Loading...
4.23 4.23 2016 ORGANIZATIONALTomprehensive Emergency Management Plan—Adopt Annually RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ADOPTION OF TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN RESOLUTION NO.: , 2015 INTRODUCED BY: WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: WHEREAS, New York State Executive Law §23 provides in part that in preparing a Town Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, the cooperation, advice and assistance shall be sought from local government officials, regional and local planning agencies, police agencies, fire departments and fire companies, local civil defense agencies, commercial and volunteer ambulance services, health and social services officials, community action agencies, organizations for the elderly and the handicapped, other interested groups and the general public, and WHEREAS, the Town of Queensbury's Fire Marshal received such advice and assistance from local police, fire, public health agencies and other Departments within Warren County as well as the State Emergency Management Office, Glens Falls Hospital and the American Red Cross, and by Resolution No.: 361,2014, the Queensbury Town Board adopted its Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (Plan) for the Town of Queensbury, based upon such advice and assistance as well as the State Emergency Management Sample Plan, and WHEREAS, the Town Board must adopt such Plan on an annual basis and therefore wishes to adopt such Plan substantially in the form presented at this meeting, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Queensbury Town Board hereby adopts the Town of Queensbury Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (Plan) substantially in the form presented at this meeting, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board authorizes and directs the designated Town officials and employees to act in accordance with the terms and provisions of such Plan and authorizes and directs the Town's Fire Marshal to file such Plan with the Queensbury Town Clerk and submit such Plan to the Director of the Warren County Office of Emergency Services and/or any other appropriate state or local agencies in order to cause the Plan to be effective for all purposes provided under law, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board further authorizes and directs the Town Supervisor and/or Town Fire Marshal to take any action necessary to effectuate the terms of this Resolution and Plan. Duly adopted this 1St day of January, 2015, by the following vote: AYES NOE S AB SENT : 2 COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN e Town of Queensbuiy John Strough Supervisor Home of Natural Beauty... A Good Place to Live" Note: This plan represents genera/guide lines, which may be modified by emergency personnel as appropriate. This plan does not create any right or duty that is enforceable by a court of law TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEME NT PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS �. Executive Summary 5-6 Section I: General Considerations and Planning Guidelines 7-10 A. Policy Regarding Comprehensive Emergency Management B. Purpose and Objectives of the Plan C. Legal Authority D. Concepts of Operations E. Plan Maintenance and Updating Section II: Risk Reduction 11-16 A. Town Hazard Mitigation B. Identification and Analysis of Potential Hazards C. Risk Reduction Policies, Programs and Reports D. Emergency Response Capacity Assessment E. Training of Emergency Response Personnel F. Education and Public Awareness G. Monitoring of Identified Risk Areas Section III: Response 17-32 A. Response Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities 1. Town Supervisor Responsibilities and Powers 2. Line of Command 3. The Role of the Safety Officer 4. Town Emergency Response Organization [2] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN B. Managing Emergency Response 1. Incident Command Post and Emergency Operations Center 2. Notification and Activation 3. Assessment and Evaluation i. ICS Function and Response Activities by Agency C. Declaration of Local State of Emergency and Promulgation of Local Emergency Orders D. Public Warning and Emergency Information E. Emergency Medical and Public Health F. Meeting Human Needs G. Restoring Public Services H. Resource Management I. Instructions for Declaring a State of Emergency and Issuing Emergency Orders II. Sample Declaration of Local State of Emergency Ill. Q & A on Declaring a State of Emergency IV. Sample Emergency Order V. Q & A on Issuing Local Emergency Orders Section IV: Recovery 38-45 A. Damage Assessment B. Planning for Recovery C. Reconstruction D. Damage Assessment E. Reconstruction Operation F. Public Information on Recovery Assistance [3l TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Annexes Annex 1. Hazard Analysis Ranking and Ratings Annex 2. Emergency Shelters Annex 3. Chain of Command Annex 4. Contact List Annex 5. Definitions/Acronyms Annex 6. NYS Executive Law 2-B Annex 7. Media Contacts Annex 8. Transportation Options Annex 9. Emergency Planning Committee Team Annex 10. List of Typical Duties/Responsibilities Annex 11. Guidelines for Field Assessments [4] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction: This plan results from the recognition on the part of local government and state officials that a comprehensive plan is needed to enhance the Town of Queensbury's ability to manage an emergency or disaster situation in the Town of Queensbury. It was prepared by Town officials in coordination with Warren County Office of Emergency Services. This plan constitutes an integral part of the statewide Emergency Management program and contributes to its effectiveness. The New York State Executive Law Article 2- B, gives the authority to the Town of Queensbury to establish a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, and also empowers the Town Supervisor to act during an emergency. The development of this plan includes an analysis of potential hazards that could affect the Town of Queensbury and an assessment of the capabilities existing in the Town to deal with potential problems. Comprehensive Approach: Dealing with disasters is an ongoing and complex undertaking. Through implementation of risk reduction measures before a disaster or emergency occurs, timely and effective response during an actual occurrence, and provisions both short and long term recovery assistance after the occurrence or disaster, lives can be saved and property damage minimized. Comprehensive emergency management emphasizes the interrelationship of activities, functions and expertise necessary to deal with emergencies. Management Responsibilities: The role and responsibilities of Town departments and related agencies, both emergency and non -emergency related, are outlined in this plan. Assignments are made within the framework of the present Town of Queensbury capability and existing organizational responsibilities. The EOC Manager or designee shall coordinate all emergency management activities for the Town. The Town of Queensbury shall use the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as a guide to coordinate the response to emergencies. Through the NIMS system, Incident Command System (ICS) will be the management tool for all command, control and coordination of resources and personnel. [5] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Town responsibilities are closely related to the responsibilities en has therespons responsibility to managing all phases of an emergency. The County assist local government in the event that they have fully committed its resources, and is still unable to cope with the emergency. Similarly, New York State is obligated to provide assistance to the County, (through NYSOEM) after County resources have been exhausted and the County is unable to cope with the emergency. Conclusion: This plan provides general all hazards emergency management guidance, using existing organizations to allow the Town of Queensbury to meet its responsibilities before, during and after an emergency. [6] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN SECTION 1 - GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND PLANNING GUIDELINES A. Policy Regarding Comprehensive Emergency Management 1. A wide variety of emergencies caused by nature or technology result in loss of life, property and income and disrupt the normal functions of government, communities and families, and can cause human suffering. 2. Town government must provide leadership and direction to prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from dangers and problems arising from emergencies in the community. 3. Under authority of Section 23 of the New York State Executive Law, a town is Authorized to develop a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan to prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters. To meet this responsibility, the Town of Queensbury has developed this Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. 