Alpine County Municipal Code Art. II Definitions

The general definitions contained in the California Emergency Services Act shall apply to this chapter. These definitions are terms commonly used in the standardized emergency management system (SEMS). A complete listing of all terms is located in the county of Alpine emergency operations plan.

A. “Action plan” means the plan prepared in the emergency operations center (EOC) containing the emergency response objectives of that SEMS level reflecting overall priorities and supporting activities for a designated period. The plan is shared with supporting agencies.

B. “Activate” means, at a minimum, a designated official of the emergency response agency implements SEMS as appropriate to the scope of the emergency and the agency’s role in response to the emergency.

C. “Affected jurisdiction” is any jurisdiction which is, or has the reasonable possibility of being, impacted by an incident or incidents, the magnitude of which is, or may fall, within the scope and the intent of this chapter.

D. “Continuity of government” means all measures that may be taken to ensure the continuity of essential functions of governments in the event of emergency conditions, including lines of success for key decision makers.

E. “Department operations center” means an EOC used by a distinct discipline (such as, but not limited to, flood operations, fire, medical, hazardous material) or a unit (such as, but not limited to, community development department or department of health). Department operations centers may be used at all SEMS levels above the field response level depending upon the impacts of the emergency.

F. Director of Emergency Services. During a declared state of war emergency, state of emergency, or a local emergency, the director of emergency services shall be responsible for providing the overall management and direction to the emergency management organization for the control of the emergency. The director of emergency services shall be the county sheriff or designee(s).

G. “Disaster council” consists of representatives of county departments as appointed by the board of supervisors. The county disaster council is authorized to recommend for adoption to the board of supervisors emergency and mutual aid plans and agreements as well as ordinances, resolutions, rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement such plans and agreements, and any necessary amendments.

H. “Disaster service worker” includes public employees and any unregistered person pressed into service during a state of war emergency, a state of emergency, or a local emergency by a person having authority to command the aid of citizens in the execution of his duties. It does not include any member registered as an active firefighting member of any regularly organized volunteer fire department, having official recognition, and full or partial support of the county, city, town or district in which such fire department is located.

I. “Emergency” means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, events endangering the health of the general public, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or other conditions which are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat.

J. Emergency Management Organization. As provided in Section 2.56.060 and the county emergency operations plan.

K. “Emergency operations center (EOC)” means a location from which centralized emergency management can be performed.

L. “Inability to act” means that an officer is either killed, missing, or so seriously ill or injured as to be unable to attend meetings and otherwise perform his/her duties. Any question as to whether a particular officer can be deemed to have an “inability to act” shall be settled by the governing body of the political subdivision or any remaining available members of said body (including standby officers who are serving on such governing body).

M. “Local emergency” means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat.

N. “Local government” means local agencies as defined in Government Code Section 8680.2 and special districts as defined in California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Section 2900(y).

O. “Multi-agency or inter-agency coordination” means the participation of agencies and disciplines involved at any level of the SEMS organization working together in a coordinated effort to facilitate decisions for overall emergency response activities, including the sharing of critical resources and the prioritization of incidents.

P. “Operational area level” means an intermediate level of the State Emergency Services Organization, consisting of a county and all political subdivisions within the county area. Each county geographic area is designated as an operational area. An operational area is used by the county and the political subdivisions comprising the operational area for the coordination of emergency activities and to serve as a link in the system of communications and coordination between the state’s emergency operation centers and the operation centers of the political subdivisions comprising the operational area, as defined in Government Code Sections 8559(b) and 8605. This definition does not change the definition of “operational area” as used in the existing fire and rescue mutual aid system.

Q. “Public health emergency” means an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or health condition that is believed to be caused by any of the following:

1. Bioterrorism;

2. The appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated infectious agent or biological toxin;

3. A chemical attack;

4. An intentional or accidental release of chemicals which creates a hazardous materials event, and that poses a high probability of any of the following:

a. A large number of deaths in the affected population.

b. A large number of serious or long-term disabilities in the affected population.

c. A widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses a significant risk of substantial future harm to a large number of people in the affected population.

R. “Standardized emergency management system (SEMS)” means a standardized response to emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions or multiple agencies. It is based upon and uses the principles and components of emergency management including ICS, multi-agency coordination, operational area concept, and established mutual aid systems.

S. “Standby successors” means those standby officers as defined by Government Code Section 8638 et seq. which have been appointed by the board of supervisors to fill the positions of the board of supervisors should one or more of its members become unavailable (as defined by Government Code Section 8636) during a state of war emergency, state of emergency, or local emergency. The board of supervisors shall appoint three standby successors for each member of the board of supervisors. The duties of the standby successors are listed in Government Code Section 8641.

T. “State of war emergency” means the condition which exists immediately, with or without a proclamation thereof by the Governor, whenever this state or nation is attacked by an enemy of the United States, or upon receipt by the state of a warning from the federal government indicating that such an enemy attack is probable or imminent. (Ord. 719 § 2.1, 2016)

Other terms used herein shall have meanings as used in the California Emergency Services Act and the county’s emergency operations plan, hereinafter referred to as the county’s emergency plan. (Ord. 719 § 2.2, 2016)