§ 103 - General implementation - Article II - Vermont Statutes

§ 103. General implementation - Article II

(a) Disasters or emergencies are rarely limited to occurring within political jurisdictional boundaries, making intergovernmental coordination and cooperation essential to effective management of most disasters or emergencies. The nature of a disaster or emergency frequently requires immediate access to additional resources in order to respond promptly and effectively. Most states do not have available all the resources needed to respond to every emergency.

(b) Immediate, efficient, and effective utilization of resources from party states, the United States government or any other source, essential to protect the health and safety of people in the event of a disaster or emergency, is the underlying principle of this compact.

(c) The governor of each party state, or the governor's designee, shall adopt rules that include the appropriate interstate mutual aid plans and procedures formulated in cooperation with other party states necessary to implement this compact.

(1) Each party state shall be responsible for formulating procedural plans and programs for interstate cooperation in order to carry out the responsibilities required by the compact. Each party state shall:

(A) Review the hazard analyses of each party state in order to determine potential emergencies the party states might jointly suffer.

(B) Review party states' individual emergency plans, and develop a mechanism for the interstate management and provision of assistance in any potential emergency.

(C) Develop interstate procedures to fill identified gaps, and resolve identified inconsistencies or overlaps in existing plans.

(D) Warn communities adjacent to or crossing the state boundaries.

(E) Protect and assure uninterrupted delivery of services, medicines, water, food, energy and fuel, search and rescue, and critical lifeline equipment, services, and resources, both human and material.

(F) Inventory and establish procedures for the interstate loan and delivery of human and material resources, and procedures for reimbursement or forgiveness.

(G) Provide, to the extent authorized by law, for temporary suspension of any statute or ordinance that restricts the implementation of the responsibilities listed in this subdivision.

(2) A party state may request aid, verbally or in writing, from another party state only by contacting the authorized representative of that state. A request made verbally shall be confirmed in writing within 30 days. A request shall include the following information:

(A) A description of the emergency service function for which aid is needed, such as fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical, transportation, communications, public works and engineering, building inspection, planning and information assistance, mass care, resource support, health and medical services, and search and rescue.

(B) The amount and type of personnel, equipment, materials and supplies needed and a reasonable estimate of the duration of the need.

(C) The specific place and time for staging the aid from the responding party states and a point of contact at that location.

(3) There shall be frequent consultation and free exchange of information, plans, and resource records relating to emergency capabilities between or among state officials who have been assigned emergency management responsibilities, other appropriate representatives of the party states and the United States government. (Added 1999, No. 138 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)