4. This concept of Comprehensive Emergency Management includes three phases: a. Risk Reduction - Prevention and Mitigation i. Prevention refers to those short or long term activities which eliminate or reduce the number of occurrences of disasters. ii. Mitigation refers to all activities which reduce the effects of disasters when they do occur. iii. Section II of this Plan, Risk Reduction, describes activities to prevent or minimize the impact of hazards in the community. b. Response i. Response operations may start before the emergency materializes, for example, on receipt of advisories that floods, blizzards, or ice storms could impact the jurisdiction. This increased readiness response phase may include such pre-impact operations as: o Detecting, monitoring, and assessment of the hazard o Alerting and warning of endangered populations o Protective actions for the public o Allocating/distributing of equipment/resources [7) TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN ii. Most response activities follow the immediate impact of an emergency. Generally, they are designed to minimize casualties and protect property to the extent possible through emergency assistance. They seek to reduce the probability of secondary damage and speed recovery operations. iii. Response operations in the affected area are the responsibility of and controlled by the community, supported by the Warren County Office of Emergency Services, as appropriate c. Recovery i. Recovery activities are those following a disaster to restore the community to its pre-emergency state, to correct adverse conditions that may have led to the damage, and to protect and improve the quality of life in the community. It includes risk reduction actions to prevent or mitigate a recurrence of the emergency. B. Purpose and Objectives of the Plan 1. This Plan sets forth the basic requirement for managing emergencies in the Town. 2. The objectives of the Plan are: a. To identify, assess and prioritize vulnerabilities to emergencies or disasters and the resources available to prevent or mitigate, respond to, and recover from them. b. To outline short, medium, and long range measures to improve the Town's capability to manage hazards. c. To provide that the Town government, in concert with the County government,will take appropriate actions to prevent or mitigate the effects of hazards and be prepared to respond to and recover from them when an emergency or disaster occurs. d. To provide for the efficient utilization of all available resources during an emergency. e. To provide for the effective utilization and coordination of County, State, and Federal programs to assist disaster victims, and to prioritize the response to the needs of the elderly, disabled, low income, and other groups which may be inordinately affected [8] • TOWN OF Q U E EN S B U R Y COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MA NA G EM E N T PLAN C. Legal Authority 1. This Plan in whole or in part, may rely upon the following laws (as amended and updated)for the power necessary for its development, adoption, and implementation: a. New York State Executive Law, Article 2-B b. New York State Defense Emergency Act c. Robert T. Stafford Federal Disaster Relief& Emergency Assistance Act d. Town of Queensbury Local Law or Resolution D. Concept of Operations 1. By NYS Law, the primary responsibility for responding to emergencies rests with town government, and with the Town's Supervisor. Town government agencies and the emergency service organizations in the town play an essential role as the first line of defense and response when Responding to a disaster, the Town is required to utilize its own facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel, and other resources first. The Town Supervisor has the executive authority for the direction and coordination of disaster operations. The Town's Safety Officer, who is designated as the EOC Manager serves as the front line manager of the Town's emergency management activities. 2. The Town of Queensbury will utilize the Incident Command System (ICS) to manage all emergencies requiring multi-agency response. The Town of Queensbury recommends and encourages all emergency services organizations in the Town to utilize ICS. 3. When Town resources are inadequate, the Town Supervisor or Incident Commander may obtain assistance (under mutual aid agreements/plans) from other political subdivisions and from the County government. 4. A request for assistance from the County will be made by the Town Supervisor to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. 5. The Warren County Office of Emergency Services Emergency Manager has the authority to coordinate the County disaster operations, and coordinate response to requests for disaster assistance from the local governments [9] TOWN OF Q UEEN S B UR Y COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 6. The Warren County Office of Emergency Services may coordinate requests for assistance from other political subdivisions within Warren County, and (through NYSOEM)with other counties in the State. 7. When the disaster is beyond the management capabilities of Warren County, the Warren County Office of Emergency Services may request NYS assistance through the State Office of Emergency Management(NYSOEM). 8. State assistance is supplemental to local and county emergency efforts. 9. Direction/control of State risk reduction, response and recovery actions is exercised by the NYS Disaster Preparedness Commission (DPC) and coordinated by the Office of Emergency Management. The Warren County Office of Emergency Services will assist the Town, and serve as liaison to the State. 10.Upon the occurrence of an emergency or disaster which is clearly beyond the management capability and emergency resources of State and local (town and county) governments, The Governor may find that federal assistance is required and may request such assistance from the president of the United States by requesting a declaration of a major disaster or emergency. E. Plan Maintenance and Updating 1. The Town Board, along with the CEMP committee is responsible for maintaining and updating this plan and will adopt same at its annual organizational meeting in January. 2. All Town departments and agencies are responsible for annual review of their emergency response role and procedures, and shall provide input on any changes to the Plan to the Town's Safety Officer by November 1s`of each year. 3. The Plan should be reviewed and updated annually or after any incident requiring implementation of the plan. [101 TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN SECTION II - RISK REDUCTION A. Town Hazard Mitigation Planning 1. The Town Board has been designated by the Town Supervisor as the central point of contact for hazard mitigation. 2. The Town Safety Officer is responsible for coordinating with the Warren County Hazard Mitigation Coordinator in reducing hazards potentially affecting the Town of Queensbury. 3. All Town agencies will participate in risk reduction activities at the direction of the Town Board. B. Identification and Analysis of Potential Hazards 1. The Town Safety Officer and Town Supervisor, with the assistance of such other persons as they deem appropriate, hereinafter known as the Emergency Management Planning Committee, and in coordination with the Warren County Office of Emergency Services, and Hazard Mitigation Coordinator, has and will: a. Identify potential hazards in the Town, and outside the Town that could affect the Town; b. Determine the probable impact each of those hazards could have on people, property and infrastructure c. Where possible, delineate the geographic areas affected by potential hazards (e.g. flood inundation zones), plot them on maps, and designate them as hazard areas 2. Significant potential hazards to be identified and analyzed include natural, technological and human-caused hazards. To comply with Sections B (1) and (2) above, hazards that pose a potential threat to the Town have been identified and analyzed by the Town Emergency Management Planning Committee using the computer program HAZNY, provided by the NY Office of Emergency Management. [11] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN This Hazard Analysis: a. Provides a basic method for analyzing and ranking the identified hazards including identification of geographic areas and populations at risk to specific hazards b. Establishes priorities for planning for those hazards which have received a high ranking of significance c. Was conducted by the Town of Queensbury with guidance from Warren County Office of Emergency Services, and New York State Office of Emergency Management. d. Has been