Resolution No. 41-15 - 2015 (Word Version)

WHEREAS, the City of Grand Junction recognizes the threat that natural and man-made hazards pose to people and property within our community; and

WHEREAS, the City of Grand Junction will adopt the City of Grand Junction Emergency Operations Plan dated August 2015, as its comprehensive disaster plan; and

WHEREAS, the City of Grand Junction desires to adopt the Emergency Operations Plan in order to assure the continued effective response to disasters and emergencies occurring within the city and surrounding area; and

WHEREAS, the Emergency Operations Plan establishes the structure for a coordinated response to various types of natural, technological, and man-made emergencies and disasters; and

WHEREAS, the City of Grand Junction has reviewed the proposed Emergency Operations Plan and has determined it to be in the interest of the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION, MESA COUNTY, COLORADO, THAT:

The City of Grand Junction hereby adopts the Emergency Operations Plan for the City of Grand Junction.

The preservation of life, property, and the environment is an inherent responsibility of local, state, and federal government. The City of Grand Junction has prepared this Emergency Operations Plan to ensure the most effective and economical allocation of resources for the maximum benefit and protection of the community in time of emergency.

While no plan can completely prevent emergencies and disasters, good plans and well-trained personnel can minimize losses. This plan establishes the emergency organization, assigns tasks, specifies policies and general procedures, and provides for coordination of planning efforts of various emergency staff and service.

This Emergency Operations Plan is the City’s primary reference when responding to a local disaster or emergency; however, the plan has the capability to integrate with the emergency plans of Mesa County and the State of Colorado Emergency Operations Plans when necessary.

The objective of this plan is to incorporate and coordinate all the facilities and personnel of the City into an efficient organization capable of responding to any local disaster or emergency. This level of self-sufficiency is vital to maintain the health and welfare of our citizens, especially in large scale incidents when county, state and federal assistance can be limited or unavailable. To meet the objectives of this plan, it will be reviewed, exercised periodically, and revised as necessary to meet changing conditions.

I give my full support to this plan and urge all officials, employees, and citizens, individually and collectively, to support any emergency effort of the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County.

Changes that are significant in nature shall be reflected and preserved as a stand-alone copy of the master document. Minor changes will be incorporated into this plan during the next scheduled update and specifically listed on the Record of Changes below.

The following departments and divisions, who are assigned responsibilities in the plan, have reviewed and concurred with it.

The Nation’s domestic incident management landscape changed dramatically following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This incident, along with the devastating hurricanes of 2005, had a profound impact on every major metropolitan area in the country. Today’s threat environment includes the traditional manmade and natural hazards - wildland and urban interface fires, floods, oil spills, hazardous materials releases, transportation accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, pandemics, and potential disruptions to the region’s energy and information technology infrastructure. Additionally, we are now faced with the deadly and devastating terrorist arsenal of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive weapons.

These complex and emerging 21st century threats and hazards demand a unified and coordinated approach to domestic incident management. The federal government responded with the introduction of the National Response Framework (NRF) that is predicated upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The City of Grand Junction (also referred to as “the City”) has developed its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) based upon the structure of the NRF, utilizing the management techniques of NIMS. The purpose of the City’s Emergency Operations Plan is to reduce its vulnerability to major emergencies, including terrorism; to minimize the damage that may occur; and to recover from major disasters and other emergencies.

The EOP is an all-hazards plan that provides the structure and mechanisms for local and regional level policy and operational coordination for incident management. Consistent with the model provided in the NIMS, the EOP can be partially or fully implemented in the context of a threat, anticipation of a significant event, or the response to a significant event. This EOP is designed so that of one or more of its components can be activated independent of the others, thereby responding to the situation at hand with a maximum of flexibility. Together, the City EOP and the NIMS integrate the capabilities and resources of various governmental jurisdictions, incident management and emergency response disciplines, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector, for local or regional incident management.

This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) provides guidance to help minimize loss of life, prevent injury, protect property, safeguard the environment, and preserve the local economy in the event of a major emergency.

History has proven that all emergencies and/or disaster situations have certain commonalties. Today’s threats include a traditional spectrum of human-caused and natural hazards such as floods, tornados, hazardous material releases, transportation accidents, and disruptions to the nation’s energy and information technology infrastructure, but also deadly and devastating terrorist arsenal of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons.

➢ Address emergency activities common to known hazards threatening the City of Grand Junction as described in the current Mesa County Hazard Mitigation Plan.

➢ Establishes a comprehensive program designed to help prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural, technological and human-caused hazards.

➢ Implements coordination of volunteer, community, private, State, and Federal agencies to coordinate with the City’s key organizations during major emergencies.

➢ Applies to non-routine emergency events and is not intended to be implemented for daily emergencies routinely handled by first responder agencies and community organizations.

➢ Follow all applicable local, state, and federal requirements and guidance as described in Legal Authority below.

Authorities and references provide the legal basis for development and implementation of the Emergency Operations Plan

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Amendments (Volume VI Public Law 93-288 as amended by Public Law 100-707)

Responsibility for overall development and maintenance of this Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is the responsibility of the City’s Emergency Manager (EM). Maintenance of this document includes review and updating of the plan and associated annexes. Additionally, the Emergency Manager is responsible for document control. This includes distribution of the plan and updating sections as required.

The EOP will be adopted by Grand Junction City Council by ordinance. Functional and incident annexes will be approved and accepted by the Emergency Manager and the agency head with responsibility for that function.

This EOP is designed to be a flexible, dynamic document subject to revision, as appropriate. EOP revisions may result from a variety of causes such as:

Major revisions to this EOP must be approved through the same adoption process as described above. Major revisions are those that significantly alter or establish new policy.

Minor revisions must be approved by City Manager, based on recommendations from the Emergency Manager. The EOP will be reviewed annually and each time it is implemented.

Emergency and disaster management activities are associated with five (5) defined phases: Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. These phases are naturally occurring divisions in the emergency where the demands for resources change and the operational strategies shift.

Prevention happens when property and lives are protected by those that identify, deter or stop an incident from occurring. Activities that may include these types of countermeasures can include:

▪ Law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity.

Mitigation refers to measures that reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies. This is achieved through risk analysis, which results in information that provides a foundation for typical mitigation measures include establishing building codes, zoning requirements, and constructing barriers such as levees. Effective Mitigation efforts can break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

It creates safer communities by reducing loss of life and property damage. For example, the rigorous building standards adopted by 20,000 communities across the country are saving the nation more than $1.1 billion a year in prevented flood damages. It allows individuals to minimize post-flood disaster disruptions and recover more rapidly. For example, homes built to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) standards incur less damage from floods. And when floods do cause damages, flood insurance protects the homeowner’s investment, and lessens the financial impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. For example, a recent study by the Multi-hazard Mitigation Council shows that each dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of four dollars.

Preparedness activities increase a community’s ability to respond when a disaster occurs. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) defines preparedness as "a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response."

This preparedness cycle is one element of a broader National Preparedness System to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Typical preparedness measures include developing mutual aid agreements and memorandums of understanding, training for both response personnel and concerned citizens, conducting disaster exercises to reinforce training and test capabilities, and presenting all-hazards education campaigns. Unlike mitigation activities, which are aimed at preventing a disaster from occurring, personal preparedness focuses on preparing equipment and procedures for use when a disaster occurs, i.e. planning.

Preparedness measures can take many forms including the construction of shelters, installation of warning devices, creation of back-up life-line services (e.g. power, water, sewage), and rehearsing evacuation plans. Two simple measures can help prepare the individual for sitting out the event or evacuating, as necessary. For evacuation, a disaster supplies kit may be prepared and for sheltering purposes a stockpile of supplies may be created. These kits may include food, medicine, flashlights, candles and money.

A well-rehearsed emergency plan developed as part of the preparedness phase enables efficient coordination of resources. Response actions carried out immediately before, during, and after a hazard impact are aimed at saving lives, reducing economic losses, and alleviating suffering. The response phase includes the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and first responders in the disaster area. This is likely to include a first wave of core emergency services, such as firefighters, police and ambulance crews.

Response actions may include activating the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), evacuating threatened populations, opening shelters and providing mass care, emergency rescue and medical care, firefighting, and urban search and rescue. Response begins when an emergency event is imminent or immediately after an event occurs. Response encompasses the activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. Response also includes the execution of the Emergency Operations Plan and of incident mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include:

▪ Applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident.

▪ Ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes, immunizations, isolation, or quarantine.

▪ Specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

▪ Ensuring continuity of critical services (e.g., law enforcement, public works). In other words, response involves putting preparedness plans into action.

One of the first response tasks is to conduct a situation assessment. Local government is responsible for emergency response and for continued assessment of its ability to protect its citizens and the property within the community. To fulfill this responsibility, responders and local government officials must conduct an immediate rapid assessment of the local situation.

Actions taken to return a community to normal or near-normal conditions, including the restoration of basic services and the repair of physical, social and economic damages. Typical recovery actions include debris cleanup, financial assistance to individuals and governments, rebuilding of roads and bridges and key facilities, and sustained mass care for displaced human and animal populations.

Recovery differs from the response phase in its focus; recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that must be made after immediate needs are addressed. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, and the repair of other essential infrastructure.

The goal of recovery is to return the community’s systems and activities to normal. Recovery begins right after the emergency. Some recovery activities may be concurrent with response efforts.

Recovery is the development, coordination, and execution of service- and site-restoration plans for impacted communities and the reconstitution of government operations and services through individual, private-sector, nongovernmental, and public assistance programs that:

Long-term recovery includes restoring economic activity and rebuilding community facilities and housing. Long-term recovery (stabilizing all systems) can sometimes take years.

Numerous hazards have the potential to affect the City of Grand Junction and its citizens as described in the Mesa County Hazard Mitigation Plan

The City of Grand Junction is threatened by many hazards with potential to cause significant community disruption. A hazard analysis study was conducted to predict overall effect of a particular disaster in Mesa County. Due to their nature, hazards may occur consecutively (such as a severe thunderstorm followed by flash flooding) or simultaneously (such as a heat wave during a drought). The City of Grand Junction may also suffer from efforts occurring elsewhere. Such events have potential to create shortages of essentials such as electricity, petroleum products, natural gas, food, or water.

Certain areas of Grand Junction are prone to particular problems requiring special attention. Examples include flood plains and areas vulnerable to hazardous materials spills/releases surrounding numerous manufacturing facilities and transportation corridors.

The current Mesa County Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies the hazards that affect the community and summarized their geographic location, probability of future occurrence, potential magnitude or severity, and planning significance specific to the City of Grand Junction.

All levels of government share the responsibility for working together in the prevention of, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the effects of an emergency or disaster event. There are several assumptions made with regard to the expectations of emergency response and service delivery during a local emergency or disaster. These assumptions include the following:

• The National Incident Management System (NIMS) -based Incident Command System will be the principle management system to direct and control response, relief actions and recovery activities. City departments will ensure that all personnel concerned are properly trained, NIMS compliant, are familiar with existing plans and procedures, and are capable of implementing these in a timely manner.

• City government will continue to function under all disaster and emergency conditions to the extent possible and based on the situation.

• The City will modify normal operations and will redirect resources in order to save lives, relieve human suffering, sustain survivors, protect property, and assist in reestablishing essential services. Life-saving and life-protecting response activities have precedence over other emergency response activities, except when national security implications are determined to be of a higher priority.

• Assistance will be available from neighboring jurisdictions, through mutual-aid agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and other formal agreements. Likewise, the City of Grand Junction will be available to assist neighboring jurisdictions, as requested, through mutual aid, automatic aid and other formal agreements.

• With the increased possibility of terrorism and employment of weapons of mass destruction, biological and technological emergencies must be approached as a potential act of terrorism.

• The Mayor may request the Governor of Colorado to declare a disaster or state of emergency when the local response to an event is beyond the combined response capabilities of the City of Grand Junction and external mutual-aid agencies. Once the Governor authorizes the allocation of resource requests made to the State, local jurisdictions should plan appropriately for the arrival of state response assets approximately 72 hours after the original request.

• The City of Grand Junction will keep the Mesa County Office of Emergency Management informed of activities and provide copies of assistance documentation. The Mesa County Office of Emergency Management will, in turn, coordinate with the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

• If the Governor of Colorado determines that an emergency exists where the primary responsibility for response rests with the State of Colorado, the Governor may unilaterally direct the provision of assistance and will, if practicable, consult with the local jurisdiction.

The format of this Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) aligns itself with the National Response Framework by incorporating the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and employing a functional approach to managing emergencies.

The functional approach to managing emergencies is utilizing Emergency Support Functions (ESFs); a grouping of the most frequently used supporting actions and agencies. ESFs are assigned to a lead City department and to other agencies in supporting roles. The ESFs are attached to this document as Appendix A.

This EOP does not substitute government services for individual responsibility. Citizens are expected to be aware of developing events and take appropriate steps to respond in a safe manner. Since government resources and personnel may be overwhelmed, individuals and organizations should be prepared to be self-sufficient immediately following a disaster. Response organizations, as well as staff and families, may be directly affected, resulting in reduced personnel availabilities. It is expected that each individual or head of household will develop a family disaster plan (see https://www.readycolorado.com/) and maintain essential supplies to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours. Additionally, businesses are expected to develop internal disaster plans that will integrate and be compatible with local governments and this plan.

