Ohio § 5502.41 Intrastate mutual aid compact

Ohio Statutes

§ 5502.41 — Intrastate mutual aid compact

Ohio § 5502.41

Title 55Roads-Highways-Bridges

Ch. 5502Department of Public Safety

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Bluebook

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 5502.41 (2026).

Text

(A)As used in this section:

(1)"Chief executive of a participating political subdivision" means the elected chief executive of a participating political subdivision or, if the political subdivision does not have an elected chief executive, a member of the political subdivision's governing body or an employee of the political subdivision appointed by the governing body's members to be its representative for purposes of the intrastate mutual aid program created pursuant to this section.

(2)"Countywide emergency management agency" means a countywide emergency management agency established under section5502.26of the Revised Code.

(3)"Emergency" means any period during which the congress of the United States, a chief executive as defined in section5502.21of the Revised Code, or

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(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Chief executive of a participating political subdivision" means the elected chief executive of a participating political subdivision or, if the political subdivision does not have an elected chief executive, a member of the political subdivision's governing body or an employee of the political subdivision appointed by the governing body's members to be its representative for purposes of the intrastate mutual aid program created pursuant to this section.

(2) "Countywide emergency management agency" means a countywide emergency management agency established under section5502.26of the Revised Code.

(3) "Emergency" means any period during which the congress of the United States, a chief executive as defined in section5502.21of the Revised Code, or a chief executive of a participating political subdivision has declared or proclaimed that an emergency exists.

(4) "Participating political subdivision" means each political subdivision in this state except a political subdivision that enacts or adopts, by appropriate legislation, ordinance, resolution, rule, bylaw, or regulation signed by its chief executive, a decision not to participate in the intrastate mutual aid program created by this section and that provides a copy of the legislation, ordinance, resolution, rule, bylaw, or regulation to the state emergency management agency and to the countywide emergency management agency, regional authority for emergency management, or program for emergency management within the political subdivision.

(5) "Planned event" means a scheduled nonemergency activity as defined by the national incident management system adopted under section5502.28of the Revised Code as the state's standard procedure for incident management. "Planned event" includes, but is not limited to, a sporting event, concert, or parade.

(6) "Political subdivision" or "subdivision" has the same meaning as in section2744.01of the Revised Code and also includes a health district established under Chapter 3709. of the Revised Code.

(7) "Program for emergency management within a political subdivision" means a program for emergency management created by a political subdivision under section5502.271of the Revised Code.

(8) "Regional authority for emergency management" means a regional authority for emergency management established under section5502.27of the Revised Code.

(9) "Regional response team" means a group of persons from participating political subdivisions who provide mutual assistance or aid in preparation for, response to, or recovery from an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources. "Regional response team" includes, but is not limited to, an incident management team, hazardous materials response team, water rescue team, bomb team, or search and rescue team.

(B) There is hereby created the intrastate mutual aid program to be known as "the intrastate mutual aid compact" to complement existing mutual aid agreements. The program shall have two purposes:

(1) Provide for mutual assistance or aid among the participating political subdivisions for purposes of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources;

(2) Establish a method by which a participating political subdivision may seek assistance or aid that resolves many of the common issues facing political subdivisions before, during, and after an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources, and that ensures, to the extent possible, eligibility for available state and federal disaster assistance or other funding.

(C) Each countywide emergency management agency, regional authority for emergency management, and program for emergency management within a political subdivision, in coordination with all departments, divisions, boards, commissions, agencies, and other instrumentalities within that political subdivision, shall establish procedures or plans that, to the extent possible, accomplish both of the following:

(1) Identify hazards that potentially could affect the participating political subdivisions served by that agency, authority, or program;

(2) Identify and inventory the current services, equipment, supplies, personnel, and other resources related to the preparedness, response, and recovery activities of the participating political subdivisions served by that agency, authority, or program.

(D)(1) The executive director of the state emergency management agency shall coordinate with the countywide emergency management agencies, regional authorities for emergency management, and programs for emergency management within a political subdivision in identifying and formulating appropriate procedures or plans to resolve resource shortfalls.

(2) During and after the formulation of the procedures or plans to resolve resource shortfalls, there shall be ongoing consultation and coordination among the executive director of the state emergency management agency; the countywide emergency management agencies, regional authorities for emergency management, and programs for emergency management within a political subdivision; and all departments, divisions, boards, commissions, agencies, and other instrumentalities of, and having emergency response functions within, each participating political subdivision, regarding this section, local procedures and plans, and the resolution of the resource shortfalls.

(E)(1) A participating political subdivision that is impacted by an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources, may request mutual assistance or aid by doing either of the following:

(a) Declaring a state of emergency and issuing a request for assistance or aid from any other participating political subdivision;

(b) Issuing to another participating political subdivision a verbal or written request for assistance or aid. If the request is made verbally, a written confirmation of the request shall be made not later than seventy-two hours after the verbal request is made.

(2) Requests for assistance or aid made under division (E)(1) of this section shall be made through the emergency management agency of a participating political subdivision or an official designated by the chief executive of the participating political subdivision from which the assistance or aid is requested and shall provide the following information:

(a) A description of the incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency;

(b) A description of the assistance or aid needed;

(c) An estimate of the length of time the assistance or aid will be needed;

(d) The specific place and time for staging of the assistance or aid and a point of contact at that location.