submitted to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. Note: The complete Hazard Analysis is located in Annex 1, and is attached to and made a part of this plan C. Risk Reduction Policies, Programs and Reports 1. Town agencies will coordinate with Warren County in promoting and planning, programs and activities to reduce hazard risks in their areas of responsibility and to encourage hazard awareness education and post-disaster self-sufficiency amongst Town of Queensbury residents and businesses. a. Examples of the above include: o To encourage the review of the Queensbury CEMP, zoning ordinances, & building codes to take into account significant hazards in the Town o Promote compliance with and enforcement of existing laws, regulations and codes that are related to hazard risks, e.g. building and fire/life safety codes,flood plain regulations o Encourage Town ( County and State) Highway Departments) to address dangerous conditions on roads used by hazardous materials carriers [12] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 2. The Queensbury Town Board is responsible for land use management of Town owned land and the review (with the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals) of land use management actions throughout the Town, including: o Authorizing Town land use management programs o Developing and adopting comprehensive master plans for community development, zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations and building codes o Coordinating with Warren County agencies in developing and adopting plans for community development in the Town 3. In all of the above activities, the Town Board will take into account the significant hazards identified in the Town of Queensbury. 4. The Town of Queensbury Emergency Management Planning Committee will participate in risk reduction workshops sponsored by The Warren County Office of Emergency Services or NYSOEM, if and when such are offered. The Committee will meet annually to identify specific hazard reduction actions that could be taken for those hazards determined by the HAZNY analysis to be the most significant. 5. A report of the proposed hazard reduction activities will be presented to the Town Supervisor and the Warren County Hazard Mitigation Coordinator for consideration and funding. D. Emergency Response Capability Assessment 1. Periodic assessment of the Town's capability to manage the emergencies that could be caused by the hazards identified in the Town is a critical part of Risk Reduction. 2. The Emergency Management Planning Committee will, every two years: a. Assess the Town's current capability for dealing with those significant hazards that have been identified and analyzed, including, but not limited to: o the likely time of onset of the hazards o the impacted populations' preparedness levels o the existence of effective warning systems o the Town's means to respond to anticipated casualties and damage [13] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 3. To assist the Emergency Management Planning Committee in its assessment, the Town Safety Officer, in coordination with the Warren County Office of Emergency Services (and with the assistance of the regional office of NYSOEM) will conduct table-top exercises based upon specific hazards and hazard areas identified by the Committee. 4. The Emergency Management Planning Committee will identify emergency response shortfalls and make recommendations for implementing corrective actions to the Town Safety Officer and the Town Supervisor. A. Training of Emergency Response Personnel 1. The Town of Queensbury Fire and EMS agencies, in coordination with the Town of Queensbury Safety Officer, and the Warren County Office of Emergency Services, has the responsibility to: a. Arrange and provide,with the assistance of state agencies including but not limited to NYS Office of Emergency Management, New York State DOH Bureau of EMS, and New York State Office of Fire Prevention training programs for Town emergency response personnel, including all volunteers b. Encourage and support training for emergency response in the Town, including (but not limited to)training that would: o Include information on the characteristics of the hazards and their consequences and the implementation of emergency response actions including protective measures, notification procedures and available resources o Include appropriate level Incident Command System (ICS) training, as mandated by the NIMS program o Provide emergency personnel with the skills necessary to help reduce or eliminate hazards and increase their response capabilities o Cover crisis management situations, which would require additional specialized training and perhaps refresher training c. Conduct periodic exercises and drills to evaluate the Town's capabilities and preparedness that test major portions of the elements and responsibilities in the Town's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the readiness of warning and communication equipment. [14] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 2. Volunteers participating in emergency services response such as fire and rescue operations, ambulance services, first aid and other emergency medical services, emergency shelter operations, etc. should be trained by those agencies in accordance with established procedures and NYS recognized standards. F. Public Education &Awareness 1. The Warren County Office of Emergency Services (or agencies to whom it delegates or with whom it shares such responsibilities) is responsible for: o Providing education on hazards and home/business preparedness to the public and making the public aware of hazards in their communities o Offering the public with the opportunity to review plans the County has developed. 2. The Town of Queensbury shall participate in the public education activities, including offering Town facilities, such as meeting rooms in the Town Hall, for public education forums. Such forums shall: o Share information for the purpose of encouraging emergency preparedness & self-reliance amongst Town residents G. Monitoring of Identified Hazard Areas 1. All Town agencies will attempt to be aware of known hazards in the Town, so that they might detect a hazardous situation in its earliest stages. o The Town will share with appropriate response agencies information it receives, for example, about the storage of hazardous materials in the Town. 2. As a hazard's emergence is detected, this information is to be immediately provided to the Warren County 911 Communications Center, and disseminated to Town officials and emergency response agencies per established county protocol. [15] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 3. When appropriate, monitoring stations may be established regarding specific hazard areas where individuals responsible for performing the monitoring tasks can be stationed. 4. Monitoring tasks include detecting the hazard potential and taking measurement or observations of the hazard. Examples of such are: rising water levels in rivers and streams, toxic exposure levels for hazardous chemicals (liquids or gases), slope and ground movement, shore erosion, formation and breakup of ice jams, dam conditions, mass gatherings. 5. All Town hazard monitoring activity will be coordinated with the Town's Safety Officer and the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. •[16] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN SECTION III - RESPONSE A. Response Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities 1. Town Supervisor Responsibilities, Powers, and Succession The Town Supervisor is ultimately responsible for Town emergency response activities and: o Controls the use of all Town owned resources and facilities for disaster response, o May declare a local state of emergency in the Town, and may promulgate emergency orders to waive local laws, ordinances, and regulations, o Requests assistance from other towns, and Warren County, when it appears that the incident will escalate beyond the capability of Town resources, o May provide assistance at the request of other local governments both within and outside Warren County. 2. In the event of the immediate unavailability of the Town Supervisor, the following line of command and succession has been established to ensure continuity of government and the direction of emergency operations: o The Deputy Town Supervisor will assume the duties and responsibilities until the Supervisor is available. o If none of the above officials are available, the responsibilities shall pass to the senior member of the Town Board. 