If a disaster occurs within the City of Grand Junction or within jurisdictions contracted with the City, an immediate response will be required. Only personnel trained in the prearranged plans and procedures will be prepared to make the coordinated efforts necessary to deal with a threat to life and/or property.

If a response to a disaster exceeds the capabilities of the City, the responsible department will request resources through mutual aid agreements (usually discipline specific, such as fire, law enforcement, emergency medical, or public works). All local governments and special districts within the individual counties are responsible for coordinating with one another and for providing mutual aid within their capabilities as established by written agreements.

When local resources and mutual aid resources are exhausted, the City of Grand Junction, through Mesa County, may request aid from the State of Colorado.

This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is based on the concept that emergency response functions will generally parallel the normal operations of all City departments. To the extent possible, the same personnel should be utilized in both cases. Day-to-day functions which would not contribute to emergency operations may be suspended for the duration of the emergency and recovery period. Resources normally required for day-to-day operations may be redirected for accomplishment of emergency tasks.

NIMS – Provides a nationwide template enabling Federal, State, local governments, and private-sector organizations to work together.

During any emergency or disaster the National Incident Management System (NIMS) will be utilized by all emergency response agencies to manage an emergency incident/disaster or a non-emergency planned event. Scope and magnitude of an incident will determine level and complexity of the management structure. NIMS outline three conceptual areas pertinent to incident and event response including:

NIMS provide three structures for managing events all with different roles and responsibilities. The three structures are:

The Incident Command System is designed to expand or contract as needed. As an incident escalates, span of control may expand requiring branch, group, and division positions of the Incident Command System to be staffed. Additionally, the following sections may be established and expanded as dictated by event.

Command – An Incident Commander is responsible for overall coordination and direction of all activities at the incident. Determination of which agency will function as on-scene incident commander will be in concert with the agency/person having three components:

• Conserve and protect the environment and property during and after an incident.

An Incident Commander may elect to establish command staff positions to assume responsibilities for key activities, which are not part of the line organization. All of these positions may not be required on all incidents or may be assumed by the Emergency Operations Center. These positions answer directly to the Incident Commander.

• Safety Officer – Assess hazardous and unsafe situations and develop measures for assuring personnel safety.

• Public Information Officer – Develops accurate and complete information regarding incident cause, size, current situation, resources committed, and other matters of general interest. Point of contact for the media. Will work with or through the Joint Information Center if activated.

• Liaison Officer – Point of contact for supporting or assisting agency representatives.

Operations Section - An Operations Chief is responsible for implementing tactical objectives as determined by the Incident Commander.

Planning Section is responsible for processing information needed for effective decision making.

• Refine current & future plans & recommend any changes to Command & Operations.

Logistics Section provides services and support systems to all organizational components involved in the incident on-scene. Resources and facilities are acquired and coordinated through the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Finance/Administration Section – Established on incidents when there is a specific need for financial services. This function may be performed from the EOC and not at the incident command level.

• Documenting financial cost of an incident in terms of personnel, services, and supplies.

Unified Command (a variation of incident command) operations are conducted when two agencies or jurisdictions have significant responsibility or statutory authority to command the same incident. Similar concepts and principals of the Incident Command System apply, except multiple jurisdictions or agencies/departments share a command role.

Incident objectives and selection of command and general staff are accomplished through consensus decision making of a unified command group. Wherever possible, staff positions are integrated with representatives of jurisdictions and agencies involved.

To have a successful disaster operation, key officials shall assemble in one location. This allows decision-makers to share information through briefings and use manpower and other resources more efficiently with little or no duplication of effort.

A Multi-Agency Coordination system includes both coordination and policy making components, with command being located at an on-scene incident command level. Direct tactical and operational responsibility for conducting incident management activities rests with the on scene Incident Commander.

Policy Coordination Group – During certain emergencies or disasters this group develops policy measures relating to emergency management, public information, dissemination and commitment of City resources, and is composed of policy making senior officials. It will be comprised of the Mayor and City Council and the City Manager and their department directors. Emergencies that go beyond the boundaries of the City may require coordination with the Mesa County Board of County Commissioners and their senior leadership staff.

Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MAC Group) - Mesa County has a Multi-Agency Coordination Group with the City of Grand Junction having representation from Police, Fire, Public Works & Utilities and the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center. The MAC Group aids in establishing priorities among the incidents and associated resource allocations, resolving agency policy conflicts, and providing strategic guidance to support incident management activities. This group is made up of department/agency heads or designees with authority to make decisions and commit resources.

The difference between the Incident Commander on-scene and an Emergency Manager in the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is Incident Command has certain statutory duties or authorities to be able to protect public safety and carry out particular actions. The Emergency Manager in the Emergency Operations Center is discharging duties of the Chief Executive of a jurisdiction to coordinate and make the entire community move towards effective response and recovery in supporting an Incident Commander(s).

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a physical location through which the Emergency Management Team can coordinate the support efforts in disaster situations. It provides a location for the assembly and analysis of critical information, for the coordination and support of the response and recovery activities of local government, and to ensure interagency cooperation and communication. The EOC is not the Incident Command Post, which is always located in the field.

The EOC is activated and staffed based upon the severity of an emergency or planned event and according to the anticipated or actual level of involvement by City employees and supporting agencies. In a major event, the EOC coordinates with the Mesa County EOC for the coordination of mutually beneficial efforts.

Within the EOC, requests for assistance will be tasked to the agency/department best suited for completion based upon function and resource availability. Tasked agencies will be responsible for identifying resources to accomplish the mission, and will coordinate resource delivery.

Resource Management functions within the EOC will fulfill resource requests from incidents through an identified process. Resource acquisition will follow the following priority:

The tactical level, on-scene incident command and management organization is located at the Incident Command Post (ICP). It typically consists of designated incident management officials and responders from local agencies/departments, as well as private sector and non-governmental organization representatives. When multiple command authorities are involved, the ICP may be led by a Unified Command, comprised of officials who have jurisdictional authority or functional responsibility for the incident under an appropriate law, ordinance, or agreement. The Unified Command provides direct, on-scene control of tactical operations and utilizes the National Incident Management System Incident Command System (NIMS) (ICS) organizational structure, typically including Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration sections.

The Incident Command Post (ICP) is usually located at or in the immediate vicinity of the incident site. The location is selected by the agency having primary jurisdictional authority for managing the incident at this level. Generally, there is one ICP established for each incident. Depending on the number and location of incidents, there may be multiple ICP’s managed by an Area Command.

All City of Grand Junction Public Information Officers (PIOs) are part of the Mesa County JIC.

The JIC serves as a focal point for the coordination and dissemination of information to the public and media concerning incident prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The JIC staff develops, coordinates, and disseminates unified news releases. News releases are cleared through the Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG) to ensure consistent messages, avoid release of conflicting information, and prevent negative impact on operations. This formal approval process ensures protection of law enforcement sensitive information. Agencies may issue their own news releases related to their policies, procedures, and capabilities, however, these should be coordinated with the JIC.

The Mesa County PIO’s have created a Joint Information System (MCJIS) Plan to establish a system for conducting public information operations during emergency responses and other situations in which multiple organizations need to collaborate. During a crisis response, the Joint Information System (JIS) and the Joint Information Center (JIC) are keys to providing concise and coordinated information to the public and the news media.

The primary focus of this plan is to provide the participating PIOs with a structure that works within the framework of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS). Utilizing NIMS, PIOs work together in conjunction with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and/or the incident commander (IC) to provide critical emergency information, crisis communications, and public affairs support to establish procedures and processes to gather, verify, coordinate, and disseminate public information. For information about the communications plan visit http://www.mesacountypio.org/.

Pursuant to the Grand Junction Municipal Code, the Mayor (Principal Executive Officer) has the power to declare that a state of emergency exists if an event has occurred or the threat of such event is imminent. If the Mayor is unable to perform his or her duties, the powers and duties conferred upon the Mayor are delegated to the Mayor Pro Tempore.

With the assistance of the City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager, and the Emergency Manager, a declaration of emergency is drafted to describe the nature of the emergency, the area threatened, the conditions that have brought it about, and the conditions that would remedy it. The City Manager is responsible for publication of the declaration, dissemination to the public, filing with the City Clerk, and filing with the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The City Manager also performs the same notification duties if the state of emergency continues or is terminated.

The issuance of a declaration of emergency empowers the City Manager to exercise emergency powers permitted by state and local law and activates all relevant portions of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The City Council convenes to perform its legislative powers as the situation demands, receives reports through the City Manager, and evaluates and enacts policy and other incident support as required. The City Council maintains all of its normal legislative powers throughout the emergency period.

A state of emergency remains in effect until the Mayor or designee, in consultation with State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, declares that the threat of danger has passed or that the emergency conditions no longer exist. If the state of emergency lasts for seven days, it will automatically terminate unless the City Council approves a longer duration. The City Council may terminate a state of emergency at any time. The City Manager shall immediately issue a notice affecting the same.

In addition to any other powers granted by applicable state law during a state of emergency, the Grand Junction Municipal Code allows the City Manager to promulgate regulations as he or she deems necessary to protect life and property and preserve critical resources. These regulations may include the following:

• Suspend the provisions of the Grand Junction Municipal Code that prescribe procedures for conduct of City business, if strict compliance would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency.

• Transfer the direction, personnel, or functions of City departments for the purpose of performing or facilitating emergency services.

• Subject to any applicable legal requirements to provide compensation, commandeer or utilize any private property the City Manager finds necessary to cope with the emergency.

• Direct evacuation efforts of persons from any stricken or threatened area within the City if the City Manager deems this action necessary for the preservation of life or other emergency mitigation, response, or recovery measures.

• Prescribe route, mode of transportation, and destination in connection with evacuation.

• Control ingress to and egress from a disaster area, the movement of persons within the area, and the occupancy of premises therein.

• Suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, or combustibles within the City.

• Make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing.

• Waive all provisions for competitive bidding and may direct the purchasing agent to purchase necessary supplies in the open market at not more than commercial prices.

• Exercise all powers permitted by City charter and state law to require emergency services of any City officer or employee and command the aid of as many citizens of the City as he or she deems necessary in the execution of his or her duties.

The City of Grand Junction will keep the Mesa County Office of Emergency Management informed of activities and provide copies of assistance documentation. The Mesa County Office of Emergency Management will, in turn, coordinate with the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

If the Governor of Colorado determines that an emergency exists where the primary responsibility for response rests with the State of Colorado, the Governor may unilaterally direct the provision of assistance and will, if practicable, consult with the local jurisdiction.

Certain events may require the Incident Commander to perform actions beyond the normal scope of their duties as defined by existing laws or policies. In this event, the appropriate City official(s) may need to provide a written delegation of authority.

A delegation of authority allows the Incident Commander to assume command and carry out the specific functions outlined in the delegation of authority. It does NOT relieve the granting authority for the ultimate responsibility of the incident.

A delegation of authority may be required to allow resources from other jurisdictions to operate within the corporate boundaries of the City of Grand Junction (e.g. to allow a Type I, II or III Incident Management Team to operate within the City).

Effective emergency management operation depends on two important factors to ensure continuity of government. These factors include (1) lines of succession for officials, department heads, and supporting staff; and (2) preservation of vital records.

The activities necessary to maintain continuity of government are addressed and detailed within City Departmental Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs). The COOP serves a critical role in the overall success of response and recovery efforts and therefore is implemented in any event that affects City-owned property and/or City employees.

Effective emergency operations are inseparable from the concept of Continuity of Operations. The COOP identifies several important factors for assuring continuity of government:

• Well defined and understood lines of succession for officials, department directors, and supervisors.

• Preservation of vital records and critical facilities which are essential to the functions of government and for the protection of rights and interests of the City of Grand Junction and its citizens.

• Setting action priorities for sustained provision of critical services to the community, such as utilities and public safety.

To insure the continuity of local government during the management of a major emergency, the line of succession for the City Manager shall be:

Each member of the City Leadership Team (Department Directors) is responsible for establishing his or her own specific line of succession.

The provision of critical and essential services and the means to restore these services is defined and detailed within the Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs).

Should critical infrastructure be struck by a disaster and rendered unusable, services normally provided by the City of Grand Junction that are life-saving/preserving and critical to sustain the economy shall be maintained or restored as soon as feasible.

During an emergency or disaster, local government shall determine which normal administrative procedures shall be suspended, relaxed or made optional in order to prevent unnecessary impediments of emergency operations and recovery activities. Any departure from the usual methods of doing business will be specified in the COOP and supporting policies or procedures.

Financial support for emergency operations shall be from funds regularly appropriated to City departments. If the demands exceed available funds, the City Council may make emergency funds available. Additionally, the Mayor has the authority to request assistance under a State Declaration of Disaster / Emergency to receive additional funds for the reimbursement of extraordinary expenditures incurred during the management of a significant event.

City departments designated as the primary agency for an Emergency Support Function (ESF) will be responsible for providing financial support for their operations by working with the Finance Section through the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Each City of Grand Junction department is responsible for maintaining appropriate documentation to support requests for reimbursement, for submitting bills in a timely fashion, and for closing out assignments by working with the Admin & Documentation Section of the EOC.

