(A) (1) The Mayor shall appoint the Director of the Office of Emergency Management, who shall be a person experienced in public safety, disaster relief, or work related thereto. He shall be subject to removal by the Mayor for incompetency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. The Mayor shall, with the approval of the Council, fix the compensation, if any, of the Director. The Mayor shall also designate deputy directors of the Office of Emergency Management to assume the emergency duties of the Director in the event of the absence or incapacitation of the Director. The deputy directors shall be selected and shall serve as follows.
(a) There shall be one deputy director appointed from each of the city departments designated by the Mayor to constitute the emergency management forces.
(b) The deputy directors shall be city employees who are heads of their respective departments.
(c) Deputy directors shall assume the duties of the director in the order of their designation by the Mayor.
(2) The Director of the Office of Emergency Management shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter relative to civil service, appoint the assistants and other employees of the Office of Emergency Management, prescribe their duties, and, with the approval of the Council, fix their compensation, if any.
(‘83 Code, § 34.04)
(B) The Mayor may exercise the emergency power and authority as specified herein. Whenever a situation requires, or is likely to require, that the Mayor invoke such power and authority, he shall forthwith convene the City Council to perform its legislative and administrative powers as the situation
demands, and he shall immediately report to that body relative to emergency management activities. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as power or authority to abridge or lessen the legislative and administrative powers of the Council unless such is specifically granted herein.
(1) Under the following circumstances, the Mayor may assemble and utilize the emergency management forces, and he may prescribe the manner and conditions of their use.
(a) Whenever, on the basis of information received from authoritative sources, he feels that attack on the city is impending and imminent.
(b) During any period of attack on the city, and thereafter so long as he shall deem it necessary.
(2) During any period when attack on the city is imminent, or when the city has been subjected to attack, the Mayor may promulgate any reasonable regulations as he deems necessary to protect life and property and preserve critical resources. The Mayor shall report these regulations to the City Council, and it shall by resolution adopt, amend, or revoke such regulations. The regulations may include, but shall not be limited to the following.
(a) Regulations prohibiting or restricting the movement of vehicles in order to facilitate the work of emergency management forces, or to facilitate the mass movement of persons from critical areas of the city.
(b) Regulations pertaining to the movement of persons from areas deemed to be hazardous or vulnerable to attack.
(c) Regulations designed to lessen the hazard to property and citizens from attack.
(3) The Mayor shall order emergency management forces to the aid of other communities when required in accordance with the statutes of the state, and he may request the state, or political subdivisions of the state, to send aid to the city in case of natural disaster, or in case of disaster resulting from attack when conditions in the city are beyond the control of the local emergency management forces.
(4) When obtaining formal approvals would result in delay of attack-relief activity, the Mayor may, until the City Council convenes, waive procedures and formalities otherwise required pertaining to performance of public works, entering into contracts, incurring of obligations, employment of temporary workers, rental of equipment, purchase and distribution of supplies, materials, and facilities, and expenditure of existing funds. The Council is also empowered to waive any procedures and formalities.
(5) Whenever the Mayor finds that any condition in the city has attained, or threatens to attain, the proportions of a natural disaster, he may assemble and utilize emergency management forces, and he may prescribe the manner and conditions of their use. He may, when he deems it in the public interest, send emergency management forces of the city to the aid of other communities stricken by
natural disaster when the disaster is affecting the health, welfare, or security of the stricken community; however, after the Council convenes, the further continuance of any natural disaster relief, and the period thereof, shall be subject to the action of the Council.
(6) The Mayor may make regulations permitting the Director to assemble and utilize the emergency management forces and request disaster-relief aid as prescribed in divisions (B)(1), (B)(3), and (B)(5) of this section; and he may make regulations permitting the conduct of practice air raid alerts or tests of the emergency management organization. The regulations shall be filed with the Council, and shall be binding upon the emergency management forces when they have been approved by resolution of the Council.
(‘83 Code, § 34.05)
(C) The Director of the Office of Emergency Management shall be responsible for supervision over the planning and administration of the emergency management activity in the city. He shall maintain liaison with the county and state authorities and the authorities of other nearby political subdivisions to ensure the most effective implementation of the emergency management plans. His duties shall include the following.
(1) Development of plans for the coordinated utilization of all the resources and facilities of the city for emergency management.
(2) Coordinating the recruitment of volunteer personnel and agencies to augment the personnel and facilities of the city for emergency management purposes.
(3) Through public educational programs, preparing the civilian population for the protection of their persons and property in case of attack or natural disaster.
(4) Conducting public practice alerts to ensure the efficient operation of the Emergency Management Organization, and to familiarize the citizen with emergency management regulations and procedures. The Director shall notify the City Council in writing prior to any practice alerts, and embody therein the regulations and procedures pertaining thereto.
(5) Coordinating the activity of all public and private agencies comprising the Emergency Management Organization, including coordination of planning and of purchasing of emergency management equipment and supplies for the city.
(6) Negotiating with owners or persons in control of buildings or other property for the use of the buildings for emergency management purposes, and designating suitable buildings as public shelters.
(7) Assuming such authority and conducting such activity as the Mayor may direct to promote and execute the emergency management plan.
(8) Making a quarterly written report to the City Council relative to the progress of the emergency management program and of the regulations and procedures adopted for the protection of the public. The Council may, for the information of the public, print the report, or any part thereof, in its proceedings.
(‘83 Code, § 34.06)