3. The Role of the Safety Officer The Town of Queensbury Safety Officer is designated as the EOC Manager: a. Maintains and manages the Town Emergency Operations Center b. Facilitates coordination between the Town and: o The Incident Commander o Town response agencies o Local governments outside the Town o Warren County o Private emergency support organizations [17] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 4. The Town Emergency Response Organization The Incident Command System (ICS) a. The Town of Queensbury adopts the use of the Incident Command System (ICS), as developed by the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and formally adopted by Warren County, and the State of New York, for emergencies requiring multi-agency response. ICS allows flexibility in its implementation so that its structure can be tailored to the specific situation at hand. ICS should be initiated by the emergency forces first responding to an incident. b. ICS is organized by functions. There are five: o Command o Operations o Planning o Logistics o Finance c. Under ICS, an Incident Commander(IC) has the overall responsibility for the effective on-scene management of the incident, and must ensure that an adequate organization is in place to carry out all emergency functions. The IC directs emergency operations from an Incident Command Post, the only command post at the emergency scene. d. In minor incidents, the five ICS functions may all be managed directly by the IC e. Larger incidents usually require that one or more of the functions be set up as separate sections under the IC. f. Within the Command function, the IC has additional responsibilities for Safety, Public Information, and Liaison. These activities can be assigned to staff under the IC. g. An on scene ICS with all five functions organized as sections as depicted as: Command I I I Operations Planning Logistics Finance/Admin. [18] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN h. During an emergency, Town response personnel must be cognizant of the Incident Command System in place and their role in it. Some Town personnel may be responders to the scene and part of the on-scene ICS structure in,a command or general staff role. Other Town personnel may be assigned to the Town Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or other locations where they will provide support to the responders at the scene. i. The Incident Commander is usually selected due to his or her position as the highest ranking responding officer at the scene. The IC must be fully qualified to manage the incident. As an incident grows in size or becomes more complex a more highly qualified Incident Commander may be assigned by the responsible jurisdiction. j. A major emergency encompassing a large geographic area may have more than one emergency scene. In this situation, separate Incident Commanders may set up command at multiple locations. In this case, a Unified Command may be established, and may be instituted or supported by County government. k. Town response personnel operating at the Town EOC will be organized by ICS function, as depicted below and interface with their on-scene counterparts, as appropriate. Emergency Operations Center I I I I Operations Planning Logistics Finance/Admin. 5. Section Chiefs a. Whenever the EOC is established, Town response forces should be assigned to specific ICS functions wherever they are needed including at the scene, at the EOC in a support role, or at an Area Command, if established. See Table 1 for probable ICS functional assignments by agency. Assignments may change as situation dictates or as directed by the EOC Manager b. Agency Responsibilities i. The Town Supervisor shall exercise ultimate responsibility and oversight for emergency response, and shall delegate ICS [19] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN responsibilities as described in Table 1, or as special circumstance warrants. The Town Supervisor has designated the Town's Safety Officer as the EOC Manager. B. Managing Emergency Response 1. Incident Command Post and Emergency Operations Center a. On-scene emergency response operations will be directed and controlled by the Incident Commander from an Incident Command Post located at or near the emergency site. This will be the only command post at the emergency scene. All other facilities at the scene used by agencies for decision-making should not be identified as a command post. A Command Post will be selected by the Incident Commander based upon the logistical needs of the situation and located at a safe distance from the emergency site. b. The Town EOC will be used to support Incident Command Post activities and to coordinate Town resources and assistance. The EOC can also be used as an Area Command Post when Area Command is instituted. The Town EOC is located at the Activities Center.Alternative sites may be a fire station, or the Warren County Office of Emergency Services Communication Bus. c. The EOC Manager is responsible for managing the EOC or auxiliary EOC during emergencies. d. If required, the EOC will be staffed to operate continuously on a twenty- four hour a day basis. In the event of a 24-hour operation, two 12 & 1/2 hour shifts will be utilized. (The additional 1/2 hour is for shift change briefings.) Designation of shifts will be established as conditions warrant by the Town Supervisor or the EOC Manager. e. Work areas will be assigned to each agency represented at the EOC. f. If required, staging areas for emergency equipment and personnel will be established. Staging areas may include: o Town of Queensbury Fire Stations o Queensbury School District Campus [20] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN o Town Municipal lot(s) o Warren County Municipal Center o or any area deemed suitable to the operation by IC 2. Notification and Activation o An initial notification of an emergency situation may originate from the public, police, fire, Town agencies, or from Warren County, and will usually be received via the Warren County Communication Center. o Upon receiving initial notification of an emergency impacting the Town, the agency that received the notification will contact the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor. If required an emergency will be declared and an appropriate response level determined (see page 21) o If the emergency notification requires dispatch of the Town's Fire and EMS personnel, the Supervisor, Deputy Supervisor or EOC manager will establish contact with the Incident Commander. First responders may or may not require additional response personnel, or may request minimal assistance from other response personnel, such as mutual aid between fire and EMS agencies. When the incident is beyond the capabilities of the initial responding agency(s), the Incident Commander will notify the Warren County 911 Center, and update the response level. Each emergency is to be classified into one of three Town Response Levels according to the nature and magnitude of the incident o Response Level I: Controlled emergency situation without serious threat to life health, or property, which requires no assistance beyond initial first responders, and involving only Town owned buildings, vehicles or infrastructure. o Response Level 2: Limited emergency situation with some threat to life, health, or property, but confined to limited area, usually within the Town, or involving a small population o Response Level 3: Full emergency situation with major threat to life, health, or property involving large population, County and possibly State involvement [21] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Upon notification of an emergency response level, the Incident Commander, via the Warren County 911 Center, will request that the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor be notified. Town emergency response personnel will be activated according to the Response Level classification: o For Response Level I: Possibly only the Safety Officer and the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor. o For Response Level 2: The Safety Officer is activated, and augmented by select members of the Town response organization as determined by the Safety Officer and the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor. o For Response Level 3: Full EOC staffing is achieved as soon as possible. Except for first responders to the scene, assignment of Town response personnel to other locations including the emergency scene will be made through the EOC. Inform all staff that the EOC will open, but indicate which shift (am or pm) is to respond. The other shift should be encouraged to rest and get their affairs in order and be ready for the next shift 3. Assessment and Evaluation As a result of information provided by the EOC Section Chiefs, the Command Section at the EOC will, as appropriate, in coordination with the on scene Incident Commander: o Develop policies by evaluating the safety, health, economic, environmental, social, humanitarian, legal and political implications of a disaster or threat o Analyze the best available data and information on the emergency o