City of Grand Junction departments or working groups are responsible for documenting all emergency or disaster related expenditures using generally accepted accounting procedures including: logs, records, receipts, invoices, purchase orders, rental agreements, etc. These documents are necessary to support claims, purchases, reimbursements and disbursements.

According to C.R.S. §24-33.5-713, “Political subdivisions not participating in inter-jurisdictional arrangements pursuant to this part 7 nevertheless shall be encouraged and assisted by the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to conclude suitable arrangements for furnishing mutual aid in coping with disasters”. The arrangements shall include provision of aid by persons and units in public employ.

Additional emergency or long-term assistance may be rendered through Mutual Aid Agreements for obtaining needed resources from non-impacted, inter/intra-jurisdictional governmental agencies and other organizations.

Where appropriate, Inter-Governmental Agreements shall be established with stakeholders in order to facilitate a rapid and seamless system of support and collaboration during an emergency.

Colorado is a member of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Any Member State may request EMAC assistance when the Governor of the affected state has declared a state of emergency. When Colorado suffers or expects to suffer a major disaster and needs assistance from other states, the Authorized Representative for each state will initiate the EMAC procedures for requesting assistance. Reference: Title 24, Article 60, Part 29 Colorado Revised Statutes, as amended.

Emergency Operations training of local staff will be conducted on a continuing basis. In-house sessions, exercises, actual operations, or sponsored classes are sources for accomplishing this training. See Appendix G for a list of minimum annual training requirements.

During increased readiness conditions, accelerated/refresher training for emergency operations staff and emergency response coordinators may be conducted.

It is anticipated that most incidents will be reported through the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center (911). First responder organizations will keep the City’s Emergency Manager informed of escalating situations that may require coordinated multi-departmental response and/or activation of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Once notified, the Emergency Manager will monitor and/or immediately respond to a situation, implement procedures to notify key personnel, and under direction of the City Manager activate this Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Activation of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) serves as notice to all municipal departments, and cooperating agencies to shift from normal operations to emergency operations. This may require shifts in mission, staffing and resource allocation.

Disaster responsibilities assigned to municipal departments and employees will parallel normal activities. However, during declared emergencies, staff not otherwise assigned emergency duties may be made available to assist with emergency work.

This EOP will not be implemented for routine emergencies handled by first responders and other organizations. However, if necessary, portions of this plan (such as a particular Emergency Support Functions) may be activated to meet unique needs created by routine emergencies.

If local resources are severely taxed or exhausted, assistance may be requested from neighboring communities by activating mutual aid agreements or contacting the Mesa County Emergency Manager.

Most City departments have emergency functions in addition to their normal operations. Each department will develop and maintain its own emergency procedures. Each department should use the responsibilities listed below as a basis for the development of its own procedures. Each department will maintain a list of outside resources and contacts in the event that the City’s resources and mutual and automatic aid are exhausted.

• Monitor operations of City departments and assisting/cooperating agencies during all phases of the emergency/disaster.

• Monitor implementation of the City Emergency Operations Plan and mutual aid agreements.

• Issue public proclamations on emergency matters such as evacuations and movement to shelters, utilizing information provided by the Incident Command System.

• Establish an Emergency Public Information Service including approval of information to the media.

• Implement policy for emergency funding, control of expenditures, and allocation of resources to achieve optimum utilization.

• Evaluate the emergency/disaster in terms of the need for a disaster declaration.

• Announce the existence and the subsequent termination of the emergency. Officially declare a disaster.

• Enact ordinances that authorize the City Manager to initiate and implement actions necessary to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Grand Junction and contracted jurisdictions.

• Declare a local emergency when necessary. Who is considered Principal Executive Officer

• Approve and commit City resources and funds for disaster and emergency purposes

• Issue official orders such as evacuation orders, curfews, and enactment of price controls. This may be directed through the appropriate City department.

• Initiate Intergovernmental liaison and formal requests for outside assistance from other local, county, state and federal jurisdictions.

• Issue requests to the Governor’s Office through Mesa County Office of Emergency Management to the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for emergency and disaster declarations, resource requests and financial assistance requests.

• Implement the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) in whole or in part as the situation requires.

• Maintain direction and control of all City departments before, during and after an emergency event.

• Develop a plan to ensure that all vital records are identified and protected.

• Request county and/or state assistance if it appears that local resources are inadequate to cope with the emergency.

• Assign City employees as needed to assist with other functions and duties outside of their normal responsibilities.

• Provide legal assistance to the City Council, City Manager, and all City departments to include operation of the municipal justice system.

• Prepare emergency disaster declarations and emergency ordinances prior to emergencies or disasters for more rapid enactment.

• Provide interpretation of county, state and federal regulations that relate to disasters.

• Prepare plans and organize their departments to meet emergencies and disasters, both natural and man-made, and assure continuity of government operations during emergency situations. These plans must be consistent with the City of Grand Junction Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

• Provide support for department personnel to participate in planning, training and exercises, within the department and citywide, on an annual basis.

• Ensure National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance within department and provide personnel necessary to support emergency/disaster operations.

• Identify functions to be performed during an emergency and assign responsibility for performing those functions to personnel within their departments.

• Ensure that the Emergency Manager is aware of all plans for emergency prevention, response and recovery.

• Provide a ranking staff member/s to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate the department’s emergency response/recovery functions with those of other departments and agencies.

• Act as the coordinating staff advisor to the City Manager and key City officials during all levels of response to disaster emergencies.

• Keep the City Manager and other key officials informed of the emergency situation.

• Work with the Mesa County Emergency Manager and establish the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and be responsible for its operation.

• Assist with compiling, coordinating and presenting a request to the county, state and federal government for disaster relief assistance.

• Assist the City Manager in evaluating the need for declaring a disaster emergency.

• Maintain the EOP for the City Grand Junction and conduct training exercises as necessary to maintain and improve the response capabilities of all elements in the City.

• Develop private and local government resource lists. Assist in developing written agreements for their effective utilization during emergencies and disasters.

• Coordinate disaster planning, operations, and training exercises with appropriate outside agencies to enhance the integrated emergency management system.

• Keep the State of Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Mesa County informed of a disaster situation.

• Conduct all regularly assigned functions relating to law enforcement in the City of Grand Junction.

• Plan and coordinate response to hostage situations, as well as civil disturbances.

• Establish a methodology to control access of persons and vehicles into secured buildings and limited-access areas.

• Establish a resource list of private contractors to supplement City resources to provide scene security and access.

• Disseminate appropriate information from the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC).

• Coordinate with surrounding victim assistance advocates to respond to the event if needed.

• Act as a liaison between the victims of a disaster and other agencies such as Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other referral resources.

• Provide services to emergency services workers who are affected by the disaster.

• Provide follow up with emergency services workers after the event to ensure their mental health needs are met through EAP services.

• Maintain and operate a mobile command post and provide continuous communications between the disaster scene and EOC in conjunction with the police and fire departments.

• Provide Incident Dispatch Team (IDT) members at Incident Command Post as needed.

• Develop a process for non-public safety responders to access the available radio equipment cache.

• Provide all regularly assigned departmental functions relating to fire prevention and control so as to minimize the loss of life and property.

• Establish a field command post or supplying personnel to an already established command post in an emergency or disaster situation.

• Provide decontamination and mitigation during any hazardous materials incident.

• Establish automatic and mutual aid agreements with local fire jurisdictions.

• Coordinate emergency medical transportation to a hospital or other designated emergency medical treatment facility.

• Coordinate emergency medical assistance to all shelters in operation in order of most emergent situation.

• Provide emergency traffic engineering and control measures to include signalization. Maintain emergency traffic routes in coordination with police and fire departments.

• Coordinate clearing of major thoroughfares and removal of debris that inhibits or blocks thoroughfares. Coordinate with the state and the appropriate county to clear areas under their jurisdictional authority.

• Establish damage assessment capabilities and procedures for City-owned property.

• Provide snow removal during winter storm conditions for areas under the City’s authority. Coordinate with the state and appropriate county to clear area under their jurisdictional authority when necessary.

• Provide a list of department resources and technical support that can be made available to public safety operations and make available when requested.

• Provide assessment of structural conditions of bridges and roadways under the jurisdictional authority of the City. Coordinate with the state and appropriate county to assess the structural conditions of bridges and roadways under their jurisdictional authority when necessary.

• Provide mapping, ownership, and assessment of structural conditions of bridges and roadways.

• Developing pre-incident agreements with local landfills for acceptance of debris from a disaster.

• As required, shut down systems to prevent damage, monitoring repair and restoration of water distribution and wastewater/sewer systems, including provision of systems to provide emergency sources of potable water for essential City of Grand Junction activities.

• Develop agreements and procedures for working with utility companies that provide services to City of Grand Junction residents and businesses.

• Assist in the coordination of disaster recovery planning efforts as it relates to public buildings.

• Partner with the Mesa County Building Department in the preparation of damage assessment reports as it relates to public buildings.

• Partner with the Mesa County Building Department in recommending which public buildings or structures are retained or demolished.

• Partner with the Mesa County Building Department in the declaration of safe buildings or structures deemed safe for occupancy.

• Provide financial advice to the City Council, City Manager, and all City departments.

• Coordinate the development of a damage assessment reporting system to meet post-disaster needs.

• Coordinate all data for damage assessment reports to be forwarded to county, state and federal disaster agencies.

• Provide administrative and logistical support to City Council, the City Manager, and all departments within the City.

• Provide for the safety and protection of the employees of the City of Grand Junction.

• Collaborate with the Leadership Team to assist in development of documents during an emergency operation.

• Identify alternate facilities for use by the City to carry on essential operations.

• Develop a methodology for purchasing supplies, equipment and services, under emergency conditions.

• Purchase or facilitate the purchase of materials or equipment vital to coping with emergency.

• Coordinate the development of a damage assessment reporting system to meet post-disaster needs.

• Insure redundancy and backup of essential City electronic communications, documents and reports.

• Conduct natural hazard mitigation studies before a disaster occurs and during the post-disaster recovery period to include making appropriate recommendations.

• Implement identified mitigation measures during the development application process.

• Represent City of Grand Junction at the Joint Information Center (JIC) when established.

• Monitor electronic media for information and intelligence that may be of value to decision makers in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

• Provide facility supervisors to designated shelters and opening any City of Grand Junction recreation facilities that may be used as a shelter if needed.

• Providing for the safety of citizens who may be in the facilities that are managed by the Parks and Recreation Department at the time of an emergency or disaster.

• Provide snow removal during winter storm conditions for areas under the City’s authority.

In addition to City departments, specific outside agencies provide emergency functions in addition to their normal operations.

• Establish food distribution points for families and other groups to replenish supplies, as necessary.

• Advise City Management/City Council on matters pertaining to handling, disposition and identification of the dead.

• Organizing and training hospital, mortuary, and graves registration support teams.

• Establishing a morgue and directing the identification and burial of the dead.

Mesa County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is responsible for:

The following Table #1 outlines which department should have the lead responsibility when dealing with the task identified in the table.

The following Table #2 outlines which department should have the lead responsibility based on the hazard/incident identified in the table.

When an emergency or disaster situation exceeds capabilities there are certain common types of assistance that are likely to be requested by the Grand Junction Emergency Manager or the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). These common types of assistance have been grouped functionally into fifteen Emergency Support Functions (ESFs).

Participating agencies, City departments and enterprises have been assigned responsibilities for implementing these functions. Assignments are made based upon the department’s programmatic or regulatory authorities and responsibilities. Emergency Function Annexes contain detailed information associated with a specific function. Participating agencies, City departments and enterprises should understand the relationship between the Grand Junction, State and the National Emergency Support Functions.

The Emergency Support Function (ESF) Coordinator is the name given to the primary agency representative who has ongoing responsibilities throughout the prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation phases of incident management. The role of the ESF Coordinator is carried out through a multi-agency coordination approach as agreed upon collectively by the designated primary agencies. Responsibilities of the ESF Coordinator include:

• Coordinating ESF activities relating to catastrophic incident planning and critical infrastructure preparedness as appropriate

A local department or agency designated as an Emergency Support Function (ESF) primary agency serves as a local executive representative to accomplish the ESF mission. When an ESF is activated, the primary agency is responsible for:

• Orchestrating local support within their functional area for an affected jurisdiction

• Working with appropriate private-sector organizations to maximize use of all available resources

• Planning for short and long term incident management and recovery operations

• Maintaining trained personnel to support interagency emergency response and support teams

When an Emergency Support Function (ESF) is activated in response to an incident, support agencies are responsible for:

• Conducting operations, when requested by the primary ESF agency, using their own authorities, subject matter experts, capabilities, or resources

• Participating in planning for short term and long term incident management and recovery operations and the development of supporting operational plans, SOPs, checklists, or other job aids, in concert with existing first responder standards.

• Furnishing available personnel, equipment, or other resource support as requested by the primary ESF agency

• Participating in training and exercises aimed at continuous improvement of prevention, response, and recovery capabilities

• Identifying new equipment or capabilities required to prevent or respond to new or emerging threats and hazards, or to improve the ability to address existing threats.

