Council Vote Re-Affirms Emergency Plans

The Fredericksburg CIty Council re-approved the city's emergency action plan this week. The document, formally known as the Fredericksburg Emergency Operations Plan, outlines the roles city officials and departments play in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

The plan was first adopted in 2007, following the passage of the Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law, and must be re-approved every four years. The City Council re-approved the plan with a unanimous vote as part of this past Tuesday's consent agenda.

The plan calls for city officials, elected leaders and emergency staff alike, to coordinate with residents, non-governmental volunteer organizations and private sector interests to manage disaster response as smoothly as possible.

The City Manager has broad powers during a declared local emergency. It is the City Manager who can issue the initial declaration of emergency. Under such a situation, he can establish a curfew, direct evacuations and order quarantines.

Members of the City Council, who must ratify local disaster declarations within two weeks of the event, are also called to serve as community liaisons for local residents. The Mayor in particular is called to be the mouthpiece of the city, tasked with media relations and public outreach.

Fredericksburg most recently activated its emergency plan for the duration of Hurricane Irene, which blew through the area in late August 2011.

As a result, officials from Fredericksburg's municipal administration and emergency services staffed a round-the-clock emergency communications center to direct first responders. However, Irene left only a light impact in Fredericksburg.