Subject:
Title
Amendments to the 2020 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and Adoption of the 2020 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan as amended.
End
Fiscal Impact:
None
Dept/Office:
Emergency Management/County Attorney
Requested Action:
Recommendation
1)Approve changes to the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan submitted to the State of Florida for approval and adopt the Plan as amended per the attached resolution. 2) Direct staff to implement the same changes to the existing Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and submit changes to the State of Florida if necessary. 3) Direct staff to make all other minor amendments necessitated by the changes in the sections presented in Attachment 1 in the 2020 and 2016 Plans. 4) Continue authorization of County Manager, or his designee, to sign extensions of local state of emergency as needed. 5) Continue current delegation of emergency authority to Vice Chair until the end of term as Vice Chair to allow consistency with existing and ongoing pandemic procedures. 6) In the event an issue arises regarding FEMA reimbursement eligibility as a result of any of the proposed actions, staff is authorized to take all necessary steps to preserve FEMA eligibility. 7) Direct Emergency Management staff and the County Attorney to meet with city representatives to explore options to increase city input and participation in emergency procedures. 8) Include city representatives in the annual pre-storm season organizational meeting of Emergency Management at the Emergency Operations Center. End
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
The 2020 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan was submitted to the State of Florida on March 12, 2020. In April, 2020, the Board requested options for changes to the 2016 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan currently in place. Accordingly, we must address the plan submitted to the State and the existing plan.
As to the policy group issue, the plans are substantially the same and it is possible to address the concepts for both plans in one set of proposed changes and make minor adjustments as needed in the other plan. Attachment 1 proposes changes to the 2020 Plan that has been submitted to the State of Florida for review. The proposed changes clearly state the Board of County Commissioners manages all emergency responses. Attachment 1, page 1. To allow for situations when a Board meeting cannot be held quickly enough to respond to an emergency, or when Board meetings cannot be held due to weather conditions or other issues, a temporary authorization to act in an emergency is provided to the Chair, Vice Chair, the district commissioners in ascending order, followed by County Manager and alternatively, the Public Safety Director. Attachment 1, pages 3 and 4.
The Policy Group remains as a group of experienced experts in their fields or as representatives of their organizations or local governmental entities providing information and expertise to the Board or its delegate before, during and after the emergency. In addition, the participating representatives on the Policy Group will continue to have the ability to seek input from appropriate outside experts (such as the National Weather Service) as necessary depending on the situation presented. The Policy Group is in no way limited in its ability to obtain input from all necessary sources. The Policy Group also continues the valuable role of disseminating information to their organizations throughout the emergency. See also Attachment 1 pages 6 and 7 for a description of Policy Group member roles.
In addition, the entire 2020 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan has been provided by separate cover to each commissioner and is ready for approval as amended by Attachment 1. The approval will need to be confirmed or readopted by the Board after the 2020 Plan is found in compliance by the State of Florida and any changes requested by the State can be inserted at that time. Staff is further directed to make any other changes to the 2016 Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan necessitated by this action and send those changes to the State for approval. Staff is further directed to use administrative procedures for minor changes contained in the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan to provide consistency with the amendments throughout the Plans.
For transparency for the public, staff suggests consideration of ordinances implementing the emergency procedures. A request for legislative intent will be developed for Board review at a later date.
Staff has received inquiries regarding the ability to add additional city representatives and a suggestion to rename the Policy Group the Emergency Operations Strategy group. The representative for the cities provided the following suggestion for the membership of the strategy group:
1. County Manager or Designee
2. City/Town Manager from North Brevard
3. City/Town Manager from Central Brevard
4. City/Town Manager from South Brevard
5. City/Town Manager from Beach Municipality
6. School Superintendent or Designee
7. Sheriff or Designee
8. County Public Safety Director or Designee
9. County Fire Chief or Designee
10. President of the Space Coast Police Chiefs Association
11. President of the Space Coast Fire Chiefs Association
12. Cocoa or Melbourne Water Utility Director
13. Florida Department of Health Brevard Representative
14. Emergency Management Director
Staff notes the amendment does not change Policy Group membership- that feature remains the same in the proposed changes. In addition, current Emergency Support Functions of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan require coordination with municipalities where applicable. Those requirements and functions are not changing in the new 2020 plan or in the proposed amendments. Coordination with the cities will continue. However, if there is a desire to explore additional methods to provide input, the staff can work with the municipalities to create new procedures and include the listed representatives in the pre-storm season organizational meeting held at the Emergency Operations Center. City representatives may also appear at emergency meetings of the County Commission to provide input directly to the Board.
If the Board does not wish to proceed with the requested action it may:
1. Direct staff to take some of the actions listed in the Requested Action section and identify the numbered items selected.
2. Direct staff to take action as the Board deems appropriate.
Clerk to the Board Instructions: