For Immediate Release
Sept. 5, 2005  

Contact: Dana Wolverton 517/333-5032
               Jackie Hampton 517/333-5051
EMD NR-07

LANSING –The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), the central coordination facility for state response to the gulf disaster, and the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division strongly urge all state, local and volunteer organizations to use procedures set in place by the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.  EMAC provides form and structure to interstate (state-to-state) mutual aid.  It establishes procedures whereby a disaster-impacted state can request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently.  It resolves two key issues up front; liability and reimbursement.  The requesting state agrees to assume liability for out-of-state workers deployed under EMAC and agrees to reimburse Assisting States (once proper, EMAC specific documentation is provided) for all deployment related costs.

In the simplest of terms, EMAC works as follows:

Emergency Phase

1.       The Governor of the affected state issues a state of emergency.

2.       The Authorized Representative from the affected state alerts EMAC National Coordinating Group (NCG).

3.       The affected state requests A-Team deployment.

4.       The A-Team works with the affected state and determines the specific needs and sends EMAC Broadcasts out to assisting EMAC states.

5.       The A-Team helps the assisting state determine the costs and availability of resources.

6.       The affected state and assisting state’s authorized EMAC contact (Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division) completes the proper requests and negotiates costs.

7.       Specific resources are sent to the affected state.

Post-Emergency Phase

8.       Reimbursements from the assisting state are requested.

9.       The assisting state is reimbursed.

It is important to note that the Director of the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division or their designee is the Authorized Representative (AR) empowered to obligate state resources (provide assistance) under EMAC, thus the AR is the only person who can legally approve the response to a request for assistance.

EMAC can be used for any capability one member state has that can be shared with another member state.  The EMAC is administered by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), who provides the day to day support and technical backbone for EMAC education and operations.

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), established in 1996, has weathered the storm when put to the test and stands today as the model for providing assistance across state lines. The EMAC mutual aid agreement and partnership between states exist because from hurricanes to earthquakes, wildfires to toxic waste spills, and terrorist attacks to biological and chemical incidents, all states share a common enemy: the threat of disaster. The strength of EMAC and the quality that distinguishes it from other plans and compacts lies in its governance structure and its relationship with federal organizations, states, counties, territories, & regions.  For more information regarding EMAC visit their website at www.emacweb.org.