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View recently adopted ordinances as of January 13, 2009 NOT YET CODIFIED OR INTEGRATED IN THIS SITE. (pdf file)

Ordinances enacted through January 13, 2009

Copyrighted by SANTA CLARA COUNTY CODE & Municipal Code Corporation, 1998.

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Sec. A8-3. Definitions.

The following terms as used in this section shall, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, have the respective meanings herein set forth:

(a) Board means the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Clara.

(b) Emergency defined:

Actual or threatened existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within this County caused by such conditions as environmental disasters, air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, hazardous materials incident, riot or earthquake, or other conditions resulting from war or imminent threat of war, but other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the County, requiring the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat. Included within the term "emergency" are the various degrees of emergency enumerated in the California Emergency Services Act, Government Code § 8558 including "state of war emergency," "state of emergency" and "local emergency."

(1) State of war emergency means the condition which exists immediately, with or without a proclamation thereof by the Governor, whenever this State or nation is attacked by an enemy of the United States, or upon receipt by the State of a warning from the federal government indicating that such an enemy attack is probable or imminent.

(2) State of emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the State caused by such conditions as environmental disasters, air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, hazardous materials incident, riot, or earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy or conditions causing a "state of war emergency," which conditions, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, of any single county, city and county, or city, and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat.

(3) Local emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions as environmental disasters, air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, hazardous materials incident, riot or earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat.

(c) Emergency operations center (EOC) means a location from which centralized emergency management can be performed.

(d) Emergency response agency means any organization responding to an emergency, whether in the field, at the scene of an incident, or to an EOC, in response to an emergency, or providing mutual aid support to such an organization.

(e) Emergency response personnel means personnel involved with an agency's response to an emergency.

(f) Emergency services means all activities carried out pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act.

(g) Expenditures. Any expenditures made in connection with emergency activities, including mutual aid activities, shall be deemed conclusively to be for the direct protection and benefit of the inhabitants and property of the County.

(h) Incident means an occurrence or event, either human-caused or by natural phenomena, that requires action by emergency response personnel to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property and/or natural resources.

(i) Operational area means an intermediate level of the State Emergency Services Organization, consisting of a county and all political subdivisions within the county area. Each county geographic area has been designated by the State as an operational area. An operational area is used by the County and the political subdivisions comprising the operational area for the coordination of emergency activities and to serve as a link in the system of communications and coordination between the state's emergency operation centers and the operations centers of the political subdivisions comprising the operational area, as defined in Government Code §§ 8559(b) and 8605. This definition does not change the definition of operational area as used in the existing fire and rescue mutual aid system.

The operational area's eligibility for state reimbursement of response-related personnel costs under California's Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) shall not be affected by non-participation of any local government(s) within the operational area.

The County government shall serve as the lead agency of the operational area unless another member agency of the operational area assumes that responsibility by written agreement with County government.

The lead agency of the operational area shall:

Coordinate information, resources and priorities among the local governments within the operational area.

Coordinate information, resources and priorities between the regional level and the local government level. Coordination of fire and law enforcement resources shall be accomplished through their respective mutual aid systems.

Use multi-agency or inter-agency coordination to facilitate decisions for overall operational area level emergency response activities.

(Ord. No. NS-300.600, § 2, 5-13-97)

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