Explore alternative actions and consequences [22] TOWN OF Q UEEN S B UR Y COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN ICS Function and Response Activities by Agency AGENCY RESPONSE ACTIVITIES Town Supervisor Ultimate situation responsibility, Declaration of State of Emergency, Promulgation of Emergency Orders. Police Command (WCSO) Law enforcement, communications, warning of evacuation, traffic control, and crime control. Fire Command Possible Incident Command of initial emergency responding agencies; firefighters and hazardous material spill response EMS Command Medical care and treatment, transport Public Information Officer (PIO) Disseminate public information through the media liaisons Highway Superintendent Damage control, debris removal, assessment, restoration Director of Building and Codes Structural damage assessments, code violations Water Superintendent Water supply, sewage control, Town Health Officer Liaison, medical advice, disease control Director of Planning & Zoning Situation assessments, advance planning, mitigation review Town Attorney Legal advice Animal Control Officer Animal safety, displacement issues, carcass removal Budget Officer Funding, purchasing, financial recordkeeping Assessor Liaison for property owners and insurance companies [23] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Town Clerk Legal documents and filings Director of IT Liaison for information technology issues. (This function may be performed by an outside firm, under contract to provide these services) Activity Center Director Liaison for personal needs assessments, work with support groups and outside agencies Town Board Liaison with ward residents, provide information related to specifics within their ward in conjunction with the PIO Safety Officer The facilitator of the CEMP and the activities of the CEMP committee, when the EOC is not active. Is also designated EOC Manager. C. Declaration of Local State of Emergency and Promulgation of Local Emergency 1241 TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Orders ■ 1. In response to an emergency, or its likelihood, upon a finding that public safety is imperiled, the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor may proclaim a state of emergency pursuant to section 24 of the State Executive Law Article 2-B. 2. Such a proclamation authorizes the Town Supervisor to deal with the emergency situation with the full executive and legislative powers of Town government. 3. This power is extended through the promulgation of local emergency orders. For example emergency orders can be issued for actions such as: o Establishing curfews o Restrictions on travel o Evacuation of facilities & areas o Closing of places of amusement or assembly 4. Describes the requirements for proclaiming a State of Emergency and promulgating Emergency Orders. 5. Emergency responders have implicit authority and powers to take reasonable immediate action to protect lives and property absent an emergency declaration or emergency orders. D. Public Warning and Emergency Information 1. In order to implement public protective actions there should be a timely, reliable and effective method to warn and inform the public. Activation and implementation of public warning is an EOC Manager or Incident Command responsibility. Information and warnings to the public that a threatening condition is imminent or existing can be accomplished through the use of the following resources. Though public warning may, in many cases, be implemented solely by on- scene personnel, the use of the systems in (a), (b), (c) and (f) below require strict coordination with the Warren County Office of Emergency Services and the Warren County Emergency Communications Center. a. Emergency Alert System (EAS) [25] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Formerly known as Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), involves the use of the broadcast media including television, radio, & cable TV, to issue emergency warnings. EAS can be activated by select County officials b. NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) Is the Voice of the National Weather Service providing continuous 24- hour radio broadcasts of the latest weather information including severe weather warnings directly from the Weather Service office in Albany. NWR will also broadcast non-weather-related emergency warnings. NWR broadcasts on select high-band FM frequencies, not available on normal AM-FM radios. Radios with NWR frequencies, automated alarm capabilities, and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology are generally available. NWR broadcast signal can be received by County-wide. NWR is also a component of EAS. Emergency broadcasts on the NWR can also be initiated by select County officials. c. Stationary Fire Sirens There is one type of stationary warning siren in use in the Town of Queensbury, fire sirens. Located at fire stations throughout the Town for alerting volunteer firefighters, these sirens are not always in repair or working condition. They may activate to indicate an emergency but are not part of the alert procedures associated with this plan. d. Emergency service vehicles with siren and public address capabilities. Many police and fire vehicles in the Town are equipped with siren and public address capabilities. These vehicles may be available during an emergency for route alerting of the public. e. Door-to-door public warning Can be accomplished in some situations by the individual alerting of each residence/business in a particular area. This can be undertaken by any designated group such as, police, fire police, and firefighters; visiting each dwelling in the affected area and relating the emergency information to the building occupants. To achieve maximum effectiveness, the individual delivering the warning message should be in official uniform. [26] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN f. Hyper-Reach System (Reverse 911) i. The Town of Queensbury has an inter municipal agreement with Warren County the use of the Hyper-Reach System (Reverse 911) allowing the Warren County Sheriffs Office to send phone messages to targeted areas requiring notification. 2. Town and County officials will advocate, as part of their normal dealing with special institutions such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes, major industries and places of public assembly, that they obtain and use tone- activated receivers/monitors with the capability to receive NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) with SAME reception and /or sign up for Hyper Reach notification. 3. Special arrangements may be made for providing warning information for the hearing impaired. 4. The Command Staff position of Public Information Officer may be established. This should be done in coordination with on-scene Incident Command, and the EOC Manager. The PIO will coordinate with the Incident Commander, Town EOC manager and if activated, the County EOC's PIO. The EOC Manager activates the PIO position; if not activated, the EOC Manager is PIO. 5. In some cases, depending upon the magnitude of the incident, the Town may rely upon Warren County to establish and maintain a Joint Information (JIC) Center. Regardless, the Public Information Officer may establish and manage a Joint Information Center (JIC) from where to respond to inquiries from the news media and coordinate all official announcements and media briefing. This will be at a location away from the EOC. The following items would be undertaken by the PIO: o Provide essential information and instructions including the appropriate protective actions to be taken by the public, and identification of shelter locations to the broadcast media and press. o Coordinates the release of all information with the key departments and agencies involved both at the EOC and on-scene. o Check and control the spreading of rumors. (Watch TV, listen to radio, social media websites). o Arrange and approve interviews with the news media and press by emergency personnel involved in the response operation. o Arrange any media tours of emergency sites (Coordinate with County PIO and Incident Commander). [27] TOWN OF Q U EEN S B U R Y COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN \l E. Emergency Medical and Public Health A high impact disaster can cause injury and death to large numbers of people. In addition, damage to and destruction of homes, special facilities, and vital utilities may place the public at substantial risk including but not limited to food and water contamination, communicable diseases, and exposure to extreme temperatures. There may be established within the Operations section an appropriately designed Emergency Medical/Public Health functions to ensure that health and medical problems for the public are being addressed. Note: The Emergency Management Director will ask physicians designated by the Town to coordinate this function through Public Health. F. Meeting Human Needs The Planning and Operations functions are responsible for ascertaining what human needs have been particularly affected by an emergency and responding to those unmet needs with the available resources of Town and County government and the assistance of volunteer agencies and the private sector. This includes the needs of emergency responders and their families. There may be established within the Operations section a Human Needs Group to perform the tasks associated with the functions above. Note: The Emergency Management Director will ask the person designated by the supervisor to coordinate this function. G. Restoring Public Services 1. The Operations and Planning sections are responsible for ascertaining the emergency's effect on the infrastructure and the resultant impact on public services, and ensuring that restoration of services is accomplished without undue delay. 