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Deerfield Township Disaster Planning
This plan is a statement of Township policy
regarding emergency management. The plan outlines tasks, roles, and
responsibilities to township officials, department heads and employees during an
emergency or disaster.
Section I
Annually
(by February 1 of each year):
Paper copies of this plan and the Warren County
Emergency Operations Plan will be maintained in easily accessible locations. A
list of these locations will be maintained and updated by the Township
Administrator (or his/her designee). The Administrator will provide copies of
the list to the Board of Township Trustees, the Township Clerk, the Township
Fire Chief, and the commander of the Deerfield Township Post of the Warren
County Sheriff’s Patrol.
The plan also will be stored electronically to
facilitate updates. When the plan is updated, new pages containing the updates
will be dated with the revision date, printed, and added to the hardcopy
documents. The plan will be reviewed in January each year by a representative
of the Board of Trustees, the Administrator, the Township Clerk, the Fire Rescue
Department, the Sheriff’s Office or the Police Department, and the Road
Department.
For those employees involved in field
operations, the Township Administrator will provide a supply of informational
pamphlets to distribute to the public during emergencies. The pamphlets will
include telephone numbers and addresses of which agencies the public may contact
for help.
The Township Administrator will ensure the
contact numbers for all Township Trustees, the Clerk, and all Township employees
listed in Exhibit A of this plan are updated on a periodic basis.
The Township Administrator will supply revised
copies of the plan to the entities, locations, and individuals listed under
“Locations of Plan” in Section II.
The Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Chief will
ensure the contact numbers for all full-time and critical personnel listed in
Exhibit B of this plan are updated on a continual basis and will provide an
updated list to the Township Administrator.
The Township Clerk is responsible for
maintaining a duplicate copy of critical Township information off site. The
Township Clerk is also responsible for providing documentation for the Board of
Trustees identifying the procedures under the ORC that deal with emergency
situations when a quorum of Trustees is not available or if the Clerk is not
available to make payments.
Section II
Locations of Plan
·
Township
Administrator’s Office
·
Fire Department
Headquarters
·
Fire Chief’s
Vehicle
·
Deputy Chief
Vehicle
·
Battalion Chief
Vehicles
·
Deerfield
Township Fire Rescue Station 56
·
Deerfield
Township Fire Rescue Station 57
·
Deerfield
Township Fire Rescue Station 58
·
Warren County
Sheriff’s Office – Deerfield Township
·
Warren County
Emergency Management Authority (EMA)
Section III
In the event of a
natural/manmade disaster in Deerfield Township, the following plan will be
activated.
Responsibility of the Incident Commander:
·
The Incident
Commander is the ranking Public Safety Officer who takes charge of an incident
in the field. It is usually a chief officer from the Fire Rescue Department or
a ranking police official depending on the nature of the disaster. Command is
often assumed by higher-ranking officers as they arrive.
·
The Incident
Commander will ensure that the President of the Board of Trustees is notified of
the location and nature of the emergency. In the event that the President of
the Board of Trustees cannot be contacted, then the Incident Commander will
ensure that a second member of the Board is contacted.
·
The Incident
Commander will also ensure that the Township Administrator and the Township
Clerk are similarly notified.
Section IV
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township Fire
Rescue Department:
·
The Fire Rescue
Department will be responsible for setting up a field command post in close
proximity to the affected area(s). This will be used to coordinate all field
resources from the Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Department and all responding
mutual aid units.
·
In addition to
a field command post, the Fire Chief, or acting chief, the Township Trustees or
the Township Administrator, at his or her discretion, may also activate an
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at one of the following locations:
-
The Deerfield Township administration
building.
-
Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Station 56.
-
Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Station 58.
-
An alternate location in a fixed facility
close to the disaster scene.
·
If the EOC is
positioned in a location other than the Township office the Township
Administrator will either occupy the EOC or remain in close contact with the
ranking fire officials on duty at the EOC.
·
The Fire Chief
or acting fire official will remain at the EOC and the Deputy Fire Chief or next
ranking fire official will remain at the field command post.
·
The Fire
Department assignments can be changed or rotated at the discretion of the
ranking fire official.