• Providing information or intelligence regarding the agency’s area of expertise

In order to realize the potential of local capabilities and to integrate and apply resources, departments and support organizations are arranged into one or more of fifteen Emergency Support Functions. The City Emergency Operations Plan attempts to mirror the ESF’s as they are found in the “National Response Framework” and the Mesa County “Emergency Operations Plan”.

ESF #1 supports the departments/agencies requiring transportation needs for an actual or potential incident or disaster.

ESF #1 is designed to provide for coordination, control, and allocation of transportation assets in Grand Junction in support of the movement of emergency resources including the evacuation of people, and the redistribution of food and fuel supplies.

ESF #1 is responsible for damage and impact assessment, transportation restrictions, and restoration and recovery of the transportation infrastructure.

Local transportation planning employs the most effective means of transporting resources, including commercial transportation capacity, and capacity owned or operated by local agencies.

Local transportation planning recognizes policies and plans used to control the movement of relief personnel, equipment, and supplies, as well as determining precedence of movement.

Movements of local personnel, equipment, and supplies are managed through prioritizing shipments. To facilitate the prompt deployment of resources, priorities for various incidents are developed and maintained through an interagency process led by the City of Grand Junction Public Works and Utilities Department prior to an incident to facilitate the prompt deployment of resources. Each ESF is responsible for compiling, submitting, and updating information for inclusion in the ESF #1 prioritized shipments.

Local departments and agencies are encouraged to use ESF #1 services. To ensure the orderly flow of resources, departments and agencies should advise ESF #1 or the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of all transportation movements arranged independently from ESF #1 activity.

ESF#1 is responsible for providing a structure for managing and coordinating the complex operations of the transportation system. This includes the deployment of resources into and out of the incident area and the coordination of transportation recovery, restoration, and safety/security. ESF #1 also provides a means of facilitating or restricting the movement of personnel and goods as necessary.

The City of Grand Junction Public Works and Utilities Director or designee provides direction for the ESF #1 mission locally.

Communications shall be established and maintained with ESF #5—Emergency Management to report and receive assessments and status information, and with ESF #7—Resource Support.

All approved requests for local assistance and mission assignments for transportation support are to be submitted to ESF #1 in the Emergency Operations Center for prioritization.

Upon notification, a department representative will respond to the EOC as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment (incident situation and damage assessment information) and determination of resource needs of the local incident commander(s).

Coordinates incident resource needs and determines and resolves as necessary, issues regarding resource shortages and resource ordering issues.

Maintains current inventories of transportation service facilities, equipment, and key personnel throughout Grand Junction.

Coordinates with appropriate local agencies to facilitate the movement of people and goods to, from, and within the incident area, and participates in decisions regarding issues such as movement restrictions, critical facilities closures, and evacuations.

Coordinates the provision of transportation services in support of local agencies.

Coordinates the recovery, restoration, and safety/security of the transportation infrastructure.

Works with other local transportation departments and industry partners to assess the damage to the transportation infrastructure and analyze the impact of the incident on transportation operations, reporting promptly as changes occur.

ESF #2 is responsible for public notification of an incident or disaster and to provide communications support to local response efforts during an emergency.

ESF #2 is the central point for warnings and notifications of an incident and/or evacuation orders to the general public and local emergency responders of an incident or disaster.

ESF #2 coordinates actions to provide the required telecommunications (e.g., radio, telephone, and paging systems) and the restoration of the telecommunications infrastructure. ESF #2 supports all local agencies in the procurement and coordination of telecommunications services from the telecommunications and information technology (IT) industry during an incident response.

Communications is information transfer and involves the technology associated with the display, transfer, interpretation, and processing of data among persons, places and machines.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Mesa County EOC as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

GJRCC will identify communications requirements, monitor the developing situation/response, document incident information, and provide incident status information to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

ESF #2 monitors the status of situations that have the potential for developing into an incident requiring additional communications resources.

ESF #2 coordinates with communications service providers to facilitate the prioritizing of requirements as necessary when providers are unable to satisfy all communications services requirements, when there are conflicts between multiple incidents, or when the allocation of available resources cannot be fully accomplished at the incident level.

ESF #2 coordinates with appropriate government and industry representatives in support of

Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG) requests to meet user requirements for communication assets.

When ESF #2 is activated, the GJRCC may request assistance from other communication centers in the Northwest All Hazard Emergency Management (NWAHEM) Region. Assistance may be deployed to the scene of an incident, to assist in the GJRCC or at the EOC.

ESF #2 will advise the EOC when communications problems are expected in the incident area to enable activation of other communications resources.

ESF #2 identifies communications assets available for use within the affected area.

ESF #2 facilitates the implementation of a pre-established incident communications plan (ICS 205) or the development of an incident specific communications plan.

ESF #2 obtains information from ESF #1—Transportation relative to road, rail, and other transportation conditions in the area and whether they can be used to get mobile telecommunications systems into the area.

ESF #2 assesses the availability of back-up communications systems. Any unresolved communications requests should be forwarded to the EOC and the State EOC.

ESF #2 coordinates communications support from State and other local governments, and voluntary relief organizations, (ARES/RACES, SARC, etc.) as necessary.

ESF #2 conducts measurements necessary to identify damaged critical communications infrastructure assets, repair, reconstitute, and secure communications, and coordinate actions to protect these assets from further damage.

Support agencies provide personnel to the EOC as requested, to assist ESF operations and provide reports to ESF #2. All departments and agencies, as appropriate, identify staff liaisons or points of contact to provide technical and subject matter expertise, data, advice, and staff support for operations that fall within the responsibility of each department/agency. Support capabilities of other organizations may be used as required and available.

ARES/RACES provide communications to the State EOC regarding the emergency or disaster area.

ESF #2 develops in cooperation with other agencies, plans and capabilities for the Emergency Preparedness Network (EPN), Emergency Alert System (EAS), and other notification systems.

ESF #3 is structured to provide public works and engineering-related support for the changing requirements of domestic incident management to include preparedness, prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation actions.

Evaluate, maintain and restore public roads, bridges, and drainages. Support private sector access in support of the restoration of critical infrastructure (i.e., electrical, gas, communications, and water lines).

ESF #3 actions include conducting pre and post incident assessments of public works and infrastructure.

ESF #3 executing emergency contract support for life-saving and life-sustaining services.

Provide technical assistance to include engineering expertise, construction management, contracting, and real estate services.

Provide emergency repair of damaged infrastructure and critical facilities and other recovery programs.

Local governments are responsible for their own public works and infrastructures and have the primary responsibility for incident prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

ESF #3 facilitates and coordinates private sector entities to ensure integration into the planning and decision making processes.

ESF #3 facilitates and coordinates agencies providing public works and infrastructure support.

Upon notification, an agency representative will respond to and staff the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Participate in pre-incident activities, such as pre-positioning assessment teams and contractors.

Participate in post incident assessments of public works and infrastructure to help determine critical needs and potential workloads.

Provide emergency contracting support for life saving and life sustaining services, to include providing potable water, ice, emergency power, and other emergency commodities and services.

Provide assistance in the monitoring and stabilization of damaged structures and the demolition of structures designated as immediate hazards to public health and safety. Also, provide structural specialist expertise to support inspection of mass care facilities and urban search and rescue operations.

Provide emergency repair of damaged infrastructure and critical public facilities (temporary power, emergency water, sanitation systems, etc.). Support the restoration of critical flood control and other water infrastructure systems. Where appropriate, activities to restore infrastructure.

Responsible for providing technical assistance, engineering, and construction management resources, contracting, inspection of private/commercial structures and real estate services during response and recovery activities.

Responsible for recovery resources and support assistance for debris removal and disposal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged public facilities and the facilities of certain qualified private non-profit organizations.

Manage, monitor, and or provide technical advice in the clearance, removal, and disposal of contaminated and uncontaminated debris from public property and the re-establishment of routes into impacted areas. The scope of actions related to contaminated debris may include waste sampling, classification, packaging, transportation, treatment, demolition, and disposal of contaminated debris and soil. The management of contaminated debris is coordinated with ESF #10—Hazardous Materials Response.

Support agency representatives co-locate with ESF #3 field personnel to coordinate support with their agencies as necessary.

Manage and coordinate firefighting activities, including the detection and suppression of fires on state and local lands and provide personnel, equipment, and supplies in support of agencies involved in urban and wildland firefighting operations.

The management of a large firefighting operation is complex, often involving many different agencies and local jurisdictions. Fires resulting from or independent of, but coincident with, a catastrophic event will place extraordinary demands on available resources and logistics support systems.

ESF #4 supports structural and wildfire operations through close coordination with other local, state, and federal agencies. ESF #4 coordinates firefighting support to disaster response and recovery operations that may not be directly fire related.

The Colorado Emergency Resource Mobilization Plan specifies procedures for the mobilization and coordination of fire and rescue services statewide to respond to any type of emergency requiring additional resources. ESF #4 will use the Mobilization Plan to obtain additional resources as needed.

Cities and other fire protection organizations are responsible for requesting state support through the appropriate county emergency management agency when an incident exceeds local capabilities.

Ordering and tracking of resources is accomplished through activation of the State Emergency Operations Center’s Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS) dispatch function.

Coordination with local and State fire suppression organizations is accomplished under the ICS system.

Establish firefighting and support organizations, processes, and procedures outlined in the incident command system.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment (incident situation and damage assessment information) and determination of resource needs of the local incident commander(s).

Coordinates incident resource needs and determines and resolves as necessary, issues regarding resource shortages and resource ordering issues.

Maintains current inventories of fire service facilities, equipment, and key personnel throughout the City and contracting jurisdictions.

Assumes responsibility for coordinating and tracking fire resources committed to an incident.

Plans for and establishes relief resources to replace or rotate with committed resources for extended operations.

Obtains and submits situation and damage assessment reports and provides information to the EOC.

Maintains appropriate records of costs incurred during an event for all fire resources.

Requests supporting agencies document any lost or damaged equipment and personnel or equipment accidents.

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #5 – Emergency Management is responsible for supporting overall activities of local government for incident management. ESF #5 provides the core management and administrative functions of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

ESF #5 provides the overall coordination function for all incidents regardless of hazard, degree of complexity, or duration, and therefore, is activated at some level for all potential and actual incidents of national significance.

ESF #5 includes those functions critical to support and facilitate multi-agency planning and coordination for operations involving potential and actual emergencies/disasters in the county. This includes alert and notification, deployment and staffing of special teams, incident action planning, situation reporting, coordination of operations, logistics, and material, direction and control, information management, facilitation of requests for state assistance, resource acquisition and management (to include allocation and tracking), personnel management, facilities management, financial management, and other support as required.

The City’s Emergency Manager is responsible for establishing the local support infrastructure in the affected municipality or county in anticipation of requirements for prevention, response, and recovery assistance.

Requests for City disaster declarations to enable funding through State and Federal assistance programs should be coordinated through the Mesa County Office of Emergency Management.

Provides the information link between the City EOC, County EOC and the State EOC. Serves as the centralized conduit for local situation reports to the State EOC from the various incidents and ESFs.

Coordinates departments and agencies to participate in the incident action planning process.

Establishes required field facilities, supplies, and equipment to support activities related to the management of incidents. These facilities include, but are not limited to the EOC, Joint Information Center (JIC), Mobilization Centers, Staging Areas, and Disaster Recovery Centers.

Supports the implementation of mutual aid agreements to ensure a seamless resource response to affected jurisdictions.

Responsible for notifying the Mesa County EOC and/or State EOC of potential threats to enable the elevation of operational response postures or the pre-positioning of assets.

Coordinates with the Mesa County Emergency Manager on emergency/disaster declaration and requests for State and Federal assistance under the Stafford Act.

When an incident occurs or has the potential to occur, ESF #5 activates and staffs the EOC. Actions include alert, notification, and situation reporting.

Makes initial contact with the affected jurisdictions and reviews capabilities and shortfalls as a means of determining initial response requirements for regional or state support.

Collects emergency/disaster information and monitors potential or developing incidents and support efforts of local and regional field operations.

Provides situation reports and other information as required to the State EOC and Mesa County Emergency Manager.

Maintains constant communications with the State EOC and Mesa County Emergency Manager and provides periodic updates to coordinate operations.

Activates the ESFs required to handle the threat or incident at hand, issues initial activation mission assignments and establishes reporting and communications protocols with the activated agencies and departments.

Requests from the State EOC and the deployment of special teams including the Colorado National Guard, the National Emergency Response Team, Mobile Emergency Response Support, National Disaster Medical System, Civil Support Teams and Urban Search and Rescue Teams.

Develops schedule for staffing and operating the EOC from activation to deactivation.

Provides immediate, short-term, and long-term planning functions in coordination with the other ESFs engaged in the operation and with those who are operating under agency statutory authorities. Coordinates with the State and County for recovery operations until the operation is suspended and no longer necessary.

ESF #6 promotes the delivery of services and the implementation of programs to assist individuals, households and families impacted by potential or actual disasters. This includes non-medical mass care, housing, and human services needs of individuals and or families impacted by the incident.

ESF #6 provides the coordination of sheltering, feeding, bulk distribution of supplies, and emergency first aid following an emergency or disaster requiring the assistance of local government.

ESF #6 includes three primary functions: Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services.

