§ 14-602

Maryland § 14-602

• Jurisdiction: Maryland
• Article gps: Public Safety
• Title: 14

Text

The contracting states solemnly agree:

(1) ARTICLE 1. Purpose.

The purpose of this compact is to provide mutual aid among the states in meeting any emergency from enemy attack or other cause (natural or otherwise) including sabotage and subversive acts and direct attacks by bombs, shellfire, and atomic, radiological, chemical, bacteriological means, and other weapons. The prompt, full and effective utilization of the resources of the respective states, including such resources as may be available from the United States government or any other source, are essential to the safety, care and welfare of the people thereof in the event of enemy action or other emergency, and any other resources, including personnel, equipment or supplies, shall be incorporated into a plan or plans of mutual aid to be developed among emergency management and civil defense agencies or similar bodies of the states that are parties hereto. The directors of emergency management and civil defense of all party states shall constitute a committee to formulate plans and take all necessary steps for the implementation of this compact.

(2) ARTICLE 2. Emergency management and civil defense plans and programs.

It shall be the duty of each party state to formulate emergency management and civil defense plans and programs for application within such state. There shall be frequent consultation between the representatives of the states and with the United States government and the free exchange of information and plans, including inventories of any materials and equipment available for emergency management and civil defense. In carrying out such emergency management and civil defense plans and programs the party states shall so far as possible provide and follow uniform standards, practices and rules and regulations including:

(a) Insignia, arm bands and any other distinctive articles to designate and distinguish the different emergency management and civil defense services;

(b) Blackouts and practice blackouts, air raid drills, mobilization of emergency management and civil defense forces and other tests and exercises;

(c) Warnings and signals for drills or attacks and the mechanical devices to be used in connection therewith;

(d) The effective screening or extinguishing of all lights and lighting devices and appliances;

(e) Shutting off water mains, gas mains, electric power connections and the suspension of all other utility services;

(f) All materials or equipment used or to be used for emergency management and civil defense purposes in order to assure that such materials and equipment will be easily and freely interchangeable when used in or by any other party state;

(g) The conduct of civilians and the movement and cessation of movement of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, prior, during and subsequent to drills or attacks;

(h) The safety of public meetings or gatherings; and

(i) Mobile support units.

(3) ARTICLE 3. Resources; emergency management and civil defense forces.

Any party state requested to render mutual aid shall take such action as is necessary to provide and make available the resources covered by this compact in accordance with the terms hereof; provided that it is understood that the state rendering aid may withhold resources to the extent necessary to provide reasonable protection for such state. Each party state shall extend to the emergency management and civil defense forces of any other party state, while operating within its state limits under the terms and conditions of this compact, the same powers (except that of arrest unless specifically authorized by the receiving state), duties, rights, privileges and immunities as are extended to the emergency management and civil defense forces of such state. Emergency management and civil defense forces will continue under the command and control of their regular leaders but the organizational units will come under the operational control of the emergency management and civil defense authorities of the state receiving assistance.

(4) ARTICLE 4. Licenses and permits.

Whenever any person holds a license, certificate or other permit issued by any state evidencing the meeting of qualifications for professional, mechanical or other skills, such person may render aid involving such skill in any party state to meet an emergency or disaster and such state shall give due recognition to such license, certificate or other permit as if issued in the state in which aid is rendered.

(5) ARTICLE 5. Liability.

No party state or its officers or employees rendering aid in another state pursuant to this compact shall be liable on account of any act or omission in good faith on the part of such forces while so engaged, or on account of the maintenance or use of any equipment or supplies in connection therewith.

(6) ARTICLE 6. Supplementary agreements.

Inasmuch as it is probable that the pattern and detail of the machinery for mutual aid among two or more states may differ from that appropriate among other states party hereto, this instrument contains elements of a broad base common to all states, and nothing herein contained shall preclude any state from entering into supplementary agreements with another state or states. Such supplementary agreements may comprehend, but shall not be limited to, provisions for evacuation and reception of injured and other persons, and the exchange of medical, fire, police, public utility, reconnaissance, welfare, transportation and communications personnel, equipment and supplies.

(7) ARTICLE 7. Compensation and death benefits.

Each party state shall provide for the payment of compensation and death benefits to injured members of the emergency management and civil defense forces of that state and the representatives of deceased members of such forces in case such members sustain injuries or are killed while rendering aid pursuant to this compact, in the same manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were sustained within such state.

(8) ARTICLE 8. Reimbursement for loss, damage, expense, or cost.