Section V
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township
Trustees:
·
The President
of the Board of Trustees will contact the Township Clerk and the Clerk will
assemble with the other elected officials at the Township offices, or - if it
has been activated elsewhere - the Emergency Operations Center. If the
President of the Board of Trustees is not available then the Vice President will
contact the Clerk. If the Vice President is not available either, then the
third Board Member will contact the Clerk.
·
The Deerfield
Township Board of Trustees will declare an emergency meeting of the Board and
meet to pass a resolution declaring the emergency. Exhibit C is a sample copy
of an emergency declaration.
·
A quorum of the
Board of Trustees will remain at the Township office or the Emergency Operations
Center until such time that the emergency no longer threatens the Township.
This decision will be at the discretion of the Board of Trustees after
consultation with the Administrator, the Warren County Operations Manager, the
County Sheriff or Police Chief, and the Fire Rescue Chief or incident commander.
Section VI
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township Clerk:
·
The Clerk shall
be available at the Township Office on Townsley Drive or at the Emergency
Operations Center from the time that the Resolution declaring the emergency is
passed by the Board of Trustees until such time that the emergency no longer
threatens the Township.
·
In the event
that the Township Clerk is not available, the Board of Trustees shall appoint an
Acting Clerk per provisions in the Ohio Revised Code. The Acting Clerk shall
record all minutes and motions made by the Board for the duration of the
emergency.
Section VII
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township
Administrator:
·
The
Administrator immediately will issue a media release identifying the nature of
the emergency and listing a telephone number where residents may obtain
information about the emergency.
·
Office
personnel will be scheduled so that at least one Township employee is available
from the Administration to answer the published number and assist with emergency
operations and the media release center.
·
The Township
Administrator will report to the Township Administrative office at the earliest
opportunity, and remain there pending the formation of an Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) by the authority in charge of the emergency scene.
·
The Township
Administrator or designee will be present at the Township Administrative office
or the EOC until such time that the emergency no longer threatens the Township.
·
The Township
Administrator will act as the Public Information Officer (PIO). All information
disseminated to the public will be approved by the PIO during the emergency.
Section VII
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township Road
Department:
·
Report to the
Township building or the Emergency Operations Center and await assignments based
on immediate and potential needs.
·
Ensure that the
field supervisor monitors the assigned Township radio frequency so that
operation of the road crew can be coordinated through the EOC.
Section IX
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township
Cemetery Department:
·
Report to the
Township building or the Emergency Operations Center and await assignments based
on immediate and potential needs.
Section X
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township Zoning
Department:
·
The Zoning
Administrator and the Zoning Inspector will assist in the Emergency Operations
Center and Field Command as directed by the Township Administrator.
Section XI
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township Parks
Director:
·
The Parks
Director will report to the Emergency Operations Center and will be responsible
for coordinating the efforts of civilian volunteers and the activities of
non-emergency volunteer agencies.
·
The Parks
Director will be responsible for making the PIO aware of all volunteer
activities.
Section XII
Responsibility of the Deerfield Township
Administrative Employees:
The Administrative employees of the Township
shall report to the Administrator at the Emergency Operations Center. If the
employees are not contacted because of circumstances beyond the control of the
Administrator, then the employees shall report to the EOC as soon as they are
aware an emergency has been declared in Deerfield Township.
Section XIII
Responsibility of the Warren County Sheriff’s
Office – Deerfield Township:
·
The ranking
police official on duty will report to the Township Administrative Office and
relocate to the EOC if subsequently established in an alternate location.
·
Units in the
field will respond for immediate assistance to the community and coordinate
their efforts with the Fire Rescue Department via the appropriate assigned radio
channel.
Section XIV
Unified Command:
·
An official
from each agency utilized in the disaster area will assemble in the Emergency
Operations Center so that all activities among responding agencies can be
coordinated. This will include:
-
A quorum of the Deerfield Township Board of
Trustees
-
Township Clerk
-
Deerfield Township Fire Rescue Department
-
Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Deerfield
Township Post
-
Deerfield Township Public Works Director
-
Deerfield Township Parks Director
-
Deerfield Township Zoning Administrator
-
Deerfield Township Zoning Inspector
-
Other agencies immediately assisting Deerfield
Township
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