Mass care involves the coordination of non-medical mass care services to include sheltering of victims, organizing feeding operations, providing emergency first aid at designated sites, collecting and providing information on victims to family members, and coordinating bulk distribution of emergency relief efforts.

Housing involves the provision of assistance for short-and long-term housing needs of victims.

Human Services include providing victim related recovery efforts such as mental health counseling, identifying support for persons with special needs, and expediting processing of new benefits claims.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

Coordinates the overall efforts of volunteer organizations and other spontaneous

Responsible for the administration of Individual and Family Grant Programs in Presidential declared disasters in the City.

ESF #7 Resource Support is to support logistical and resource support to local entities involved in emergency response and recovery efforts for an emergency or disaster that impacts local jurisdictions. This consists of emergency relief supplies, facility space and office equipment

ESF #7 is responsible for providing direct and active support to emergency response and recovery efforts during the initial response phase following a disaster. This support includes locating, procuring, and issuing resources, such as supplies, office space, office equipment, fuel, contracting services, personnel, heavy equipment, generators, and transportation.

Each department/agency is responsible for tracking the use of its own resources.

Inter-department/agency coordination of resource and financial information is needed in order to determine cumulative disaster expenditures and costs.

The Northwest All Hazard Emergency Management Regional Resource Mobilization Guide provides for mobilization when the magnitude of the incident exceeds the capabilities of routinely available mutual aid and requires full mobilizations of county resources. The Northwest All Hazard Emergency Management Regional Resource Mobilization Guide will only be utilized in response to an emergency or disaster situation that has exceeded the capabilities of available local resources, including those available through existing agreements (e.g., mutual aid)

Mutual aid agreements provide for rapid assistance from neighboring jurisdictions to meet the immediate needs of an emergency situation demanding resources beyond those available from the local jurisdiction.

Resource mobilization may be requested when a non-stabilized incident or simultaneous incidents presenting a clear and present danger to life and property, and requiring, in addition to local resources and mutual aid, the deployment of additional resources.

• Upon determining that all available local and mutual aid resources have been used, available resources are inadequate to achieve incident stabilization/control and additional resources are required, the local Incident Commander will determine:

The local Incident Commander will request approval for mobilization of regional resources from the local authorities having jurisdiction. Convey all of the above information, together with a resource and situation status report, to the local authority.

The Incident Commander is responsible for contacting the City’s Emergency Manager and providing the following information:

For all incidents obtaining regionally deployed resources, at the close of each operational period, the Incident Commander will provide the City’s Emergency Manager with a situation report.

The City’s Emergency Manager, when notified of a request for mobilization of regional resources, will notify the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center of the request for mobilization.

ESF #8 provides the mechanism for coordinated assistance in response to public health and medical care needs (to include veterinary and/or animal health issues when appropriate) for potential and/or actual incidents and/or during a developing potential health and medical situation.

ESF #8 provides supplemental assistance to the local community in identifying and meeting the public health and medical needs of victims of an emergency or disaster. This support is categorized in the following core functional areas:

ESF #8 coordinates all response actions consistent with the Mesa County Health Department Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

To ensure patient confidentiality, the release of medical information by ESF #8 is in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

In the event of a zoonotic disease outbreak, or in coordination with ESF #11—Agriculture and Natural Resources during an animal disease outbreak, public information may be released after consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

Emergency medical services, hospitals, public health agencies, long-term care facilities, and mortuary services will provide layered levels of response activities to handle day to day occurrences that require their expertise. Once an agency knows that the circumstances are beyond their capability of what their agency can provide, or that additional regional resources or expertise are required, the agency will contact the Mesa County Public Health Department Director.

Upon notification of a potential or actual incident, ESF #8 will consult with the appropriate organizations to determine the need for assistance according to the functional areas listed below:

Assessment of Public Health/Medical needs: This function includes the assessment of public health care system/facility infrastructure.

Health Surveillance: In coordination with local and state health agencies, ESF #8 will enhance existing surveillance systems to monitor the health of general population and special high risk populations, carry out field studies and investigations, monitor injury and disease patterns and potential disease outbreaks, and provide technical assistance and consultation on disease and injury prevention and precautions.

Medical Care Personnel: In coordination with local agencies, ESF #8 will conduct an assessment of medical care personnel availability and needs. ESF #8 may request local support from the Medical Reserve Corp and may seek individual clinical health and medical care specialists from local agencies.

Health/Medical Equipment and Supplies: In addition to deploying assets, ESF #8 will be responsible for requesting the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), medical equipment and supplies, including medical diagnostic, radiation-emitting devices, pharmaceuticals, and biological products in support of immediate medical response operations and.

Patient Evacuation: ESF #8 should ensure coordination with ESF #1—Transportation, to provide support for the evacuation of seriously ill or injured patients to locations where hospital care or outpatient services are available.

Patient Care: ESF #8 may task its components and the Medical Reserve Corp to provide available personnel to support inpatient hospital care and outpatient services to victims who become seriously ill or injured regardless of the location (which may include mass shelters).

Food Safety and Security: ESF #8 in cooperation with ESF #11, may task its components to ensure the safety and security of federally regulated food.

Agriculture Safety and Security: ESF #8 and ESF #11 may task its components to ensure the

Worker Health and Safety: ESF #8 may request support from the Department of Labor (DOL) and other cooperating agencies, as needed, to assist in monitoring the health and well-being of emergency workers; performing field investigations and studies addressing worker health and safety issues; and providing technical assistance and consultation on worker health and safety measures and precautions.

All Hazard Public Health and Medical Consultation, Technical Assistance, and Support: ESF #8 may task its components to assist in assessing public health and medical effects resulting from all hazards. Such tasks may include assessing exposures on the general population and on high risk population groups; conducting field investigations, including collection and analysis of relevant samples; providing advice on protective actions related to direct human and animal exposures, and on direct exposure through contaminated food, drugs, water supply, and other media; and providing technical assistance and consultation on medical treatment, screening, and decontamination of injured or contaminated individuals.

Public Health and Medical Information: ESF #8 may task its components to provide public health, disease, and injury prevention information that can be transmitted to members of the general public who are located in or near areas affected. If a Joint Information Center (JIC) is activated ESF #8 should ensure coordination with the JIC on release of information.

Vector Control: ESF #8 may request assistance from other ESF #8 organizations, as appropriate, to assist in assessing the threat of vector-borne diseases; conducting field investigations, including the collection and laboratory analysis of relevant samples; providing technical assistance and consultation on protective actions regarding vector-borne diseases; and providing technical assistance and consultation on medical treatment of victims of vector-borne diseases.

Potable Water/Wastewater and Solid Waste Disposal: ESF #8 in coordination with ESF #3—Public Works and Engineering and ESF #10—Oil and Hazardous Materials Response as appropriate, may request assistance from other organizations as appropriate, to assist in assessing potable water, wastewater, solid waste disposal issues, and other environmental health issues; conducting field investigations, including collection and laboratory analysis of relevant samples; providing water purification and wastewater/solid waste disposal equipment and supplies; and providing technical assistance and consultation on potable water and wastewater/solid waste disposal issues.

Victim Identification and Mortuary Services: ESF #8 may be requested to assist the Mesa County Coroner in providing victim identification and mortuary services and establishing temporary morgue facilities.

Protection of Animal Health: ESF #8 in coordination with ESF #11, protects the health of livestock and companion animals by ensuring the safety of the manufacture and distribution of foods and drugs given to animals used for human food production, as well as companion animals.

• Provides emergency first aid, consisting of basic first aid and referral to appropriate medical personnel and facilities, supportive counseling, and health care for minor illnesses and injuries to incident victims in mass care shelters.

• Provides supportive counseling for the family members of the dead, injured, and others affected by the incident.

• Provides available personnel to assist in temporary infirmaries, immunization clinics, morgues, hospitals, and nursing homes. Assistance consists of administrative support, logistical support, or health services support within clearly defined boundaries.

• Inform families of available health resources and services, and make appropriate referrals.

• Provides coordination for uploading appropriate casualty/patient information from ESF #8 into the Disaster Welfare Information System.

• In coordination with Mesa County Animal Services, refer all concerns regarding animal health care, safety, or welfare to American Veterinary Medical Association contact(s) in the disaster area, as appropriate. These contact people are veterinarians affiliated with national, state, or local veterinary associations.

• Provide highly skilled, well-trained civilian volunteers in the event of a public health emergency.

ESF #8(a) provides for an efficient, coordinated, effective response to the mental health needs of those affected by a disaster in Grand Junction. This includes addressing needs of victims, families, rescue personnel, and others in the community to assist them in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

ESF #8(a) provides supplemental assistance to the local community in identifying and meeting the mental health needs of victims of an emergency or disaster.

ESF #8(a) acknowledges that an emergency, disaster or terrorist event would raise the stress level in victims and responders, affecting their mental and emotional well-being and decreasing their ability to cope with daily life on an ongoing basis.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

ESF #8(a) will provide general information regarding mental health to the Joint Information Center (JIC) in coordination with ESF #15—External Affairs.

ESF #8(a) will maintain the Mental Health Coalition response plan and provide ongoing training on a regular basis as well as maintain a database of responders.

ESF #9 integrates the Search and Rescue system around a core of task forces prepared to deploy immediately and initiate operations in support of ESF #9. These task forces are staffed primarily by local volunteers who are highly trained and experienced in search and rescue operations and possess specialized expertise and equipment.

ESF #9 responsibility is granted by statute to the Sheriff of each county in Colorado. Search and Rescue activities may include:

Searches and rescues in the wilderness or urban areas for lost, missing, or endangered persons.

The State of Colorado has signed an agreement with the Air Force Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinator for the Inland Region in support of the National Search and Rescue Plan. This agreement provides County Sheriffs with the ability to contact Air Force air assets directly or via the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (CDHSEM) or the Colorado Search and Rescue Board (CSRB).

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

ESF #9 is responsible for coordination of search and rescue missions within their jurisdiction. All SAR operations will be managed under the Incident Command System.

The Civil Air Patrol is responsible for conducting and coordinating all lost, missing and overdue aircraft searches in cooperation with the County Sheriff in whose jurisdiction such searches may take place.

ESF Coordinator: City of Grand Junction Fire Department (Designated Emergency Response Authority) (DERA)

ESF #10 provides for a coordinated response to actual or potential oil and hazardous materials incidents. ESF #10 includes the appropriate response and recovery actions to prepare for, prevent, minimize, or mitigate a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment caused by actual or potential oil and hazardous materials incidents.

Hazardous materials addressed under the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) include chemical, biological, and radiological substances, whether accidentally or intentionally released. These include certain chemical, biological, and radiological substances considered weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

ESF #10 describes the lead coordination roles, the division and specification of responsibilities among various agencies, and the regional and onsite response organizations, personnel, and resources that may be used to support response actions.

The Grand Junction Fire Department (GJFD), as a Designated Emergency Response Authority (DERA), is the primary response authority for incidents on Federal, State, or County highways and local municipal streets. As the DERA, the GJFD is authorized by statute to provide support to other local governments at the request of another DERA, or under established mutual aid.

Hazardous materials inventory, containment, and emergency planning services under the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (S.A.R.A.) also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986.

All participating agencies/departments will operate under the principles and features of the Incident Command System.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

Provide technical assistance when requested by local jurisdictions or the incident command authority.

Provide personnel to manage technical/safety requirements during hazardous material/terrorist incidents.

Deploy hazardous materials response teams to provide technician level response to mitigate an actual or potential release of hazardous materials at a transportation or fixed facility incident/accident.

Provide and/or participate in on-scene command and control utilizing unified command principles when necessary.

ESF #10 will ensure that the owner of a hazardous substance and the operator of any vehicle or other conveyance by which a hazardous substance is moved or transported, in the case where a hazardous substance incident occurs during movement or transport, shall be jointly and severally responsible for properly cleaning up, transporting, and disposing of the residue of the hazardous substance incident. “Proper cleanup, transport, and disposal” shall mean actions in compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to the particular hazardous substance or residue thereof, as the case may be. All such owners and operators shall cooperate with the Designated Emergency Response Authority and shall provide all reasonably available means, personnel and equipment to affect the proper cleanup, transport and disposal of the residue of the hazardous substance incident.

Animal and plant disease and pest response includes; implementing an integrated local response to an outbreak of a highly contagious or economically devastating animal/zoonotic disease, an outbreak of a highly infective exotic plant disease, or an economically devastating plant pest infestation.

ESF #11 ensures coordination with ESF #8—Public Health and Medical Services, that animal/Veterinary/Wildlife issues in natural disasters are supported.

ESF #11 is responsible for the coordination of efforts to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from incidents affecting agriculture.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s).

ESF #12 collects, evaluates, and shares information on energy system damage and estimation on the impact of energy system outages within affected areas.

Responsible for coordinating the restoration and protection of City of Grand Junction’s critical energy systems following a major disaster, emergency, or other significant event requiring response and protection.

Responsible for providing information to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on system(s) damage and estimations on the impact of these system outages within affected areas.

The term “energy” includes producing, refining, transporting, generating, transmitting, conserving, building, distributing, and maintaining energy systems and system components.

