A. Because of the existing and increasing possibility of the occurrence of disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness resulting from natural and manmade causes, in order to ensure that preparations of the city will adequately deal with such disasters and emergencies, to generally provide for the common defense and to protect the public peace, health, and safety, to preserve the persons and property of the city, and to carry out the objectives of local, state and national survival and recovery in the event of a disaster or emergency, it is hereby found and declared to be necessary to:
1. Create an emergency response team within the city administration;
2. Encourage the creation of an emergency management program;
3. Adopt and implement a FEMA approved multihazard mitigation plan to meet, prevent or reduce emergencies in the general interest and welfare of the city and its citizens; and
4. Provide for the rendering of mutual aid between the city and other private and public agencies whose mission includes hazard mitigation.
B. It is further declared to be the policy of the city that all emergency management and hazard mitigation functions of the city be coordinated to the maximum feasible extent with the comparable functions of the state and federal governments, including their various departments and agencies, and of private agencies of every type, to the end that the most effective preparation and use may be made of available workforce, resources and facilities for dealing with disaster and hazard mitigation.
C. It is also directed that each department or officer having responsibilities indicated in the multihazard mitigation plan or by the nature of the service it provides shall have written plans and procedures in place to protect individual employees, administrators and visitors from natural and manmade disasters and emergencies occurring at the workplace.
D. The national incident management system (NIMS) shall be the standard for incident management in the city. All on scene management of disasters and emergencies shall be conducted using a designated incident command system (ICS). (2013 Code)