance of the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and will coordinate mitigation and related preparedness activities and strategies with the Department of Emergency Response and the Emergency Planning Committee.

4. The Chairman of the Legislature of Tompkins County is responsible for the conduct of disaster or emergency
operations within the County exclusive of the City of Ithaca, which has its own procedure. Command and control of scene operations shall remain a function of the municipality where each emergency exists, and their designated responders.

5. The Director of the Department of Emergency Response is the designated Disaster Coordinator for Tompkins County and liaison for the City of Ithaca Emergency Management Office, to serve as the coordinator of activities of governmental, private, and volunteer agencies operating within the County of Tompkins during the period of a disaster emergency.

6. The County Emergency Coordinating Center at the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, 92 Brown Road, Village of Lansing, will be the permanent coordinating center. All requests for assistance among departments and agencies will be channeled through the Emergency Coordinating Center and will be coordinated by the Director of the Department of Emergency Response.

7. In the event of, or the threat of, disaster:

A. The chief elected executive of the community affected (except for the City of Ithaca which has its own disaster or emergency plan) will:

i) Immediately notify the Emergency Communications Center, who will in turn notify the Director of Emergency Response. The Director’s Office shall notify appropriate officials.

ii) Determine the extent of possible threat or disaster.

iii) Mobilize the heads of his/her municipal agencies and commit local agencies to action.

iv) Determine capabilities of his/her agencies and possible assistance needed.

v) Report to the Director of Emergency Response as to the extent of danger or disaster, and as to what assistance may be needed.

B. County department heads not directly involved with the Emergency Planning Committee
should remain aware of the developing situation and stand ready to follow instructions
issued through the Emergency Planning Committee or the County Administrator

C. The County Administrator or his designee is authorized to allow the use of County Public
Works equipment within Tompkins County when the need therefore is determined by the County Director of Emergency Response, under the following conditions:

i) The requests for such use shall be made by the Director of Emergency Response or the Assistant Director of Emergency Response after an evaluation at the scene of the emergency.

ii) If similar equipment is available at the city, town, village highway or Public Works Department in the municipality in which the emergency occurs, such equipment shall be used first.

iii) The rental cost on the equipment and the operator’s time shall be charged in the customary manner used by the County Public Works Department or municipality. The charges shall be against the Department of Emergency Response’s budget, and the committee will recommend that appropriations be made to the Director’s budget to cover the items through a special appropriation for each instance.

iv) The Commissioner of Planning and Public Works, or his authorized representative, shall at all times make final decisions in relation to the safety of the equipment and the operator. In the absence of supervisory Public Works personnel, the Public Works employee operating the equipment is the authorized representative.