Emergency Management

The City of Tualatin has established an Emergency Management Organization and designated the Director of Operations as the Emergency Program Manager. The Emergency Program Manager has responsibility for the development and training of an emergency management organization capable of managing the response to and recovery from a major emergency in accordance with this plan. As part of this program, all city staff undergo Incident Command System (ICS) training upon hire. The Emergency Management Organization functions as a team with the Emergency Program Manager as team leader.

The city has the responsibility and authority to direct activities which will allow Tualatin to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies or major disasters. During an emergency, each member of the City of Tualatin Emergency Management Organization will assume positions within the framework of the Command and General staff of the National Interagency Incident Management System Incident Command structure and perform the assigned duties.

Day-to-day supervision of the Emergency Management Program is the responsibility of the Operations Director, who serves as Emergency Program Manager.

The City Manager, Emergency Program Manager, or Incident Commander may activate the Emergency Operations Center. The Emergency Program Manager and Incident Commander must consult with the City Manager, if available, before ordering activation. Should there be a disagreement on EOC activation, the City Manager shall make the decision. Activation will begin by contacting the city's police dispatch, initiating the Operations Department call-out procedures, and requesting that members of the Emergency Management Organization be contacted and report to the EOC.

Some emergencies may require a self-triggered response. In the event of an emergency in which telephone service is interrupted, members of the Command and General staff should ensure the safety of their families and then report to the EOC.

The Emergency Management Organization has the authority to involve any or all city personnel in response to a disaster or other emergency incident. The declaration of an emergency nullifies leaves and vacations, as deemed necessary by the City Manager.

As part of the City's committment to emergency preparedness, the city regularly engages in emergency operations exercises, often with other local, state and federal agencies. During these exercises, the EOC is activated and city staff practices the roles and reponsibilities they would have during a real emergency.