ESF #12 provides information concerning the energy restoration process such as projected schedules, percent completion of restoration, geographic information on the restoration, and other information as appropriate.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the EOC as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG). This representative will serve as a liaison with regulated and unregulated utility companies to facilitate critical infrastructure protection and restoration.

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s). Information should include affected area, estimated outage time and estimated restoration time.

Responsible for coordinating requests for assistance from local energy officials, suppliers, and deliverers.

Responsible for coordinating and tracking assets and resources that may be used in response to any event involving energy or multi-hazard problems.

ESF #13 provides a mechanism for coordinating and providing support to local authorities to include non-investigative/non-criminal law enforcement, public safety, and security capabilities and resources during potential or actual incidents/disasters.

Upon notification, an Agency Representative will respond to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a member of the Mesa County Multi Agency Coordination Group (MACG).

Responsible for situation assessment using the EOC situation worksheet and determination of resource needs of the local incident(s)

Responsible for the mobilization, prioritization, and coordination of law enforcement services statewide to respond to any type of emergency requiring additional resources.

ESF #13 will use the Colorado Emergency Resource Mobilization Plan to obtain additional resources outside of Mesa County.

Unless there is a delegation of authority by the Chief of Police, or a Governor’s emergency declaration and the Governor chooses to take command of local resources, law enforcement activities remain under the control of the jurisdiction’s chief law enforcement official, generally the Chief of Police.

ESF #13 will maintain current inventories of law enforcement facilities, equipment, and key personnel throughout the City.

ESF #13 will mobilize, prioritize, and deploy law enforcement teams and resources as needed. ESF #13 will monitor status of all law enforcement operations and provide updates to the EOC, including the assessment of law enforcement services for areas affected by the emergency.

ESF #13 will coordinate with ESF #1—Transportation for use of Public Works assets to support law enforcement operations when indicated.

ESF #13 will utilize the Incident Command System and assume responsibility for coordinating and tracking all law enforcement resources committed to an incident. This may include placing personnel at a command post and establishing staging areas with the requesting agency.

Develop lines of succession for personnel with law enforcement responsibilities in accordance with existing department policies.

ESF #14 is responsible for providing coordinated measures and policies designed to facilitate recovery from the effects of natural and technological disasters, civil disturbances, or acts of terrorism.

ESF #14 is responsible for providing effective utilization of resources to support local efforts to aid long-term community recovery, stabilize local economies, and reduce or eliminate risks from future incidents.

ESF #14 is responsible for providing a government conduit and administrative means for appropriate federal, military, state, voluntary and private sector organizations to assist local governments during the recovery and mitigation process.

Based on an assessment of incident impacts, ESF #14 may vary depending on the magnitude and type of incident and the potential for long-term and severe consequences.

ESF #14 will most likely be activated for large-scale or catastrophic incidents that require State and Federal assistance to address significant long-term impacts in the affected areas (e.g., impacts on housing, businesses, employment, community infrastructure, and social services.)

Local officials have authority under their local ordinances, resolutions, and the Colorado Revised Statutes to take responsible and appropriate actions in the direction and control of disaster recovery activities. The primacy of affected local governments in defining and addressing risk reduction and long term recovery priorities is recognized. If an effective recovery is beyond a local jurisdiction’s capability, State assistance may be required. The Governor may then declare a “State of Emergency” and the provisions of the State Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) will be implemented.

If the situation is beyond local and State capability, the Governor may ask for Federal assistance by requesting a Presidential Declaration of an “emergency” or “major disaster”. A Presidential Declaration authorizes federal assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (PL 93-288, as amended). The declaration triggers the implementation of Federal disaster assistance programs, which are coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (CDHSEM). Response and recovery operations in both State and Federally declared disasters will be conducted in accordance with the standards set forth by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Plan (NRP).

Long term recovery and mitigation efforts will be based on a variety of factors and priorities, including public safety, economic development, environmental protection, and preservation of social cultural and historical resources.

Initial and short term recovery activities focus on the safety and welfare of the affected community and restoration of essential services to include:

Coordinate and conduct initial damage assessment efforts to help guide local decision making and priority setting and to determine the need for supplemental state and federal assistance.

Coordinate the restoration of essential public services and facilities (e.g., removal of debris from emergency routes, emergency repairs to hospitals, and public safety facilities).

Complete steps for formally requesting State and Federal disaster assistance when damage assessment results indicate that impacts exceed local capabilities.

Coordinate the delivery of State and Federal disaster assistance programs (e.g., Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation) in Presidential declared disasters.

Long term recovery efforts focus on redeveloping communities and restoring the economic viability of disaster areas, including;

Coordinate and integrate the resources and assistance programs of voluntary agencies and other community based organizations.

Restore and make permanent repairs to public infrastructure damaged in the disaster.

Re-establish an adequate supply of housing, including affordable housing, to replace housing stock destroyed by the disaster.

Restore the economic base of disaster impacted communities, including lost jobs and employment opportunities.

Identify hazard mitigation opportunities and implementing long term hazard mitigation plans, projects and measures.

The purpose of public information is to establish uniform policies for the effective development, coordination, and dissemination of information to the public in the event of a disaster. These policies and procedures are located in the Mesa County Joint Information Center/Joint Information System (JIC/JIS) Plan.

ESF #15 coordinates local actions to provide the required external affairs support to local incident management elements.

ESF #15 details the establishment of support positions to coordinate communications to various audiences. The Mesa County (JIC) is a physical location where public affairs professionals from organizations involved in incident management activities can work together to provide critical emergency information, crisis communications, and public affairs support.

The Mesa County JIC serves as a focal point for the coordination and dissemination of information to the public and media concerning incident prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. The Mesa County JIC structure is designed to work equally well for large or small situations and can expand or contract to meet the needs of the incident. The Mesa County Communications Officer’s Association will be responsible for staffing and managing the JIC.

ESF #15 applies to all local departments and agencies that may require public affairs support or whose public affairs assets may be employed during a disaster.

ESF #15 is required during any response or other event where significant interagency coordination is required and when the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated.

ESF #15 provides the resources and structure for the implementation of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Incident communications actions contained in the EOP are consistent with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Under the Incident Command System (ICS), the JIC is led by the Information Officer (IO) whose jurisdiction has authority for the incident. The IO has three primary responsibilities:

• To gather incident data. This involves understanding how an ICS operates and

developing an effective method for obtaining up to date information from appropriate ICS sections.

• To analyze public perceptions for each incident of the response. This involves employing techniques for obtaining community feedback to provide response agencies with insight into community information needs, their expectations for the role to be played by the response agencies, and the lessons to be learned from specific response efforts.

• To inform the public. That is, to serve as the source of accurate and comprehensive information about the incident and the response to a specific set of audiences.

When multiple public or private agencies and organizations come together to respond to an emergency or manage an event, efficient information flow is critical to effectively carrying out these Information Officer (IO) responsibilities and meeting the expectations of various publics. The Mesa County JIC is a centralized “communication hub” that serves to achieve that information flow.

Information Officers (PIO’s) will represent their own agency and speak about their agency’s involvement in response and recovery operations in an event. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (CDHSEM) PIO will be a central point of contact for the State and should be kept informed about all participating agency news and information releases throughout the response and recovery operations.

The City’s Emergency Manager or designee will make the initial decision to activate the JIC during a large scale emergency or disaster affecting the City of Grand Junction. The JIC will be located in close proximity to the EOC.

Once a JIC has been established, the information officers will follow the Mesa County JIC/JIS Plan.

If activated to support incident information management, a request may come from the Incident Commander, or the Information Officer assigned to the incident. The request is made to the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center (GJRCC) to notify the MCCOA using the group call down list located in the dispatch center.

Upon notification, GJRCC will instruct the Information Officers on where to respond and to whom they should report to upon arrival. Information Officers are required to notify GJRCC of their availability to respond to the request and give their expected time of arrival on scene.

The Lead Information Officer will be the Information Officer whose agency has statutory authority for the incident.

If there are multiple agencies with jurisdictional authority, a unified approach should be

Mesa County Communications Officers Association (MCCOA) may be activated to support ongoing information requirements of a specific jurisdiction during any incident as needed or may be activated to staff the JIC during any large scale incident.

Agency Representative(s) - An individual or group of individuals assigned to an incident from an assisting or cooperating agency. The Agency Representative reports to the Incident Liaison Officer.

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) - A regional network of amateur radio operators, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. Similar to the Federal Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES).

Area Command - An organizational structure used to oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each being handled by an Incident Command System organization or a very large incident that has multiple incident management teams assigned to it.

Blizzard Warning - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service when considerable snow and winds of 35 miles per hour or more are expected.

Branch Director - The individual responsible for a major segment of geographical/functional operations. The branch level is between a Section and a Division/Group.

Casualty - A person injured and needing treatment or killed because of man-made or natural disaster.

Catastrophic Incident - Any natural or manmade incident that results in an extraordinary level of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, and national morale and/or government functions.

Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (CDHSEM) - The branch of state government under the Department of Public Safety, which is responsible for the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program for the State of Colorado.

Command Post - A generic term given to the area or vehicle that provides field personnel a physical location from which to give on-site direction, information, coordination and communication.

Command Staff - In a typical ICS configuration, the Command Staff is composed of the Incident Commander, a Safety Officer, a Public Information Officer, and Liaisons to other agencies.

Continuity of Government - The principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations during an emergency or disaster.

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) - A document that (1) delineates lines of succession at the department, division, and supervisor levels; (2) describes which functions or City- provided services are critical, essential, and non-essential within a given group or division; (3) describes the needed actions or procedures necessary to maintain critical services during emergencies; (4) lists facilities for relocation and associated contingency operations; and, (5) describes needed actions for rapid resumption of critical functions following a disruption. Some Coop’s also contain contact lists for employees and describes how the emergency needs of employees are addressed.

Damage Assessment - The appraisal or determination of the actual effects resulting from man-made or natural disasters.

Damage Assessment Group / Team - A group designated with the responsibility of assessing the scope and effect of physical damages to the infrastructure and the local community. Damage Assessment Groups provide comprehensive findings in Damage Survey Reports. They also provide situation status (SITSTAT) reports to the Plans Section. Also see Rapid Needs Assessment Team

Damage Survey Report (DSR) - A comprehensive engineering report prepared by a federal-state-local team that outlines the scope of work and estimated cost of repairs at each site of damage that has occurred as a result of disaster. See Damage Assessment Group / Team.

Designated Emergency Response Authority (DERA) - The primary response authority for incidents on Federal, State, or County highways and local municipal streets. The DERA is authorized by statute to provide support to other local governments at the request of another DERA, or under established mutual aid.

Emergency - As defined by the Stafford Act, an emergency is “any other occasion or instance for which the President determines that Federal assistance is needed to supplement State, local, and tribal efforts to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.”

Emergency Alert System - Consists of broadcast stations and interconnecting facilities which have been authorized by the Federal Communications Commission to operate in a controlled manner during a war, state of public peril or disaster or other national emergency as provided by the state-wide comprehensive Emergency Alert System Plan.

Emergency Management - An integrated approach to the management of emergency programs and activities for all four emergency phases (mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery), for all types of emergencies and disasters (natural and man-made) and for all levels of government (Federal/State/Local) and the private sector.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) - A protected site from which government officials and support staff facilitate the coordination and supporting operations of an emergency.

Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) - A description of actions or instructions to all City personnel stating what will be done in the event of an emergency. It states the actions to be taken by whom, what, when and where based on predetermined assumptions, objectives, and capabilities, as well as describing the methods of direction and control in a disaster or emergency.

Emergency Relocation Center - A temporary geographical area or facility designed to serve as a safe haven for persons in the process of evacuating a dangerous area or environment. Persons usually stay at the Emergency Relocation Center until the establishment of an evacuation shelter.

Evacuation - Organized, timed, and supervised dispersal of civilians from dangerous and potentially dangerous areas, their reception and care in safety areas and their return to their own home communities.

Evacuation / Emergency Shelter - A form of lodging provided for the communal care of individuals or families made homeless by a disaster or an emergency. Typically, the evacuation shelter provides care, minor emergency medical assistance, feeding, and sleeping resources.

Family Safety and Welfare Requests - An information gathering and communication process designed to keep emergency response personnel advised of their own families' condition. An integral component of sustained operations during a significant disaster or a disaster where an emergency worker is unable to make family contact to personally check his/her family's safety.

Financial Assistance - Any form of loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, rebate, subsidy, disaster assistance loan or grant, or any other form of direct or indirect Federal assistance, other than general or special revenue sharing or formula grants made to the States.

Fire Emergency Radio Network (FERN) - Established radio network for Fire and Rescue mutual aid operations.

Fire Resource Officer - The individual assigned to the emergency communications center to assist with resource requests, radio traffic, and information processing. Typically, a Fire Officer trained in incident management staffs this position.

Five-Hundred (500) Year Floodplain - Refers to that area which is subject to inundation from a flood having a 0.2 percent (two-tenths of 1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Flash Flood Warning - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service indicating that flash flooding is occurring or imminent on certain streams or designated areas and those threatened should take immediate action.

Flash Flood Watch - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service indicating that heavy rains occurring or expected to occur may soon result in flash flooding in certain areas.

Flood Warning - A forecast of impending flooding, given by radio, television and local government emergency forces. A flood warning message tells the expected severity of flooding, the affected river, and the location and time when the flooding will begin.

