Pacific Northwest Emergency Management Arrangement

PNEMA
Pacific Northwest Emergency
Management Arrangement
Pat Quealey
Emergency Management BC
Topics of Discussion
Major Features of PNEMA
 Enhanced coordination of emergency
preparedness, response, and recovery through
a regional approach.
 Established the Western Regional
Emergency Management Advisory
Committee (Annex A)
 Set of eight cooperative principles.
 Replaced a series of mutual aid
agreements and memorandum of
understanding (MOUs)
 Allowed for additional annexes.
PNEMA Commitment
 Coordinate and maintain
supporting plans.
 Participate in or observe
regional exercises.
 Provide emergency and
disaster support
PNEMA Pros and Cons
BENEFITS
 Maximizes use of available
regional resources.
 Expedites timely and flexible
cross-border emergency
preparedness, response, and
recovery deployment.
 Enhances Pacific Northwest
regional relationships.
LIMITATIONS
 Does not replace Federal
support.
 Does not permit use of National
Guard resources.
 Does not alter operational
direction and control.
Potential Applications
Cross-border planning
and exercise
Search and rescue
Emergency operations
and support center
Medical support
Damage assessment
Debris clearance
Disaster recovery
administration
Resource and donation
management
Community outreach
Security support
Cooperative Principles
1)
Each signatory may seek the assistance of another.
2)
May request exemption of others’ laws that impede emergency measures.
3)
Will use best efforts to facilitate movement.
4)
Will use best efforts to provide others’ citizen health and social services.
5)
Avoid levying taxes or fees on mutual aid activities.
6)
Costs for assistance will not exceed what the provider normally pays.
7)
Exchange of lists and plans.
8)
Invites others to observe or participate in exercises.
Other Mutual Aid Agreements
 Memorandum of Cooperation between British Columbia
and Washington State for oil pollution.
 MOU between British Columbia and Washington State for
wildfire suppression.
 Compact between Oregon and
Washington States for use of
offender labor in wildfire
suppression.
 Agreement between Oregon and
Washington States for
reciprocal fire protection.
Annex B
 Uses the language and articles of EMAC.
 Initially introduced in 2002.
 Presented to the WREMAC in 2004.
 Signed in 2006-2007.
 Governance structure approved in 2007.
 Operations Manual approved in 2008.
Annex B: Select Provisions
Article IV “…the signatory rendering aid may withhold or recall resources to
the extent necessary to provide reasonable protection for itself.”
Article V “…license, certificate, or other permit…such person is deemed to
be licensed, certified, or permitted by the signatory requesting
assistance…”
Article VIII “…signatory shall provide…for the payment of worker’s
compensation and death benefits to injured members of the emergency
forces of that signatory…in the same manner and on the same terms as if
the injury were sustained within their own signatories.”
Article IX “..any signatory rendering aid…be reimbursed by the signatory
receiving such aid for any loss or damage to or expense incurred…”
Note: PNEMA does not require a declaration of emergency in order to activate a
response—it is activated by mutual agreement of two or more signatories.
PNEMA Governance Structure
WREMAC
PNEMA
Executive
Task Force Chair
Alaska
British
Columbia
Idaho
PNEMA
Executive Task
Force Chair-Elect
International
Coordination Group
Oregon
Washington
Yukon
Governance Structure Principles
Respect for national sovereignty.
• A quorum is 66% of members including at
least one province.
• All votes must be unanimous.
Simplicity.
• Two officers: Chair and Chair-Elect
• Annual meeting at WREMAC and periodic
telephonic meetings.
PNEMA A-Teams
 Coordinate PNEMA operations in the jurisdiction, or
 Deploy at the request of an impacted jurisdiction (state or
province)
 Serve as a liaison between the requesting jurisdiction and
potential assisting jurisdictions
 Operate from an impacted jurisdiction’s EOC or Command
and Control Center
 Coordinate the provision of assistance as an agent of the
impacted jurisdiction

The REQ-A is the vehicle for the provision of that assistance
Catastrophic Operational Employment
International Coordination Group
 Executive
 Operations
 Logistics
 Finance/Administration
 Planning
Summary
 PNEMA is built upon existing regional
relationships and makes them stronger.
PNEMA does not supplant existing
protocols such as those used for wild
land fires.
PNEMA operational protocols are
designed to be simple, easy to use, and
familiar.
Thank You
Pat Quealey
Assistant Deputy Minister EMBC
Pat.Quealey@gov.bc.ca
www.embc.gov.bc.ca