[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Hamilton
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-20-1987 by Ord.
No. 941-87]
Because of the existing and increasing possibility of disasters of unprecedented
size and destructiveness, resulting from fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane,
tropical storm, plane crash or other natural or man-made causes, and in order
to ensure that preparations of this township will be adequate to deal with
such disasters in addition to civil insurrection, war or any hostility towards
the United States, and generally to provide for the common defense and to
protect the public peace, health and safety and to preserve the lives and
property of the residents of this township, it is hereby found and declared
to be necessary to:
A.
Create an Office of Emergency Management.
B.
Provide for the rendering of mutual aid to other cities
within the State of New Jersey and adjoining states and to cooperate with
the state government with respect to carrying out emergency functions.
C.
Create and test an emergency operations plan for all
divisions of township government in the event of one of the aforementioned
disasters.
It is further declared to be the purpose of this article and the policy
of this township that all emergency functions of the state government, including
its various departments and agencies, of the county government and of the
other municipalities and private agencies of every type be included in the
emergency operations plan so that a comprehensive plan can be developed to
make use of all available resources in the event that a disaster does occur.
It is further declared to be the purpose of this article and the policy
of this township to organize an Office of Emergency Management in conformity
with the Civil Defense Act as directed by P.L. 1942, c. 251[1], as amended.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. A:9-33 et seq.
The Mayor of this township shall be responsible for the appointment
of a qualified Coordinator of this office pursuant to state and federal guidelines
as of the date of his/her appointment. The Coordinator shall serve for a term
of three years subject to fulfilling the requirements of state statute (N.J.S.A.
App. A:9-40.1). It shall be the responsibility of the Coordinator to appoint
a Deputy Coordinator and such staff as may be needed to effectively operate
this office. The appointment of each Deputy Coordinator is subject to the
approval of the Mayor and, whenever possible, shall be appointed from among
the salaried officers of employers of the municipality. It is the responsibility
of the staff, under the direction of the Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator,
to create and test the emergency operations plan and to be prepared to activate
it whenever necessary.
It shall be the responsibility of this organization to carry out and
enforce such orders, rules and regulations, as issued by the Coordinator or
the chain of command as outlined by the emergency operations plan, under the
authority of this article.
A.
The Office of Emergency Management, through its Coordinator,
shall be responsible for the planning, activating, coordinating and conduct
of disaster control operations within the township.
B.
The Office shall accordingly establish a fully equipped
emergency operations center within the Municipal Communications Center, which
shall be ready to coordinate all township functions in the event of a disaster.
The Office shall also plan for an alternative operations center in the event
that the primary communications center is damaged or unusable.
A.
There is herewith established a Local Emergency Management
Council which shall be composed of not more than 15 members appointed by the
Mayor and who shall hold office at the will and pleasure of the Mayor. The
Emergency Management Coordinator shall be a member and shall serve as Chairman
of said Emergency Management Council.
B.
The Emergency Management Council shall assist the township
in establishing the various local volunteer agencies needed to meet the requirements
of all local civilian defense and emergency management activities in accordance
with the rules and regulations established by the Governor of the State of
New Jersey in pursuance of the provisions of the State Civil Defense Act.
[Adopted 3-18-1991 by Ord.
No. 1068-91]
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-156.1, there is hereby established a mutual
aid agreement with all other municipalities in Atlantic County, New Jersey,
who adopt a reciprocal ordinance to provide mutual police aid in case of emergency.
This agreement shall apply whenever the Township of Hamilton may have an emergency
within its boundaries requiring additional police assistance to protect life
and property or to assist in suppressing a riot or disorder, and whenever
another municipality in this county who has enacted a reciprocal ordinance
may experience a similar emergency requiring additional police assistance.
The Chief or head of the Police Department of the Township of Hamilton
is authorized to request assistance from the Chief or other head of the Police
Department of another municipality within Atlantic County to provide aid during
and after said emergency.
The Chief or head of the Police Department of the Township of Hamilton
shall provide assistance to another municipality or municipalities in Atlantic
County making a valid request to supply such personnel and equipment as required
to the extent possible without endangering persons or property within the
Township of Hamilton. The members of the Police Department supplying aid shall
have the same powers, authority, rights and immunities of the members of the
police force of the municipality to which assistance is rendered.
The Township of Hamilton shall, upon providing assistance to another
municipality who has enacted a reciprocal mutual aid ordinance, assume the
cost and expense of providing its personnel and equipment to the requesting
municipality, except in such instances when the requesting municipality receives
state or federal aid by way of reimbursement. In such circumstances, the cost
incurred shall be submitted to the community requesting assistance.
Members of the police force of the Township of Hamilton suffering injury,
or their legal representatives if death results, while rendering assistance
in another municipality shall be entitled to all such benefits they would
have realized if injury or death had occurred in the performance of normal
duties in the Township of Hamilton.