General Staff - The individuals assigned to specific functional areas (Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Finance Sections) within the Incident Command System (I.C.S.).

Group - The organizational level of the Incident Command System having operational responsibility for a specified tactical function. A Group is the same level as that of a Division.

Group Supervisor - The individual having responsibility to direct personnel assigned to a Group.

Hazardous Materials (Haz Mat) - Any element, compound, or combination thereof which is flammable, corrosive, detonable, toxic, radioactive, an oxidizer, an etiologic agent, or highly reactive and which because of handling, storing, processing or packaging, may have detrimental effects upon operating and emergency personnel, the public, equipment and/or the environment.

Hazard Mitigation - Hazard mitigation includes any cost-effective measure, which will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event. Measures may include zoning and building codes, floodplain property acquisitions, home elevations or relocations, and analysis of hazard-related data.

Incident Action Plan (I.A.P.) - The strategic goals, tactical objectives, and support requirements for the incident. The I.A.P. is developed by the Plans Section, for approval by the Incident Commander, and executed by the Operations Section Chief.

Incident Command System (I.C.S.) - A standardized method of managing emergency incidents based on a common organizational structure, common terminology, common operating procedures and known qualifications of agency operating personnel; used on-scene and/or in conjunction with activation of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) operation where command and control coordination is centralized.

Incident Mitigation - Incident mitigation involves actions taken during an incident designed to minimize impacts or contain the damages to property or the environment.

Liaison Officer - A Command Support Staff or Policy Group member who is the contact point for coordinating information to internal and external agencies.

Line of Succession - A pre-designated assignment of qualified individuals to stand in for key officials, directors, or supervisors in their absence.

Local Emergency - The actual or threatened existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the City or any other disaster that requires the aid and assistance of outside, local, state or federal agencies.

Major Damage - A structure which has received substantial damage but is technically and economically feasible to repair.

Major Disaster - A natural or man-made catastrophe which, in the determination of the President, is or threatens to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant disaster assistance by the Federal Government to supplement the efforts and available resources of State and Local Governments in alleviating the damage, hardship, or suffering caused by such event.

Mitigation - Hazard mitigation includes any cost-effective measure, which will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event. Incident mitigation involves actions taken during an incident designed to minimize impacts or contain the damages to property or the environment. Mitigation efforts occur before, during and after emergencies or disasters. Pre-disaster mitigation involves activities designed to reduce the damaging impact of a disaster should it strike. Post-disaster mitigation is actually part of the recovery process and includes eliminating or reducing the impact of hazards that exist.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) - A Federal program enabling property owners to purchase flood insurance based on an agreement which states that if a community implements measures to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas, the Federal government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses.

National Incident Management System (NIMS) - A system to provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents regardless of size, cause, or complexity.

National Response Framework (NRF) - A Federally-designed and organized Emergency Response Plan that establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents.

National Warning System (NAWAS) - A Federal system, originating from NORAD, used to disseminate warnings and other emergency information from the warning centers to warning points at, and within, each State. For the Mesa County area, the receiving point is the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center.

National Weather Service - The branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which forecasts and issues weather watches and warnings.

NOAA Weather Radio - A broadcast system that furnishes continuous weather messages on dedicated very high frequencies and is a part of the warning system managed by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

Non-governmental Organization - Include entities that may work cooperatively with government. Such organizations serve a public purpose, not a private benefit. Non-governmental organization may include the Private Sector.

One-Hundred (100) Year Floodplain - Refers to areas that are subject to inundation from a flood having a 1 percent (1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Policy Group - The Policy Group is responsible for the development of policies and the direction of City operations implemented during a disaster or emergency.

Preparedness - Those activities, programs and systems that exist prior to an emergency that are used to support and enhance response to an emergency or disaster.

Prevention - The preparedness phase involves activities that are undertaken in advance of an emergency or disaster. These actions might include emergency/disaster planning, training and exercises, and public education.

Public Assistance - The Federal financial assistance provided to State and Local governments or to eligible private nonprofit organizations for disaster-related requirements.

Rapid Needs Assessment Team - A team(s) designated with the responsibility of conducting rapid assessments of physical damages to the City infrastructure and the emergency needs of the impacted local community. Rapid assessments are also known as Windshield Surveys. Rapid Needs Assessment Teams conduct brief evaluations of damage whereas Damage Assessment Group/Teams conduct detailed damage assessments.

Recovery - Recovery activities involve the restoration of services to the public and returning the affected area(s) to pre-emergency conditions. Recovery activities may be both short-term and long-term, ranging from restoration of essential utilities such as water and power, to mitigation measures designed to prevent future occurrences of a given threat. They may reflect the continuation of the response phase activities (i.e., restoration of utilities), or they may include new activities wholly enacted as a part of the recovery process after the disaster has abated (i.e., removal of debris after a flood).

Response - Activities that include immediate actions to preserve life, property, and the environment; meet basic human needs; and maintain the social, economic, and political structure of the affected community. In this phase, emergency personnel engage in the appropriate actions as dictated by an incident’s characteristics.

RESTAT - Short version of the term “Resource Status”. The Plans Section is responsible for collecting information on RESTAT and providing the information to the Operations Section Chief, Incident Commander, or the IC / Ops Coordination Section.

Riverine - Relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, etc.

Severe Blizzard Warning - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service when very heavy snowfall is expected, with winds of at least 45 miles per hour and temperatures of 10 degrees or lower.

SITSTAT - Short version of the term “Situation Status”. The Plans Section is responsible for collecting information on SITSTAT and providing the information to the Operations Section Chief, Incident Commander, or the IC / Ops Coordination Section.

Special Flood Hazard Area - The land in the floodplain subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year, which is mapped and regulated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Staging Area - The location where incident personnel and resources are assigned for immediate response (available) status.

Staging Manager - The individual responsible for the tracking of response-available personnel and equipment. Usually reports to the Incident Commander or Operations Section Chief.

Support Group - A group of individuals and/or internal and external agencies that support the needs of the incident through the management of tasks assigned by Emergency Support Functions. The Support Group / ESFs coordinator reports directly to the IC / Operations Coordination Section.

Title III - Also known as the "Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986," this law establishes requirements for Federal, State, Local governments, and industry regarding emergency planning and "community right-to-know" reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals.

Tornado Warning - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service when a tornado is sighted or indicated by radar. Warnings describe the area that could be affected. When a warning is issued, take cover immediately.

Tornado Watch - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service indicating tornadoes may occur in certain areas. Watches specify a time period and an area where tornadoes are possible.

Travelers' Advisory - Issued by the National Weather Service when ice and snow are expected to hinder travel, but not seriously enough to require warnings.

Unified Command - The shared responsibility of several agencies for incident management as a result of a multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency response effort. During a large-scale event, a Unified Command may change to an Area Command.

Windshield Surveys - Following a disaster, a rapid assessment of physical damages to the City infrastructure and the local community is conducted by a Rapid Needs Assessment Team.

Winter Storm Warning - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service when heavy snow (expected snowfall of 4 inches or more in a 12 hour period, or 6 inches or more in a 24 hour period), is forecasted to occur.

Winter Storm Watch - An advisory issued by the National Weather Service indicating there is a threat of severe winter weather in a particular area.

ICCBO/MA International Code Conference of Building Officials, Mid-America Chapter

WHEREAS, the City of Grand Junction ("City") has suffered or is threatened with suffering serious injury and damage to persons and property which damage constitutes a local disaster “Disaster” caused by the ____________________________________; and,

WHEREAS, the ____________________________________ has resulted in _______ and the possible ____________________________________________________________; and,

WHEREAS, the possible threat is of a large scale and the conditions of the Disaster, which commenced on the ______, 20__, are not contained; and,

WHEREAS, the Charter of the City of Grand Junction provides that the Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the City for military and other special purposes; and,

WHEREAS, the Mayor has been duly advised and informed of the severity of the situation and the declaration of a Disaster will aid the City in the response and recovery aspects of the City’s emergency plans; and

WHEREAS, local emergencies have been declared by other jurisdictions in the immediate vicinity of the City, including Mesa County; and

WHEREAS, City residents are strongly encouraged to stay away from the accident scene and for those that are downwind from the scene stay inside. With this declaration of a Disaster the City is interest in the health and safety of all persons that are or may be in peril.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DECLARED BY ____________________, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION, that a local disaster exists in the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, and the Disaster shall be declared to be in effect until further notice of the City but for not more than seven (7) days from the date hereof unless renewed by the Mayor and/or unless extended by actions of the City Council of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado.

FURTHER, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this declaration be given prompt and general publicity and that a copy be filed promptly with the Grand Junction City Clerk and with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The purpose of this letter is to request that you proclaim a state of disaster emergency in the City of Grand Junction pertaining to a __________________________. The disaster began this morning, _______, 20__; the ________________________________________ has exceeded our locally available resources and response capability to cope with the emergency.

The City of Grand Junction ("City") has established an Emergency Operations Plan and has in accordance with that plan declared a local disaster, an emergency operations center (EOC) is in operation and have activated our Joint Information Center (JIC) to respond to all citizen, media and other information needs.

While our emergency operations personnel are trained for and operate in an “all hazards” environment the scope of this disaster has stressed the City's resources. Because of this emergency event, which I have declared in the enclosed declaration to be a "local disaster", I am requesting assistance from your office and/or the Colorado Division of Emergency Management.

The City is also requesting that financial resources be available under §24-32- 2106, C.R.S. and/or from FEMA funds that are or may be available for distribution to us. Please extend at your earliest opportunity any and all resources that are available to or from the State and of Federal government.

I look forward to receiving, as soon as possible, additional information from you, your staff and/or the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management about the City receiving funds from the State.

You are delegated full responsibility and authority for the command, leadership and management of the ___________ incident under the following terms and conditions. You are to assume command at _____ hours on _______, 20__ and it is your responsibility to notify the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center and all operational personnel currently assigned to the incident when transfer of command occurs. Please notify Emergency Manager, Mr. ____________, of any unusual circumstances that may occur.

As Incident Commander, you are accountable to the GJPD Police Chief, GJFD Fire Chief, CSP Representative, CDOT representative, and NNSA/OST Representative for the overall management of this incident. We expect you to adhere to relevant City policies and applicable laws, policies and professional standards for incident management under prescribed terms and conditions as follows:

Incident management and strategies shall be pursuant to the primary incident. The following are our priorities for this incident;

Consideration for the safety and needs of local residents and communities is essential for successful management of the incident. Safety will not be compromised! All actions and potential consequences will be analyzed against risk to human life and other values. While we will not accept unnecessary risk in managing this incident, we expect you to help us ensure that we do not inappropriately transfer risk to the first responders to hazards, we expect you to be calculated and deliberate in choosing actions that include the highest probabilities of success in protecting values, balanced with first responder and public safety.

v. All actions and potential consequences will be analyzed against risk to human life and other values

b. Develop strategies and tactics to protect structures in coordination with respective City/County/Fire District

d. Work with emergency manager to develop closures to eliminate public exposure to incident area

❖ Incident management and operations shall be conducted as efficiently and effectively as possible, given the prevailing conditions and circumstances. Stabilize the incident. Mitigate the emergency and preservation of property.

❖ Provide for minimal disruption of access to critical community services and commerce. Access must be consistent with the safety of the public.

❖ No additional response for other incidents will be your responsibility. All initial response will be dispatched by the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center and will be the responsibility of the agency having jurisdiction (AHJ).

❖ Transition with existing forces will be handled smoothly but as rapidly as possible.

❖ You will use the State of Colorado Complexity Analysis form every shift to ensure the incident is within the suggested guidelines.

❖ You will use the state’s situational awareness tool WebEOC to post updates to the ____________ board.

❖ Ensure that 2-1 work/rest ratio and 1 in 14/2 in 21 days off cycle is adhered to by all incident personnel.

❖ Ensure no work shift is in excess of 16 hours without prior approval from the incident commander. Report any shift that exceeds 16 hours, approved or unapproved, to the assigned agency representative.

❖ We expect a high level of ethical conduct from everyone while on the incident and in the City. There will be no tolerance for any unethical, illegal drug or alcohol related incidents.

❖ Manage the human resources assigned to the incident in a manner that promotes mutual respect and is consistent with preventing discrimination and sexual harassment.

❖ Minimize, to the extent possible, the socio-economic impacts from this incident.

❖ Coordination with all of the infrastructure providers within the incident foot print.

❖ Work closely with all Agency representatives (listed below) or their designated representatives. The representatives will attend your daily planning and briefings.

❖ Ensure there is a solid communications plan (ICS 205) for all agencies on the incident to be interoperable and coordinate the communications plan with the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center.

◦ Ensure the safe recovery and removal of ___________________ from City of Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colorado.

◦ If evacuations have been ordered, ensure the safe reentry of evacuated citizens.

As IC, you shall operate in unified command with the designated command personnel of other authorities with jurisdiction.

When possible, local personnel shall be utilized within the incident management.

Complete and comprehensive incident documentation shall be maintained, including initial damage claims investigations if applicable.

