Emergency Management

Appointment; responsibility for program:

There exists the office of emergency management director of the city, which shall be held by the mayor in accordance with state law.

The director shall be responsible for a program of comprehensive emergency management within the city and for carrying out the duties and responsibilities set forth in this section. He may delegate authority for the execution of the comprehensive emergency management program but the final decision on all matters shall remain with the director.

Duties:

The duties and responsibilities of the emergency management director shall include the following:

• Surveying actual or potential hazards which threaten life and property within the city and identifying and requiring or recommending the implementation of measures which would tend to prevent the occurrence or reduce the impact of such hazards if a disaster did occur.

• Supervision of the development and approval of an emergency management plan for the city, and shall recommend for adoption by the city commission all mutual aid arrangements deemed necessary for the implementation of such plan.

• Authority to declare a local state of disaster. The declaration may not be continued or renewed for a period in excess of seven days except by or with the consent of the city commission. Any order or proclamation declaring, continuing, or terminating a local state of disaster shall be given prompt and general publicity and shall be filed promptly with the city secretary.

• Issuance of necessary proclamations, regulations, or directives which are necessary for carrying out the purposes of this chapter. Such proclamations, regulations, or directives shall be disseminated promptly by means calculated to bring its contents to the attention of the general public and, unless circumstances attendant on the disaster prevent or impede, promptly filed with the city secretary.

• Direction and control of the operations of the city emergency management organization as well as the training of emergency management personnel.

• Determination of all questions of authority and responsibility that may arise within the emergency management organization of the city.

• Maintenance of liaison with other municipal, county, district, state, regional or federal emergency management organizations.

• Marshaling of all necessary personnel, equipment, or supplies from any department of the city to aid in the carrying out of the provisions of the emergency management plan.

• Supervision of the drafting and execution of mutual aid agreements, in cooperation with the representatives of the state and of other local political subdivisions of the state, and the drafting and execution, if deemed desirable, of an agreement with the county in which said city is located and with other municipalities within the county, for the countywide coordination of emergency management efforts.

• Supervision of, and final authorization for the procurement of all necessary supplies and equipment, including acceptance of private contributions which may be offered for the purpose of improving emergency management within the city.

• Authorizing of agreements, after approval by the city attorney, for use of private property for public shelter and other purposes.

• Surveying the availability of existing personnel, equipment, supplies, and services which could be used during a disaster, as provided for herein.

• Other requirements as specified in the Texas Disaster Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code ch. 418).