§ 22-24. Functions, statutory responsibilities.

(a)

The county shall maintain an ESDA which has jurisdiction over and serves the entire county, except as otherwise provided in the act.

(b)

The county's ESDA shall not have jurisdiction within a political subdivision that has its own emergency services and disaster agency, but shall cooperate with the emergency services and disaster agency of a city, village or incorporated town within the county borders.

(c)

The county ESDA shall work with the liaison appointed by each municipality within its jurisdiction which is not required to and does not have an emergency services and disaster agency in order to facilitate the cooperation and protection of that municipality with the county's ESDA in the work of disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

(d)

The principal executive officer of the county shall notify the Illinois Emergency Management Agency of the manner in which the political subdivision is providing or securing emergency management, identify the executive head of the ESDA and furnish additional information relating thereto as the Illinois Emergency Management Agency requires.

(e)

The ESDA shall prepare and keep current an emergency operations plan for the county boundaries. This plan shall be submitted to the IEMA for review and approval, in accordance with 20 ILCS 3305/1 et seq.

(f)

The ESDA shall prepare and distribute to all appropriate officials in written form a clear and complete statement of the emergency responsibilities of all local departments and officials and of the disaster chain of command.

(g)

The ESDA shall coordinate emergency management functions within the territorial limits of the political subdivision within which it is organized as are prescribed in and by the state emergency operations plan, and programs, orders, rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and in addition, shall conduct such functions outside of those territorial limits as may be required pursuant to such mutual aid agreements and compacts as are entered into under subparagraph 5 of paragraph c of section 6 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act (20 ILCS 3305/6(c)(5)).

(h)

The county upon advice from the ESDA may enter into contracts and incur obligations necessary to place it in a position effectively to combat such disasters in order to protect the health and safety of persons and to protect property, and to provide emergency assistance to victims of those disasters. If such a disaster occurs, the county may exercise the powers vested under this section in the light of the exigencies of the disaster and, excepting mandatory constitutional requirements, without regard to the procedures and formalities normally prescribed by law pertaining to the performance of public work, entering into contracts, the incurring of obligations, the employment of temporary workers, the rental of equipment, the purchase of supplies and materials, and the appropriation, expenditure and disposition of public funds and property.

(i)

The ESDA personnel who, while engaged in a disaster or disaster training exercise, suffer disease, injury or death, shall, for the purposes of benefits under the Worker's Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305/1 et seq.) or Worker's Occupational Diseases Act (820 ILCS 310/1 et seq.) only, be deemed to be employees of the state if the claimant is duly qualified and enrolled (sworn in) as a volunteer of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency or an emergency services and disaster agency accredited by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and if the claimant was participating in an actual disaster as defined in section 4 of the act (20 ILCS 3305/4) or the exercise participated in was specifically and expressly approved by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency shall use the same criteria for approving an exercise and utilizing state volunteers as required for any political subdivision. The computation of benefits payable under either of those acts shall be based on the income commensurate with comparable state employees doing the same type of work or income from the person's regular employment, whichever is greater.

(j)

Prior to conducting a disaster training exercise, the principal executive officer of the county or his designee shall provide area media with written notification of the disaster training exercise. Such notification shall indicate that information relating to the disaster training exercise shall not be released to the public until the commencement of the exercise. The notification shall also contain a request that the notice be so posted to ensure that all relevant media personnel are advised of the disaster training exercise before it begins. During the conduct of such disaster training exercise, all messages, two-way radio communications, briefings, status reports, news releases, and other oral or written communications shall begin and end with the following statement: "This is an exercise message."

(Ord. No. 93-16, § 4, 7-21-93)