(A) The director shall maintain liaison with the state and federal authorities, and the authorities of other nearby political subdivisions, so as to insure the most effective implementation of the emergency plan and compliance with state and federal regulations. The director shall be accountable for all emergency funds and property
(B) Duties of the director or designated representative shall include, but not be limited to the following:
(1) Development and publication of emergency plans in conformity with state emergency plans and regulations for the immediate use of all of the facilities, equipment, manpower and other resources of the county for the purpose of minimizing or preventing damage to persons or property, and protecting and restoring to usefulness governmental services and public utilities necessary for the public health, safety and welfare;
(2) Control of necessary record-keeping of office of emergency management funds and property which may be made available from federal, state, county or municipal governments, and from private sources;
(3) Submission of annual budget requirements to the state and federal governments and to the County Council;
(4) Signing the documents as are necessary in the administration of the county’s Emergency Management Program to include project applications and billing for purchases under project applications;
(5) Coordinating the recruitment and training of volunteer personnel and agencies to augment the personnel and facilities of the county for emergency management purposes;
(6) Through public information programs, educating the civil population as to the actions necessary and required for the protection of their persons and property in case of enemy attack, natural disaster emergency or nuclear accident;
(7) Conducting simulated exercises and public practice alerts to insure efficient operation of the office of emergency management and to familiarize residents of the county with emergency regulations, procedures and operations;
(8) Coordinate the activity of all other public and private agencies engaged in any emergency management program, search, rescue, recovery, emergency operation, resource allocation, evacuation and any activity defined in § 36.01;
(9) Negotiating with owners or persons in control of buildings or other property for the use of the buildings or property for emergency purposes, and designating suitable buildings as emergency shelters;
(10) Developing a community shelter plan which shall provide shelter space for as many citizens of the county as practicable;
(11) Assuming the authority and conducting the activity as may be necessary to promote and execute the emergency operations plan, its annexes and standard operating procedures;
(12) Directing evacuation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area within the county if the action is deemed necessary for protection of life or emergency mitigation, response or recovery;
(13) Controlling ingress and egress to and from a disaster or emergency area, the movement of persons within the area, and the occupancy of premises therein, to include containment of persons or equipment possibly contaminated until proper decontamination can be accomplished;
(14) Developing and maintaining plans for protecting persons in the emergency planning zone or ingestion pathway around the Catawba Nuclear Station, including, but not limited to developing alert and notification procedures, emergency and evacuation plans, public information and coordination of resources both in and out of the county;
(15) Developing and overseeing activities for responding to hazardous material accidents, on-scene control of the affected areas and recovery from the accident;
(16) Coordinating the development of emergency plans for public events or activities at which large crowds may be gathered and inspection to insure adequate resources are in place to manage routine emergencies, as well as plans to deal with a mass casualty, explosion, evacuation, structural collapse or other incident that would require the implementation of the provisions of the emergency operations plan;
(17) Enforcing laws of the county or state as described in § 31.04(A)(3) and conducting investigations into the cause of emergencies, prosecuting violators, and, when possible, develop mitigation programs to prevent recurrence of the accident or emergency incident; however, the number of those litter control officers appointed and commissioned who may exercise the power of arrest as part of their primary duties, are limited in number pursuant to the calculation formula set out in S. C. Code § 4-9-145(B)(1);
(18) Shall be the point of contact for all emergency planning and response activities associated with any nuclear situation or natural disaster which could affect the county;
(19) Developing policy and procedures for the efficient utilization of volunteer emergency forces;
(20) Recommend persons to be appointed to the county LEPC;
(21) Requiring the immediate suspension of any activity which has the potential to put lives or property at risk;
(22) Coordinating mutual aid plans and agreements with other political jurisdictions for the efficient provision of or receipt of emergency assistance and shall coordinate all mutual aid request; and (The director will develop mutual aid agreements where possible. The director, fire marshal (fire request) or their designee must approve all mutual aid request.)
(23) Directing the impounding of any vehicle, vessel, container, and the like, until the time as it is deemed to be safe and the responsible party agrees to all costs associated with the incident.
(‘77 Code, § 6-5) (Ord. 1996, passed 5-6-96; Am. Ord. 1117, passed 3-20-17; Am. Ord. 6018, passed 12-17-18)