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TO: Mayor Richard Irvin
FROM: Natalie E. Wiza, Emergency Management Coordinator
DATE: November 12, 2024
SUBJECT:
Requesting the approval to readopt the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System agreement.
PURPOSE:
The Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System Agreement (IEMMAS) is an agency-based agreement between local and county governments coordinated and maintained by the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA). This IEMMAS agreement provides for mutual aid rendering between emergency management agencies that may need support, resources, and/or manpower in times of emergency or disaster, or other situations with the potential to overwhelm the local jurisdiction. The services provided are supported by highly trained emergency management professionals.
This agreement has been in place statewide since 2003, with over 150 local and county municipal jurisdictions participating, and the City of Aurora has maintained participation with this agreement since 2016.
BACKGROUND:
IEMMAS is an agency-based agreement between local and county governments coordinated and maintained by IESMA. This agreement provides for mutual aid to and between emergency management agencies. The agreement submitted for resolution has been updated from the 2016 version to reflect changes to the previous agreement have become obsolete or no longer reflect the way agency to agency support is provided in the emergency management profession. Based on lessons learned from other mutual aid organizations in the State of Illinois, language has been modernized and legal framework has been updated.
Without this agreement, the City of Aurora would have to wait until a State of Illinois Gubernatorial Proclamation is delivered before support can be requested and/or provided for an emergency or disaster. Very rarely does a Gubernatorial Proclamation occur; therefore, this agreement allows local and county jurisdictions to share support, resources, and manpower much quicker at the grassroots level while still maintaining critical mutual aid concepts.
DISCUSSION:
The updated agreement differs from the previous agreement in the following ways:
1. Focuses on the whole of the agency. This agreement provides more detail on what is considered emergency management personnel and assets. Where a jurisdiction may have equipment, staff, or facilities that fall under the control or management of emergency management, this document takes those assets into account.
2. Establishment of a governing body. Although IESMA’s goal is to further the mission of emergency management, not all Counties and Municipalities who are signatories to the IEMMAS agreement are IESMA members. The new agreement establishes a governance structure for the oversight of emergency management mutual aid. IESMA will have a role in establishing this governing body and the initial governance structure, but the intent is for the IEMMAS governing body to be self-determining.
3. Agreement between signatories. This agreement has a single signature line where each signatory agrees to be a party to the agreement along with every other entity that has
signed the agreement. The previous agreement had three signatories which gave the impression that an agreement needed to be approved for it to be in effect. The new agreement is more flexible in the execution.
This updated agreement outlines provisions for:
1. Compensation for Aid: At no time will there be a charge to the requestor who has signed the agreement. However, in the event of third-party reimbursements, fees, grants, or insurance proceeds, the requestor shall equitably distribute those funds to the responding agency.
2. Risk and Liability. Except for interstate/intrastate responses, agencies providing support shall be held harmless and shall not be responsible to another party for any liability or costs arising from acts of support. All insurance provisions are procured and maintained under normal operations of the jurisdiction.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
There are no negative operational or financial impacts to the City of Aurora and Aurora Emergency Management Agency by the signing of this agreement. However, the decision to not sign will result in a delay of support, resources, and manpower to the community at large during our most difficult times.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I request the proposed resolution be adopted.
cc: Public Health, Safety, and Transportation Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution to readopt the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System agreement.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, it is recognized that at any given time emergency and/or disaster situations may occur that are beyond the capacities of the City of Aurora Emergency Management Agency to deal effectively in terms of personnel, equipment and material resources; and,
WHEREAS, in adopting the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System Intergovernmental Service Agreement the City of Aurora Emergency Management Agency, as one of the members thereof, hereby expresses its intent to assist a nearby member jurisdiction by assigning as appropriate some of its personnel, equipment or material resources to the requesting member jurisdiction as situations allow; and,
WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the City of Aurora Emergency Management Agency to provide as much assistance as possible for assistance to the residents of the City of Aurora and other Members of said Mutual Aid Service Agreement; and,
WHEREAS, said Intergovernmental Service Agreement is authorized by the Illinois Emergency Management Act, Section 3305/13 and pursuant to Chapter 14 Emergency Management Agency of the City of Aurora Code of Ordinances allowing for the participation in various mutual aid agreements.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows:
Section 1: That the above and foregoing recitals are incorporated as findings of fact in this Resolution.
Section 2: That the City of Aurora, a body politic, and it's representative Aurora Emergency Management Agency may participate as a Member of the Illinois Emergency Management Mutual Aid System pursuant to that certain Mutual Aid Intergovernmental Service Agreement which is attached to this Resolution hereto and incorporated herein and identified as "Exhibit A".
Section 3: That Emergency Management Coordinator is hereby authorized to execute, on behalf of the City of Aurora, said Agreement and that the City of Aurora City Clerk is authorized to attest to said Agreement.