2. There may be established within the Operations section a Public Infrastructure function, assigned appropriately, to perform the tasks associated with (1) above. 3. During response operations relating to debris clearance and disposal, the Town of Queensbury should act in cognizance of and in cooperation with the Warren County Department of Public Works. [28] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN H. Resource Management 1. The Planning Section is responsible for the identification and Logistics is responsible for allocation of additional resources needed to respond to the emergency situation. 2. Resources owned by the Town should be used first in responding to the emergency. 3. All Town-owned resources are under the control of the Town Supervisor during a declared emergency and can be utilized as necessary. 4. Resources owned by other municipalities can be utilized upon agreement between the requesting and offering government, and should be coordinated through the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. 5. Resources owned privately cannot be commandeered or confiscated by government during an emergency. However, purchases and leases of privately owned resources can be expedited during a declared emergency. In addition, it is not uncommon for the private sector to donate certain resources in an emergency. I. Instructions for Declaring a State of Emergency and Issuing Emergency Orders [29] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 1. The Town Supervisor, or a person acting for the Town Supervisor pursuant to this plan, can declare a local State of Emergency for all of, or anywhere in, the Town. The County Executive can declare a State of Emergency for anywhere in Warren County, including the Town of Queensbury. All States of Emergency and Emergency orders shall go through Warren County OES. 2. A local State of Emergency is declared pursuant to section 24 of the State Executive Law. 3. It can be declared in response to, or anticipation of, a threat to public safety. 4. A declaration of a local State of Emergency may be verbal or written. 5. If it is verbal, it must be followed with a written format within a reasonable amount of time. 6. The declaration should include the time and date, the reason for the declaration, the area involved, and the expected duration. 7. The written declaration shall be kept on file in the Town Clerk's Office, with copies to the Warren County Clerk, and the New York Secretary Of State (via the NYSOEM, WCOES). 8. A local State of Emergency must be declared BEFORE Emergency Orders are issued. 9. A local State of Emergency should be formally rescinded when the declaration is no longer needed. 10.Only the Town Supervisor, or person acting for, may rescind a local State of Emergency. 11.Though a recision may be verbal or written, if the declaration was written, the rescission should also be written. 12.The rescission should include the time and date of the original declaration, the reason for the local State of Emergency, and the time and date the State of Emergency is rescinded. 13.The written recision should be kept on file in the Town Clerk's Office with copies to the Warren County Clerk and the NY Secretary of State (via the NYSOEM, WCOES). Public notification shall be made through media outlets. II. Sample Declaration of a Local State of Emergency [30] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN A State of Emergency is hereby declared in effective For: (Area within the town;or the entire town) on (Time) (Date) This State of Emergency has been declared due to: (Description of situation that led to the declaration being issued) This situation threatens public safety. This State of Emergency will remain in effect until 1) a certain date; or 2) rescinded by a subsequent order. As the Chief Executive of the Town of Queensbury, I (Name of Town Supervisor or acting Chief Executive of the Town) exercise the authority given me under section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being, and health of the citizens of the Town of Queensbury. I hereby direct all departments and agencies of the Town of Queensbury to take whatever steps necessary to protect life, property, and public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance deemed necessary. Signature Title Date III. Questions and Answers on declaring a State of Emergency [31] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Why should l declare a local state of emergency? It increases your powers as the Chief Executive Officer. These new powers can include: o Issuing emergency orders o Implementing public protective measures o Suspending local laws o Requesting supplemental assistance. Can a declaration give legal protection? Yes. A declaration of a local State of Emergency provides legal protection and immunities for the Chief Executive and local emergency officials when they make decisions and take actions to respond to disasters or emergencies. Will the declaration help raise public awareness? Yes. A declaration of a local State of Emergency helps make the public aware of the hazards associated with a disaster. It also can emphasize the protective measures you may need to ask citizens to take. Can a State of Emergency be declared at any time? No. A local State of Emergency can be issued when a situation exists that has or will place the public at risk and that will require extraordinary measures for proper protection. When should I declare a local State of Emergency? You should consider declaring a local State of Emergency when a dangerous situation is present or imminent and emergency officials are considering protective actions such as: o Evacuation of people for a large or heavily populated area street, road, housing development multi-resident buildings o Sheltering people in designated areas or buildings o Large-scale closing of roads due to conditions considered to be dangerous to lives and property [32] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN You should also consider declaring a local State of Emergency if the following conditions are present and pose a dangerous threat to the municipality: o Riots or civil unrest o Hostage situations o Terrorist situations o Impending emergency or disaster caused by natural forces (floods, blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes) Can l issue the declaration verbally? Yes. The Chief Executive may issue a declaration verbally if time is a crucial matter. However, you must follow the verbal declaration with a written declaration Must the declaration be filed? Yes. It should be kept on file at the Office of the Town Clerk. (With copies as noted above). Do I have to extend the declaration of State of Emergency after 5 days? No. The State of Emergency does not have to be extended, but Local Emergency Orders do, and since one cannot issue Local Emergency Orders without a State of Emergency being in effect, one should extend the State of Emergency. Does the law establish a time limit for a State of Emergency? No. But for Local Emergency Orders to be in effect, there must be a State of Emergency in effect, it is best to include a time of duration in the original Declaration of the State of Emergency. If the emergency continues beyond that time, a succeeding declaration may be issued with a time limit (or a statement that the State of Emergency is continuing until it is formally rescinded). When the proclamation is no longer needed, it should be formally rescinded. Can /issue Local Emergency Orders without a State of Emergency? No. A State of Emergency must be declared before you may issue Local Emergency Orders. [33] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Will a declaration help in getting assistance from the state? Yes. If you declare a local State of Emergency and you determine the disaster is beyond the capacity of County resources, the County Executive may request the Governor to provide assistance from state resources. Must/rescind a declaration of State of Emergency? No. However, a written rescinding statement should be made when the emergency no longer exists. The Chief Executive can rescind the declaration of emergency at any time. If/don't rescind a State of Emergency, does it end automatically? Maybe. If a time limit was indicated in the declaration of State of Emergency it will end automatically at that the time and date indicated. If no time limit was specified, the State of Emergency does NOT end automatically. When should I rescind a State of Emergency? You should rescind it when the conditions that warranted the declaration no longer exist Must the rescission be issued in writing? It is recommended, in the same manner as a declaration of State of Emergency is recommended, to be issued in written form. Must the rescission be filed? Yes. It is recommended that it be filed in the Office of the Town Clerk [34] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN IV. Instructions for issuing local Emergency Orders 1. Local Emergency Orders can be issued only if there is a State of Emergency in effect pursuant to section 24 of the State Executive Law (see section A. above). 