[Adopted 1-11-1965 by Ord. No. 763]
[Amended 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944]
Because of the existing possibility of attack upon the United States of unprecedented size and destructiveness, and in order, in the event of such an attack, to assure continuity of government through legally constituted leadership, authority and responsibility in offices of the Township, to provide for the effective operation of Township government during an emergency and to facilitate the early resumption of functions temporarily suspended, it is found and declared to be necessary to provide for additional officers who can exercise the powers and discharge the duties of and for the Township; and to provide for emergency interim succession to Township offices in the event the incumbents thereof and their deputy assistants or other subordinate officers authorized, pursuant to law, to exercise all the powers and discharge the duties of such offices (hereinafter referred to as "Deputies") are unavailable to perform the duties and functions of such offices.
[Added 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944]
The following words and phrases shall have the meanings as given hereinafter, unless specifically stated otherwise:
ATTACK
Any attack or series of attacks by an enemy or otherwise of the United States causing or which may cause substantial damage or injury to civilian property or person in the United States in any manner by sabotage or by the use of bombs, missiles, shell fire or atomic, radiological, chemical, nuclear, bacteriological or biological means or other weapons or processes.
EMERGENCY INTERIM SUCCESSOR
A person designated pursuant to this Code in the event the officer is unavailable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of an office until a successor is appointed or elected and qualified, as may be provided by the Constitution, statutes, charters and ordinances or until the lawful incumbent is able to resume the exercise of the powers and discharge the duties of the office.
OFFICE
Includes all offices, the powers and duties of which are defined by the Constitution, statutes, charters and ordinances.
UNAVAILABLE
A vacancy in office exists and there is no deputy authorized to exercise all the powers and discharge the duties of the office, that the lawful incumbent of the office, including any deputy exercising the powers and discharging the duties of an office because of a vacancy and his duly authorized deputy are absent or unable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office, or the officer is not present within the emergency operating center of the Township Municipal Building or at a designated site of government for the Township of Whitehall in the event of the destruction of the municipal building.
The site of government for the Township of Whitehall shall be the Township Municipal Building and in the event of its destruction, the highest ranking emergency interim successor who may be otherwise available shall designate the site of Township government.
[Amended 3-9-1979 by Ord. No. 950; 5-13-1976 by Ord. No. 1187; 10-10-1977 by Ord. No. 1252]
Pursuant to the Act of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, of October 23, 1959, P.L. 1369, as amended, in the event of an attack, the following shall be the emergency interim successors to office for the Township of Whitehall when duly elected or appointed officers are unavailable and the normal functions of local government have been disrupted:
A. 
Mayor.
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
B. 
Deputy Mayor.
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
C. 
Board of Commissioners of the Township of Whitehall, or a quorum of thereof.
D. 
President of the Board of Commissioners.
E. 
Vice President of the Board of Commissioners.
F. 
Secretary of the Board of Commissioners.
G. 
Remaining Commissioners, in descending order of their ages.
H. 
Head of the Department of Operations.
I. 
Chief of Police.
J. 
Chief of Fire Department.
K. 
Captains in the Bureau of Police, in descending order of their seniority.
L. 
Detectives in the Bureau of Police, in descending order of their seniority.
M. 
Sergeants in the Bureau of Police, in descending order of their seniority.
N. 
Assistant Fire Chiefs, in descending order of their seniority.
[Added 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944; amended 8-8-2005 by Ord. No. 2578]
Prior to taking up the duties to which they may temporarily succeed, emergency interim successors shall take such oath as may be required for them to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office to which they may succeed.
[Added 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944; amended 8-8-2005 by Ord. No. 2578]
Officials authorized to act as emergency interim successors are empowered to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of an office as herein authorized only after an attack upon the Unites States as defined herein has occurred.
The emergency interim successors to office, in the order designated herein, shall take and direct and perform all necessary legislative and executive functions of Township government until such time as the normal functions of Township government can be restored. It shall be the duty of each emergency interim successor to restore the normal functions of government, as defined by law (Act of 1959, P.L. 1369), as quickly as possible.
All designated emergency interim successors to office shall have the duty to proceed as quickly as possible to the site of government and, in the event this is not possible, he or she shall designate his or her successors to office in accordance with the "Emergency Interim Executive and Judicial Succession Act of 1959," who shall in turn proceed as quickly as possible to the site of government. Said designation shall be made in writing and signed by said officer.
As normal functions of local government are restored, each emergency interim successor in office shall relinquish control to the officers immediately preceding in the order as designated herein, unless preceding emergency interim successors in office shall waive the power to control in favor of a successor.
Each emergency interim successor in office shall comply with all Federal and State Civil Defense Acts, regulations and directions, as well as the laws and Constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[Amended 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944]
The following State Civil Defense Acts, as amended, are incorporated by reference herein and made a part thereof, to the extent that they may be applicable, as fully as though the same were set forth at length.
A. 
Act of March 19, 1951, P.L. 28.
B. 
Act of April 13, 1942, P.L. 37.
C. 
Act of July 28, 1959, P.L. 579.
D. 
Act of October 23, 1959, P.L. 1365.
E. 
Act of October 23, 1959, P.L. 1369.
F. 
Act of October 23, 1959, P.L. 1373.
[Added 10-9-1995 by Ord. No. 1944; amended 8-8-2005 by Ord. No. 2578]
When acting as an emergency interim successor, said emergency interim successor may declare a local disaster emergency under and pursuant to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Act, thereby authorizing the Whitehall Township Emergency Management Organization to act in accordance with the plan and program of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which includes the responsibility for the emergency management response and recovery within the territorial limits of the Township.