The Incident Management Team (IMT) will handle media relations through the Mesa County Joint information Center and personnel. The Mesa County Joint Information System/Center (JIS/JIC) will be used as specified in the Mesa County JIS/JIC Plan. The media shall have access to the incident where appropriate if possible. The Type III IMT will be requested to provide and incorporate a public information office into our JIS/JIC.

Communication is paramount, local citizens, businesses, elected official and other stake holders need to be kept well informed of potential threats, issues, or complications in managing the incident as early as possible.

a. Keep internal and external personnel abreast of daily changes and activities.

Provide daily ICS 209 to the City/County and State EOC by the end of your daytime operational period.

❖ Manage the incident in a cost-effective manner not to exceed $_________ dollars. Keep accurate account of total costs by developing a system to track operational efforts by jurisdiction on a daily basis. If you feel you are about to exceed this amount you will contact City/County Emergency Manager, _____________. Effectively manage costs of the incident by planning strategies and tactics toward highly probability of success in meeting incident objectives. Seek opportunities to reduce costs throughout the duration of the incident without jeopardizing success or impacting risk mitigation.

❖ Utilize local purchasing as much as possible. Utilize local resources as much as possible.

❖ Provide training opportunities for less experienced responders. This will strengthen organization capabilities of local area personnel.

❖ Keep efficiency and cost-effectiveness as a key element of your decision-making process. Manage the incident in the most cost efficient and effective manner as possible.

❖ The City of Grand Junction and Mesa County have agreed to share the not-to-exceed amount at a 50/50 cost share.

• Resource orders will be made through the Mesa County Emergency Operations Center. The Mesa County EOC will attempt to fill resource orders locally and if unable to do so will request resources through the Sate EOC.

This transfer becomes effective at ______ hours on ________, 20__ and may be changed or updated as incident conditions change. The delegating authority reserves the right to rescind or immediately terminate this delegation of authority for cause or convenience. Intent to rescind or terminate will be communicated in writing to the IMT Incident Commander.

This incident originated as a ____________ involving a ___________________________________ and occurred on ______, 20__.

Appendix G – National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program

Anyone who may have a role in an emergency response or disaster should complete training applicable to their responsibilities. This specifically includes those individuals with duties in these 10 disciplines:

• Emergency Management Agency

• Emergency Medical Services

• Fire Service

• Governmental Administration

• Hazardous Materials

• Health Care

• Law Enforcement

• Public Health

• Public Safety Communications

• Public Works & Utilities

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program guides NIMS training activities; supports stakeholder training and planning; and serves as a single-source, regularly updated, compilation of training within the NIMS national core curriculum.

The City of Grand Junction has identified the emergency management/response personnel within our jurisdiction who require ongoing training and in what role. Federal policy requires jurisdictions to fulfill compliance objectives as a condition for receiving Federal preparedness assistance or grants.

The guidance within the NIMS Training Program is not absolute. Incident and/or event complexity determines emergency and incident response personnel responsibilities as well as recommended audience for NIMS curriculum coursework delivery.

The NIMS Training Program further recommends at a minimum, in conjunction with participating in exercises and real events, emergency management and response personnel should refresh NIMS training every three years.

IS 700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction (3 hour course)

This course introduces and overviews the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.

ICS 100, Introduction to the Incident Command System, introduces the Incident Command System (ICS) and provides the foundation for higher level ICS training. This course describes the history, features and principles, and organizational structure of the Incident Command System. It also explains the relationship between ICS and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

IS 200.b: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (3 hour course)

ICS 200 is designed to enable personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS-200 provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within the ICS.

The course introduces participants to the concepts and principles of the National Response Framework.

ICS 300 describes how the NIMS Command and Management component supports the management of expanding incidents. Describe the incident/event management process for expanding incidents and supervisors as prescribed by the Incident Command System. Implement the incident management process on a simulated Type 3 incident. Develop an Incident Action Plan for a simulated incident

ICS 400 describes how the NIMS Command and Management component supports the management of expanding incidents. Describe the incident/event management process for large-scale organization development; roles and relationships of the primary staff; the planning, operational, logistical and fiscal considerations related to large and complex incident/event management. Implement the application of Area Command and the importance of interagency coordination on complex incidents/events.

This course introduces Multiagency Coordination (MAC) Systems as described in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and shows how these systems can be used to improve incident response. MAC Systems consist of a combination of elements: personnel, procedures, protocols, business practices, and communications integrated into a common system.

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private-sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents. This includes public information systems, as described in NIMS are designed to effectively manage public information at an incident, regardless of the size and complexity of the situation or the number of entities involved in the response.

G402 - ICS-402 - Incident Command System (ICS) Overview for Executives and Senior Officials

The purpose of this course is to provide an orientation to the Incident Command System (ICS) for Executives and Senior Officials (including elected officials, City/County managers, agency administrators, etc.).

This class is given free of charge through the Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Contact the Regional Field Manager for division.

E900 - IEMC: All Hazards Preparation and Response (4 Days - Emmitsburg, Maryland)

This Integrated Emergency Management Course, E900 All Hazards Preparedness and Response is a premier course that addresses preparedness and response in emergency situations resulting from natural and technological hazards. This exercise-based course is conducted for two types of audiences. The participants in the "generic" audience represent various communities from throughout the country. The "specific" audience is made up of participants all from one community. The IEMC places public officials and other key community leaders in a disaster simulation. The course methodologies of classroom instruction, planning sessions, and exercises, allow for structured decision making in a learning, yet realistic, environment. A key outcome of this is that additional planning needs are identified, providing the opportunity to enhance overall preparedness. The exercise scenario for the All Hazards: Preparedness and Response focuses on severe weather and related flooding.

Each disaster will be unique, but common threads will run through each. Knowing the types of hazards that could impact your community will, however, aid you in preparing for those emergencies or disasters.

• Review emergency ordinances to ensure they are adequate. Define emergency powers and add a provision for declaring a local/county state of emergency.

• Integrate emergency management into all departments that may be called upon to respond to provide support during a disaster.

• Ensure that your community’s emergency operations plan is current and compliant with the National Incident Management System.

• Know what your responsibilities are and participate in disaster drills/exercises.

• Develop and support the establishment of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

• Develop or maintain continuity of operations plans (COOP). In the private sector, this would be similar to a business continuity plan.

• As a part of your COOP plan, identify alternate facilities in which to operate out of in the event that your primary facilities are damaged or in an evacuation zone. These alternate facilities may be in another jurisdiction if necessary.

• Develop a community-based mitigation process to implement a hazard mitigation plan. This is critical for receiving hazard mitigation funds after a disaster occurs.

• Foster the creation of a long-term recovery committee to plan and guide local recovery issues.

• Consider the need for issuing an emergency declaration or proclamation. This can help position your community to receive additional state and federal assistance.

• Understand the incident objectives, provide visible leadership and set policy.

• Exercise sound reasonable judgment, and make decisions with appreciation of legal considerations. Follow your unique standard of care.

• Communicate to the public the nature of event, status of community response, and what individuals should do.

• Promote the timely completion of preliminary damage assessments by individuals and businesses.

• Develop a recovery plan and work with state and federal agencies to secure recovery funds.

• During the recovery process, consider mitigation projects that could lessen or prevent future damage.

• Work with the long-term recovery committee to address long-term needs for survivors.

Emergency management is like an insurance policy. You hope that you will never have to use it but when you do, you want the assurance that it will be there. If elected and senior officials do not put the time in on the front end, they will spend 10 times more on the back end trying to understand and deal with the ramifications of not being prepared.

➢ Local government responds, supplemented by mutual aid from neighboring communities and volunteer agencies. If the disaster exceeds the local capabilities, they can request state assistance.

A local government may declare a local disaster or an emergency through the principal executive officer, through an order or proclamation and submit it to the state, usually through the Mesa County Emergency manager. This activates response and recovery of all applicable local and inter-jurisdictional disaster emergency plans.

• To activate local and inter-jurisdictional emergency plans and mutual assistance agreements

• To support the enactment of temporary emergency restrictions or controls (e.g., curfews, price controls)

➢ The State Responds with state resources as requested (and/or needed) by the local government.

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Department of Public Health & Environment, Department of Transportation, Department of Local Affairs, Department of Public Safety, Colorado State Patrol, Department of Human Services, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Natural Resources are all examples of Colorado agencies who may respond to a disaster.

The State may declare a disaster or emergency by Executive Order or Proclamation of the Governor if the Governor finds a disaster has occurred or that this occurrence or the threat of a disaster or emergency is imminent. This frees up State TABOR reserves and Disaster Emergency funds, enables the Governor to temporarily enact or suspend State restrictions or controls, activates the State Emergency Operations Plan, and activates the State Emergency Operations Center.

➢ Damage Assessment. The state can request a disaster declaration from the Governor with a preliminary damage assessment from the local government through the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The state can also perform a formal federal, state, and local preliminary damage assessment with FEMA to determine if damage amounts may qualify for a presidential disaster request and therefore, federal assistance. A presidential disaster declaration and/or emergency can be requested by the governor to the President through FEMA, based on the damage assessment, and an agreement to commit state funds and resources to the long-term recovery is made.

➢ FEMA will evaluate the request and recommend action to the White House based on the disaster damage assessment, the local community and the state's ability to recover.

➢ The President approves the request or FEMA informs the governor it has been denied. The decision process could take a few hours or several weeks depending on the nature of the disaster.

Note: The difference between a disaster declaration and an emergency declaration is that an emergency can be declared even though there is no disaster. An example would be World Youth Day. Also, an emergency declaration is generally of lesser scope and impact than a major disaster declaration.

Date Posted	Change(s)	Page / Paragraph / Line	Made by

City Council/Mayor
City Manager
Deputy City Manager
City Attorney
Fire Chief
Police Chief
Public Works and Utilities Director
Grand Junction Regional Communications Center Manager
City Administration Public Information Officer
Finance Director
Economic, Conventions & Visitor Services Director
Parks and Recreation Director
City Clerk
Information Technology Director
Human Resource Director
Finance Director
Risk Manager
Emergency Manager

ESF #1—Transportation	Civil transportation support Restoration/recovery of transportation infrastructure Movement restrictions Damage and impact assessment
ESF #2—Communications	Coordination with telecommunications industry Restoration/repair of telecommunications infrastructure Protection and restoration of information resources Warnings—Notifications
ESF #3—Public Works & Engineering	Infrastructure protection and emergency repair Infrastructure restoration Engineering services, construction management Critical infrastructure liaison
ESF #4—Firefighting	Firefighting Activities Resource Support
ESF #5—Emergency Management	Coordination of incident management efforts Management of Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
ESF #6—Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services	Mass Care Disaster Housing Human Services Sheltering Volunteer and Donations Management
ESF #7—Resource Support	Resource support (facility space, office equipment, supplies, contracting services, etc.) Financial Management
ESF #8—Public Health & Medical	Public Health Medical (EMS & Hospital) Mental Health Mass Fatality and Mortuary Services
ESF #9—Search and Rescue	Life-saving Assistance
ESF #10—Oil & Hazardous Materials Response	Hazardous Materials Response (CBRNE) Environmental safety and short and long term cleanup
ESF #11—Agriculture	Nutrition Assistance Animal and plant disease/pest response Food safety and security
ESF #12—Energy and Public Utilities	Energy infrastructure assessment, repair and restoration Energy Industry utilities coordination
ESF #13—Public Safety and Security	Facility and resource security Security planning, technical and resource assistance Public safety/security support Support to access, traffic, and crowd control
ESF #14—Long Term Community	Recovery and Mitigation Social and economic community impact assessment Long term community recovery assistance to local governments and the private sector Mitigation analysis and program implementation
ESF #15—External Affairs	Emergency public information and protective action guidance Media and community relations Support to on scene incident management Management of Joint Information Center (JIC)

All Potential Emergency and Disaster Workers	First Line Supervisors	Middle Management (Mid-level Response Supervisors)	Incident Command & General Staff Positions (Senior-level Response Managers)	All City Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) Group Reps	All City PIO’s	Elected Officials
Fire – All, except clerical support Police – All, except clerical support Public Works & Utilities – All, except clerical support GJRCC All, except clerical support	Fire – Firefighter EMT Paramedic Engineer Captain Prevention Officer Police – Sergeants PW&U - Crew leaders Supervisors Parks & Recreation - Supervisors Risk Manager AIM Members City Leadership Team	Fire Battalion Chiefs* Police Commanders* PW&U Managers - Streets Wastewater Water	Fire Chief* Deputy Fire Chiefs* Police Chief* Deputy Police Chiefs* PW&U Director* Emergency Manager*	Police Rep Fire Rep GJRCC Rep PW&U Rep Emergency Manager	Police PIO Fire PIO City Administration PIO Emergency Manager	Mayor City Council
IS-700.a	IS-700.a	IS-700.a	IS-700.a	IS-700.a	IS-700.a	*G- 402 Recommended**
IS-100.b	IS-100.b	IS-100.b	IS-100.b	IS-100.b	IS-100.b
	IS-200.b	IS-200.b	IS-200.b	IS-200.b	IS-702.a
		IS-800.b	IS-800.b	IS-800.b
		*ICS-300 Recommended**	ICS-300	ICS-300
		*ICS-400 Recommended**	ICS-400	IS-701.a
		*E-900 Recommended**	*E-900 Recommended**