2. Local Emergency Orders can be issued at the Town level only by the Town Supervisor and or a person acting for the Supervisor pursuant to this plan. The County Executive can issue emergency orders for anywhere in Warren County, including the Town of Queensbury, following the declaration of a local State of Emergency by the County Executive. 3. Local Emergency Orders must be written. 4. Local Emergency Orders should include the time and date they take affect, the reason for the declaration, the area involved, and the duration. 5. A Local Emergency Order expires automatically after five (5) days. It can be rescinded before that by its own terms, or by a recision by the County Executive. It is also automatically rescinded when the State of Emergency is rescinded. 6. The Town Supervisor may extend Local Emergency Orders for periods not to exceed five (5) days each during the State of Emergency. 7. Local Emergency Orders must be published as soon as practicable in a newspaper of general circulation and provided to radio and television media for broadcast. 8. Local Emergency Orders must be executed in triplicate and filed within 72 hours or as soon as practicable in the Office of the Town Clerk, County Clerk, and the Office of the Secretary of State. 9. Local Emergency Orders must be re-filed if they are extended. [35] TOWN OF Q UEEN S B UR Y COMPREHENSIVE EM ER G EN C Y MANAGEMENT PLAN V. Sample Local Emergency Order Local Emergency Order Evacuating Vulnerable Areas I, Supervisor of the Town of Queensbury, in accordance with a declaration of a State of Emergency issued at on (Place) (Time) (Date) and pursuant to Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law hereby order the evacuation of all persons from the following Ward(s)/ District(s): This evacuation is necessary to protect the public from: . 1 This order is effective immediately and shall apply until removed by order of the Town's Chief Executive. Failure to obey this order is a criminal offense. Signed this (day) of (month), at (time) in the Town of Queensbury, New York. Signed: Name: Title: Witness: Name: [36] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN VI. Questions and Answers on issuing Local Emergency Orders Can anyone issue a Local Emergency Order? No. Only the Chief Executive of a county, city, town or village may issue a Local Emergency Order. What can a local Emergency Order include? An emergency order can require whatever is necessary to protect life and property or to bring the emergency situation under control as long as what it is within the constitutional powers of county government. Can a Local Emergency Order be issued at any time in an emergency? No. A Local Emergency Order can be issued only after the Chief Executive declares a local State of Emergency. Is it in effect indefinitely? No. A Local Emergency Order is effective from the time and in the manner prescribed in the order. It terminates 5 days after issuance, or by recision by the Chief Executive, or a declaration by the Chief Executive that the State of Emergency no longer exists, whichever occurs sooner. Can an order be modified once it's issued? Yes. A Local Emergency Order may be amended, modified, or rescinded at any time by the Chief Executive during the State of Emergency. Can a Local Emergency Order be extended beyond five days? Yes. The Chief Executive may extend an order for additional periods up to 5 days each during the local State of Emergency. Each extension must be re-filed. Must the media be informed? Yes. The Local Emergency Order must be published as soon as practicable in a newspaper of general circulation in the area affected by the order. It should be published under the paid legal advertisement section. It must also be provided to radio and television media for broadcast. Can a citizen who disobeys an emergency order be arrested?Yes. Any person who knowingly violates any Local Emergency Order of a Chief Executive issued pursuant to Section 24 of the Executive Law can be found guilty of a class B misdemeanor. [37] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN SECTION IV - RECOVERY A. Damage Assessment 1. The Town will participate in and cooperate with Warren County Office of Emergency Services, New York State Office of Emergency Management (NYSOEM and the Federal agencies (DHS/FEMA) in damage assessment activities. 2. The Town Safety Officer shall coordinate with the County, State and Federal agencies in developing a Town damage assessment protocol used to coordinate damage assessment activities in the Town during and following an emergency, designating a Town official (perhaps the Code Enforcement Officer or Highway Superintendent) to coordinate with the damage assessment officer from the County, and maintaining detailed records of emergency expenditures. 3. All Town department and agencies in the Town will cooperate fully with the County 4. OES, and participate in damage assessment activities, including: a. Risk Assessment o Identifying Town agencies, personnel, and resources to assist and support damage assessment activities o Identifying non-government groups such as non-profit organizations, trade organizations and professional people that could provide damage assessment assistance; i.e. Engineer, building contractor. o Fostering agreements between Town government and the private section for technical support b. Response o Obtaining and maintaining documents, maps, photos, and videos of damage o Reviewing procedures and forms for reporting damage to higher levels of government [38] • TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN c. Recovery o Selecting personnel to participate in damage assessment survey teams o Preparing and submitting Request for Public Assistance in applying for Federal Disaster assistance (if such designation has been made) o Assigning local representatives who will accompany the County/ State/Federal Survey Team(s) o Following-up with the County's authorized representative and NYSOEM submitting proof of insurance, if required o Preparing and submitting project listing, if small project grant is sought follow eligibility regarding categorical or flexibly funded grants o Maintaining accurate and adequate documentation for all costs on each project observing FEMA time limits for project completion o Requesting final inspection of completed work, and/or providing appropriate certificates o Preparing and submitting final claim for reimbursement o Assisting with the mandatory state audit consulting with the Governor's authorized representative for assistance, as needed, if they are present o Maintaining a detailed and accurate summary of damage suffered and recovery actions taken B. Planning for Recovery 1. Recovery includes community development and redevelopment 2. Community development is based on a comprehensive community development plan (part of the Town's Comprehensive Plan) prepared under the direction of the Town Board. 3. Following a public hearing process, the Comprehensive Plan is officially adopted by the Town Board as the policy for the Town. 4. The Town must have public and political support for land use planning and the corresponding plan implementation tools such as zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, private road and driveway regulations, and building codes, and the Warren County Hazard Mitigation Plan. As a result, by applying these laws/regulations successfully after a disaster, the Town will have pre-disaster prevention and mitigation capability (with a view towards future disasters/emergencies). [39] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 5. A central focal point on analytical and coordination planning skills, which could obtain the necessary political leadership and support when needed, is required to coordinate the programs and agencies necessary to bring about a high quality of recovery and community redevelopment. 