(F) A participating political subdivision shall provide assistance or aid to another participating political subdivision that is impacted by an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources. The provision of the assistance or aid is subject to the following conditions:

(1) The responding political subdivision may withhold resources necessary to provide for its own protection.

(2) Personnel of the responding political subdivision shall continue under their local command and control structure, but shall be under the operational control of the appropriate officials within the incident management system of the participating political subdivision receiving assistance or aid.

(3) Responding law enforcement officers acting pursuant to this section have the same authority to enforce the law as when acting within the territory of their regular employment.

(G)(1) Nothing in this section shall do any of the following:

(a) Alter the duties and responsibilities of emergency response personnel;

(b) Prohibit a private company from participating in the provision of mutual assistance or aid pursuant to the compact created pursuant to this section if the participating political subdivision approves the participation and the contract with the private company allows for the participation;

(c) Prohibit employees of participating political subdivisions from responding to a request for mutual assistance or aid precipitated by an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources, when the employees are responding as part of a regional response team that is under the operational control of the incident command structure;

(d) Authorize employees of participating political subdivisions to respond to an incident, disaster, exercise, training activity, planned event, or emergency, any of which requires additional resources, without a request from a participating political subdivision.

(2) This section does not preclude a participating political subdivision from entering into a mutual aid or other agreement with another political subdivision, and does not affect any other agreement to which a participating political subdivision may be a party, or any request for assistance or aid that may be made, under any other section of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, any mutual aid arrangement under this chapter, any fire protection or emergency medical services contract under section9.60of the Revised Code, sheriffs' requests for assistance to preserve the public peace and protect persons and property under section311.07of the Revised Code, any agreement for mutual assistance or aid in police protection under section737.04of the Revised Code, any agreement for law enforcement services between universities and colleges and political subdivisions under section3345.041or3345.21of the Revised Code, and mutual aid agreements among emergency planning districts for hazardous substances or chemicals response under sections3750.02and3750.03of the Revised Code.

(H)(1) Personnel of a responding participating political subdivision who suffer injury or death in the course of, and arising out of, their employment while rendering assistance or aid under this section to another participating political subdivision are entitled to all applicable benefits under Chapters 4121. and 4123. of the Revised Code.

(2) Personnel of a responding participating political subdivision shall be considered, while rendering assistance or aid under this section in another participating political subdivision, to be agents of the responding political subdivision for purposes of tort liability and immunity from tort liability under the law of this state.

(3)(a) A responding participating political subdivision and the personnel of that political subdivision, while rendering assistance or aid under this section, or while in route to or from rendering assistance or aid under this section, in another participating political subdivision, shall be deemed to be exercising governmental functions as defined in section2744.01of the Revised Code, shall have the defenses to and immunities from civil liability provided in sections2744.02and2744.03of the Revised Code, and shall be entitled to all applicable limitations on recoverable damages under section2744.05of the Revised Code.

(b) A participating political subdivision requesting assistance or aid and the personnel of that political subdivision, while requesting or receiving assistance or aid under this section from any other participating political subdivision, shall be deemed to be exercising governmental functions as defined in section2744.01of the Revised Code, shall have the defenses to and immunities from civil liability provided in sections2744.02and2744.03of the Revised Code, and shall be entitled to all applicable limitations on recoverable damages under section2744.05of the Revised Code.

(I) If a person holds a license, certificate, or other permit issued by a participating political subdivision evidencing qualification in a professional, mechanical, or other skill, and if the assistance or aid of that person is asked for under this section by a participating political subdivision, the person shall be deemed to be licensed or certified in or permitted by the participating political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid to render the assistance or aid, subject to any limitations and conditions the chief executive of the participating political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid may prescribe by executive order or otherwise.

(J)(1) Subject to division (K) of this section and except as provided in division (J)(2) of this section, any participating political subdivision rendering assistance or aid under this section in another participating political subdivision shall be reimbursed by the participating political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid for any loss or damage to, or expense incurred in the operation of, any equipment used in rendering the assistance or aid, for any expense incurred in the provision of any service used in rendering the assistance or aid, and for all other costs incurred in responding to the request for assistance or aid. To avoid duplication of payments, insurance proceeds available to cover any loss or damage to equipment of a participating political subdivision rendering assistance or aid shall be considered in the reimbursement by the participating political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid.

(2) A participating political subdivision rendering assistance or aid under this section to another participating political subdivision shall not be reimbursed for either of the following:

(a) The first eight hours of mutual assistance or aid it provides to the political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid;

(b) Expenses the participating political subdivision incurs under division (H)(1) of this section.

(K) A participating political subdivision rendering assistance or aid under this section may do any of the following:

(1) Assume, in whole or in part, any loss, damage, expense, or cost the political subdivision incurs in rendering the assistance or aid;

(2) Loan, without charge, any equipment, or donate any service, to the political subdivision receiving the assistance or aid;

(3) Enter into agreements with one or more other participating political subdivisions to establish different allocations of losses, damages, expenses, or costs among such political subdivisions.