Any party state rendering aid in another state pursuant to this compact shall be reimbursed by the party state receiving such aid for any loss or damage to, or expense incurred in the operation of any equipment answering a request for aid, and for the cost incurred in connection with such requests; provided, that any aiding party state may assume in whole or in part such loss, damage, expense, or other cost, or may loan such equipment or donate such services to the receiving party state without charge or cost; and provided further that any two or more party states may enter into supplementary agreements establishing a different allocation of costs as among those states. The United States government may relieve the party state receiving aid from any liability and reimburse the party state supplying emergency management and civil defense forces for the compensation paid to and the transportation, subsistence and maintenance expenses of such forces during the time of the rendition of such aid or assistance outside the state and may also pay fair and reasonable compensation for the use or utilization of the supplies, materials, equipment or facilities so utilized or consumed.

(9) ARTICLE 9. Plans for evacuation of civil population.

Plans for the orderly evacuation and reception of the civilian population as the result of an emergency shall be worked out from time to time between representatives of the party states and the various local emergency management and civil defense areas thereof. Such plans shall include the manner of transporting such evacuees, the number of evacuees to be received in different areas, the manner in which food, clothing, housing, and medical care will be provided, the registration of the evacuees, the providing of facilities for the notification of relatives or friends and the forwarding of such evacuees to other areas or the bringing in of additional materials, supplies, and all other relevant factors. Such plans shall provide that the party state receiving evacuees shall be reimbursed generally for the out-of-pocket expenses incurred in receiving and caring for such evacuees, for expenditures for transportation, food, clothing, medicines and medical care and like items. Such expenditures shall be reimbursed by the party state of which the evacuees are residents, or by the United States government under plans approved by it. After the termination of the emergency the party state of which the evacuees are residents shall assume the responsibility for the ultimate support or repatriation of such evacuees.

(10) ARTICLE 10. Availability of compact; “state” defined.

This compact shall be available to any state, possession or territory of the United States, and the District of Columbia. The term “state” may also include any neighboring foreign country or province or state thereof.

(11) ARTICLE 11. Role of Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The committee established pursuant to Article 1 of this compact may request the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States government to act as an informational and coordinating body under this compact, and representatives of such agency of the United States government may attend meetings of such committee.

(12) ARTICLE 12. Compact operative on ratification.

This compact shall become operative immediately upon its ratification by any state as between it and any other state or states so ratifying and shall be subject to approval by Congress unless prior congressional approval has been given. Duly authenticated copies of this compact and of such supplementary agreements as may be entered into shall, at the time of their approval, be deposited with each of the party states and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other appropriate agencies of the United States government.

(13) ARTICLE 13. Withdrawal from compact.

This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each party state until the legislature or the governor of such party state takes action to withdraw therefrom. Such action shall not be effective until 30 days after notice thereof has been sent by the governor of the party state desiring to withdraw to the governors of all other party states.

(14) ARTICLE 14. Construction of compact; severability.

This compact shall be construed to effectuate the purposes stated in Article 1 hereof. If any provision of this compact is declared unconstitutional, or the applicability thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the constitutionality of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

(15) ARTICLE 15. Additional applicability.

(a) This article shall be in effect only as among those states which have enacted it into law or in which the governors have adopted it pursuant to constitutional or statutory authority sufficient to give it the force of law as part of this compact. Nothing contained in this article or in any supplementary agreement made in implementation thereof shall be construed to abridge, impair or supersede any other provision of this compact or any obligation undertaken by a state pursuant thereto, except that if its terms so provide, a supplementary agreement in implementation of this article may modify, expand or add to any such obligation as among the parties to the supplementary agreement.

(b) In addition to the occurrences, circumstances and subject matters to which preceding articles of this compact make it applicable, this compact and the authorizations, entitlements and procedures thereof shall apply to:

(1) Searches for and rescue of persons who are lost, marooned, or otherwise in danger;

(2) Action useful in coping with disasters arising from any cause or designed to increase capability to cope with any such disasters;

(3) Incidents, or the imminence thereof, which endanger the health or safety of the public and which require the use of special equipment, trained personnel or personnel in larger numbers than are locally available in order to reduce, counteract or remove the danger;

(4) The giving and receiving of aid by subdivisions of party states;

(5) Exercises, drills or other training or practice activities designed to aid personnel to prepare for, cope with, or prevent any disaster or other emergency to which this compact applies.

(c) Except as expressly limited by this compact or a supplementary agreement in force pursuant thereto, any aid authorized by this compact or any supplementary agreement may be furnished by any agency of a party state, a subdivision of a party state, or by a joint agency of any two or more party states or of their subdivisions. Any joint agency providing aid shall be entitled to reimbursement therefor to the same extent and in the same manner as a state. The personnel of a joint agency, when rendering aid pursuant to this compact, shall have the same rights, authority and immunity as personnel of party states.

(d) Nothing in this article shall be construed to exclude from the coverage of Articles 1-14 of this compact any matter which, in the absence of this article, could reasonably be construed to be covered thereby.