6. A recovery taskforce will be developed by the Town Board with assistance from the Comprehensive Emergency Planning Committee, and will: a. Direct the recovery with the assistance of the Town department and agencies coordinated by the Town's Safety Officer. b. Prepare a local recovery and redevelopment plan as appropriate, unless deemed unnecessary pursuant to Section 28-a of the NYS Executive Law. That recovery and redevelopment plan shall include: o Replacement, reconstruction, removal, relocation of damaged/destroyed infrastructures/buildings o Establishment of priorities for emergency repairs to facilities, buildings, and infrastructures o Economic recovery and community development o New and/or amended zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, highway, building and sanitary codes o Sections which account for and incorporate, to the extent practical, relevant existing plans and policies 7. Prevention and mitigation measures should be incorporated into all recovery planning, where possible. 8. Responsibilities for recovery assigned to local governments depend on whether or not a State disaster emergency has been declared pursuant to Article 2-B of the NYS Executive Law. a. if the Governor declares a State disaster emergency, then under Section 28-a, the Town shall have the following responsibilities: if the town is included in the declared disaster area, it shall prepare a local recovery and redevelopment plan, unless the Town Board shall determine that such a plan is unnecessary and/or impractical. b. If this scenario arises, all required forms and documentation will be prepared in conjunction with the Warren County Hazard Mitigation Coordinator and the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. [40] TOWN OF Q UEEN S B UR Y COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN C. Reconstruction 1. Reconstruction consists of two phases: o Phase 1: short-term reconstruction to return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards. o Phase 2: long-term reconstruction and development which may continue for years after a disaster and will implement the official adopted plans, policies and programs for redevelopment including risk reduction projects to avoid or reduce the hazards which contributed to the disaster. 2. Long-term reconstruction and recovery includes activities such as: o Scheduling planning for redevelopment o Analyzing existing State and federal programs to determine how they may be modified or applied to reconstruction o Conducting public meetings and formal hearings o Providing temporary housing and facilities o Providing public assistance o Coordinating State/Federal recovery assistance o Monitoring of reconstruction progress o Preparation of periodic progress reports to be submitted to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services and to NYSOEM. o Identifying and prioritizing areas to survey for damage o Completing project worksheets and maintaining files of those worksheets It is essential that, from the outset of emergency response actions, Town response personnel keep detailed records of all expenditures for: labor used use of owned equipment use of borrowed or rented equipment use of materials from existing stock contracted se [41] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN D. Damage Assessment Damage assessment will be conducted by County and Town government employees such as: public works engineers, building inspectors, code enforcement officers and assessors. They will be assisted by members of non-profit relief organizations such as the American Red Cross for individual assistance. When necessary, non-government personnel from the fields of engineering, construction, insurance, property evaluation and related fields may supplement the effort. There will be two types of damage assessment: Public Assistance (damage to public property and the Town infrastructure, e.g. sewage, water supply, roads, bridges, sanitation and some non - profit; and Individual Assistance (IA) teams (to assess the impact on individuals &families, agriculture, and the private sector). Town damage assessment information will be reported to the EOC Manager and to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services. 1. All damage assessment activities in the disaster area will be coordinated with the onsite incident commander(when appropriate) the EOC Manager and the Town official assigned to coordinate damage assessments. 2. The Town official designated to coordinate damage assessment for individual assistance will provide the following information to complete the Damage Assessment Report: (Appendix 11) o Destroyed property o Property sustaining major damage o Property sustaining minor damage. 3. That Town official will also provide information on the damage to private property in dollar loss to the extent not covered by insurance for: o Homes o Businesses o Industries o Utilities o Hospitals, institutions, and private schools. [42] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN 4. That Town official will also provide information on the damage to public property in dollar loss to the extent not covered by insurance for: o Road systems o Bridges o Water control facilities such as dikes, levees, channels o Public buildings, equipment and vehicles o Publicly owned utilities o Parks and recreational facilities 5. Keep track of the cost, in dollar value, for the following: o Individual assistance in the areas of mass care, housing and individual family grants; o Community services provided beyond normal needs; o Debris clearance and protective measures taken such as pumping, sand-bagging, construction of warning signs & barricades, emergency levees, etc.; o Financing overtime and labor required for emergency operations The final report will be submitted to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services, and is required for establishing the eligibility for any State and/or Federal assistance. Estimation of the information included in the report should be provided to the Warren County Office of Emergency Services as soon as possible and additional information as it becomes available. (NOTE: Forms for collecting this information are contained in NYSOEM's Public Assistance Handbook of Policies and Guidelines for Applicants). [43] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN E. Reconstruction Operations Reconstruction operations must conform to existing State/Federal laws and regulations concerning environmental impact. This would include application at designated historical sites. 1. Role of the Town Clerk or designee a. Unless otherwise designated by Warren County, a representative from the Department of Public Works in cooperation with the Hazard Mitigation Coordinator will serve as the County's authorized agent in disaster assistance applications to the respective State and Federal government agencies. b. The Town Clerk will serve as the Town's authorized agent, and will work with the County's representative to: c. Attend any public assistance applicant briefing conducted by Federal and/or State Emergency management officials d. Review NYSOEM's Public Assistance Handbook of Policies and Guidelines for Applicants F. Pubic Information on Recovery Assistance 1. Public Information Officers (PTO's) are responsible for making arrangements with the broadcast and print media in adequately reporting to the public on: a. What kind of emergency assistance is available to the public b. Who provides the assistance c. Who is eligible for assistance d. What kinds of records are needed to document items which are damaged or destroyed by the disaster e. What actions to take to apply for assistance f. Where to apply for assistance 2. The following types of assistance may be available: a. Food stamps (regular or emergency) [44] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN b. Temporary housing (rental, mobile home, motel/hotel) c. Unemployment assistance and job placement(regular and disaster unemployment) d. Veterans benefits e. Social Security benefits f. Disaster and emergency loans (Small Business Administration and Farmers Home Administration) g. Tax refunds h. Individual and family grants i. Legal assistance 3. All the above information will be prepared jointly by the Federal, State, County and Town PTO's as appropriate and furnished to the broadcast& print media for timely reporting to the public. [45] TOWN OF QUEENSBURY COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Record of Meetings and Revisions • 7/29/2015-Committee members conducted new Hazard analysis (HAZNY) • 12/2/2015-Committee members approved plan for 2016 adoption [46]