A. Concept:
1. The Mayor, as chief executive of local government, is responsible for directing all emergency measures within the City. All existing agencies of government in the City will perform emergency activities related to those they perform in normal operations.
2. The basic functions of Alamo City officials relative to civil defense is to coordinate these activities and to insure availability from other community sources of any skills not normally available in existing City government agencies.
B. Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The Mayor, assisted by the City Commissioners, City Secretary and Civil Defense Coordinator, will exercise direction and control from the City Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The City EOC is located at the City Hall, 840 Austin Street, Alamo, Texas. The Mayor, Commissioners or Civil Defense Coordinator have the authority to activate the EOC as deemed necessary in actual or threatened emergencies. The City CD Coordinator will prepare and keep current the EOC standing operation procedures (SOPs).
C. Organization for Emergencies: Refer to the organizational chart Attachment No. 1 to Ordinance 586 on file in the office of the City Secretary.
D. Executive Group Responsibilities:
1. Mayor and City Commissioners:
a. Direct City departments and volunteer forces in all types of planning and emergency action. Inform citizens of City of the situation and actions required of the populace.
b. Make emergency police decisions governing the direction of disaster operations within the City.
c. Request aid or authorize such request from State or Federal governments, including military support, if needed.
2. Civil Defense Coordinator:
a. Coordinate emergency actions for the Mayor.
b. Assist the chief executive in all programs and phases of the disaster preparedness effort.
c. Prepare, review and revise, as necessary, the emergency operations plan and coordinate and assist other departments in development of operational procedures to the emergency plan.
d. Prepare or insure preparation of operational procedures as follows:
Emergency public information.
Emergency Operations Center operations.
Resource management.
e. Coordinate with other community agencies emergency plans, i.e., school, Red Cross, industry, Salvation Army, private utilities and civic groups.
f. Arrange for disaster preparedness training classes to meet the needs of the City departments and the general public.
g. Maintain liaison with State and Federal disaster preparedness agencies. Maintain current EOC staffing, organization and assignments.
E. Department and Agency Functions:
1. Law and Order: Be responsible for police services within the City to include:
a. Law enforcement.
b. Protection of life and property.
c. Traffic control to include flow of traffic from coastal area during hurricane evacuation.
d. Provide emergency communications facilities for local government, (including coordination of all emergency communications and the formation of an emergency communication network).
e. Provide for coordinated ambulance service.
f. In cooperation with the mortuary services, assist in the identification of the dead.
g. Provide personnel to insure controlled access to disaster areas.
h. Assist in gathering information for intelligence and damage assessment purposes.
i. Coordinate all police and related activities with all other law enforcement agencies that may be requested to assist.
j. The Chief of Police or his designated representative will report to the EOC on its activation.
k. Coordinate with District and State on law enforcement resources.
l. Make available in the EOC records listing the department's resources, as well as listings of available outside resources.
m. Insure that key personnel are familiar with the overall operations plan and knowledgeable of their specific responsibilities.
n. Prepare police warning and communications SOPs.
o. Maintain and operate the emergency warning system.
p. Insure that police personnel are trained and equipped for radiological monitoring operations.
2. Fire Protection: The responsibilities of the Fire Chief are:
a. Be responsible for firefighting, including training of auxiliaries and volunteers.
b. Perform rescue operations.
c. Assist Police Department in warning.
d. Insure that Fire Department personnel are trained and equipped for radiological monitoring.
e. Assist in severe weather watch.
f. Coordinate fire, rescue and mutual aid with State and disaster district concerning fire and rescue resources.
g. Prepare an SOP on fire and rescue operations and priorities involved.
h. Determine hazardous chemicals and materials.
i. Give first aid to injured on the scene.
3. Communications:
a. The Police Department, through the Chief of Police, will be responsible for communications between the City services, public services, operating agencies, other cities, district, State and Federal agencies. See communications diagram, Attachment No. 2 to Ordinance 586 on file in the office of the City Secretary.
b. The Police Department will be responsible for providing, updating and implementing the communications SOP.
4. Warning:
a. The Police Department, through the Chief of Police, will be responsible for receiving all types of warning (nuclear, weather or other) and for dissemination of the warning whenever coordinated resources of the City may be required.
b. The Police Department will be responsible for providing, updating and implementing the warning SOP.
5. Engineering: The Fire Marshal shall be responsible for maintaining public buildings, demolitions, condemning and posting unsafe structures.
F. Public Works:
1. Streets and Garbage: A City Commissioner shall be responsible for keeping all streets open and in safe and clean condition for through traffic, opening up of streets into damaged area so emergency equipment can pass in a safe manner, responsible for maintaining a log which contains a listing of heavy equipment and operators that could be called on to be used during an emergency, development of an SOP for this function.
2. Water and Sewer: A City Commissioner shall be responsible for the following:
a. Maintaining and restoration of water services.
b. Set up priority list of restoration of services.
c. Assist in assessment of damage to water systems.
d. Prepare an SOP for emergency functions.
G. Private Utilities: The Civil Defense Director shall be responsible for:
1. Coordination with Central Power and Light Company, Rio Grande Valley Gas Company and Bell Telephone Company will be affected by the City coordinators.
2. Private utility companies should each place a representative in the Emergency Operations Center. This EOS representative should be provided with radio communication with their respective dispatch or work order sections so that coordination of disaster operations may be effected with their companies.
3. Private companies should organize and plan for the maintenance and restoration of utilities to essential facilities and to the citizens of the City.
H. Health and Medical: The Mayor shall provide for the protection of the population through emergency health and sanitation measures and arrange for medical support to any affected area.
I. Welfare: The American Red Cross shall provide for emergency clothing, housing, feeding, registration and family rehabilitation services, utilizing the facilities and personnel of the State Department of Welfare, American Red Cross and other welfare agencies in accordance with advance agreements with them.
J. Personnel and Finance: The City Secretary shall be responsible for:
1. Manpower support, including temporary transfer of City employees to disaster duty, hiring of additional staff or recruitment of volunteers in emergency if requested by a particular City office;
2. Coordinating temporary housing;
3. Insuring identification to City employees, volunteers and other agencies to permit reaching disaster assignments;
4. Making or authorizing emergency purchases for City government;
5. Providing supplies and food for the EOC staff;
6. The preparation of an SOP.
K. Damage Assessment: The City Secretary shall be responsible for:
1. Gathering information from department chiefs and other sources so that the executive groups and all departments and agencies can make their decisions from the information received;
2. Revision of property records to show results of a disaster and protection of these records.
3. Transmitting damage estimates on public and private property to the State and Federal offices.
L. Transportation: The City Commissioner shall be responsible for:
1. Coordinating local transportation resources in emergencies;
2. Assisting Police Department in planning and executing movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic in emergencies, including movement to shelters, appointing assistants from transport industries as needed.
3. Prepare SOP for transportation.
M. Emergency Public Information (EPI): The Mayor shall be responsible to inform the public of the existing situation and what is to be expected, dangers, extent of damage and actions to be taken. To accomplish this, use shall be made of all available means, i.e., radio, television, newspaper, loudspeakers and posted notices. This information should seek to calm and reassure the public as well as inform them of actions to be taken. The EPI Officer will perform the following functions:
1. Prepare plans for emergency public information, in coordination with local news media, appointing assistants from various media as needed.
2. Prepare daily status reports when EOC is in operation.
3. Secure photographic documentation of disaster damages and activities.
N. Shelter (Natural/Nuclear): The Civil Defense Director shall be responsible for:
1. Updating the community shelter program (CSP) as necessary;
2. Planning for and directing shelter occupancy, including preparation of shelter for natural or nuclear disasters;
3. Providing SOPs for operation, selection and training of shelter staffs;
4. Coordinating with welfare officer, school superintendent, building owners, churches, Red Cross and other civic agencies on use of their personnel and/or facilities in shelter operation;
5. Providing for a reporting system among shelters and between shelters and the EOC, including establishment of shelter complex headquarters, if needed.
6. In emergencies, directing filling of shelters, overloading, if required, movement between shelters, evacuation of persons from endangered shelter and final closure of shelters when possible.
7. The preparation of SOP on shelter operations.
O. Legal: The City Attorney shall be responsible for legal aid and guidance to the City concerning emergency situations.
P. Radiological Defense: The Civil Defense Director shall be responsible for radiological services to include the capability for plotting of fallouts, forecasting evaluation of the situation and advice to the chief executive on maximum dosage and movement during fallout. The radiological defense officer will:
1. Plan, train, coordinate and supervise all radiological defense services within the area, including selection of assistant RDOs, RMIs and RMs;
2. Coordinate arrangements from each City department to monitor its own personnel and facilities. Will develop appropriate SOPs.
Q. Other Departments: Other City departments not assigned to disaster mission under this plan will support the civil defense effort by making their resources available to perform emergency duties as required.
R. Lines of Succession: To insure continuity of operation during threatened or actual emergency situations, the following lines of succession are hereby established:
Mayor
Mayor Pro Tem
Remaining Commissioners
(Ord. 586, 7-1-75))