03/13/2012 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

             SB 208-DISASTER PLANNING AND SERVICES                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:02:26 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI announced  that the  first order  of business                                                               
before the committee was SB  208, which facilitates collaboration                                                               
between  state and  local agencies  in a  state of  emergency. On                                                               
March 6, Senator  Paskvan provided an overview of SB  208 [and CS                                                               
for  SB  208, labeled  27-LS0611\B  was  adopted as  the  working                                                               
document.]  The  bill enacts  the  Alaska  Intrastate Mutual  Aid                                                               
System, a comprehensive, integrated  system of assistance between                                                               
state and local  agencies. Previous testimony and  letters are in                                                               
support of the bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
ANNA SORENSON, staff,  Senator Joe Paskvan, introduced  SB 208 on                                                               
behalf  of  the sponsor.  She  read  from the  following  sponsor                                                               
statement:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     SB 208 is  an essential piece of  legislation that will                                                                    
     provide  a statewide  framework  for mutual  assistance                                                                    
     among  participating  political   subdivisions  in  the                                                                    
     prevention   of,  response   to,   and  recovery   from                                                                    
     disasters.  The  provisions  of the  Alaska  Intrastate                                                                    
     Mutual  Aid  System were  developed  with  the goal  of                                                                    
     supplementing existing regional  or local agreements by                                                                    
     establishing  a  comprehensive,  integrated  system  of                                                                    
     mutual  aid  at  a  state level  that  will  ensure  an                                                                    
     efficient  and effective  response to  all hazards  and                                                                    
     disasters. However,  the system provided for  in SB 208                                                                    
     would not prevent  participating entities from entering                                                                    
     into  supplementary  agreements  with  other  political                                                                    
     subdivisions or  impact existing or  future agreements.                                                                    
     Though  mutual   aid  agreements   between  neighboring                                                                    
     political   subdivisions  are   somewhat  common,   aid                                                                    
     agreements   may   not    necessarily   exist   between                                                                    
     subdivisions  that do  not have  a  history of  sharing                                                                    
     emergency assistance.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     As Senator  Paskvan mentioned  during the  hearing last                                                                    
     Tuesday, Interior Alaska  recently faced this challenge                                                                    
     when  the  Fairbanks  North  Star  Borough  encountered                                                                    
     obstacles  in  providing  timely aid  during  the  2009                                                                    
     flooding  of  Eagle  and other  communities  along  the                                                                    
     Yukon   River  due   to  an   absence  of   mutual  aid                                                                    
     agreements.  SB  208  would  act as  a  safety  net  in                                                                    
     similar situations  where aid  is needed but  no mutual                                                                    
     aid agreement currently exists.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Through SB  208, the Division of  Homeland Security and                                                                    
     Emergency  Management will  be tasked  with playing  an                                                                    
     integral   part   in    developing   and   implementing                                                                    
     guidelines  and procedures  for  the Alaska  Intrastate                                                                    
     Mutual Aid System. The  Alaska State Emergency Response                                                                    
     Commission,  created  under  the Alaska  Disaster  Act,                                                                    
     will facilitate  the preparation and  implementation of                                                                    
     the  system. The  commission will  also provide  review                                                                    
     and make recommendations about the mutual aid System.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The  System would  automatically include  all political                                                                    
     subdivisions.  A  political  subdivision may  elect  to                                                                    
     withdraw   by  enacting   a   resolution  through   its                                                                    
     governing   body.  SB   208  further   allows  that   a                                                                    
     participating  entity  will  have  sole  discretion  to                                                                    
     withhold  or withdraw  requested assistance  to provide                                                                    
     reasonable  protection  and  services  within  its  own                                                                    
     territorial limits.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Other details  in the Alaska Mutual  Aid System include                                                                    
     guidelines  for  requesting   aid;  what  assistance  a                                                                    
     participating  member may  request; qualifications  and                                                                    
     employment    of    emergency   responders;    workers'                                                                    
     compensation  for  emergency responders;  reimbursement                                                                    
     procedures for aid  provided by participating political                                                                    
     subdivisions; and pertinent definitions.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill 208 is supported  by the Alaska Fire Chiefs                                                                    
     Association,   the   Alaska   Municipal   League,   the                                                                    
     Fairbanks  North  Star  Borough, AARP  of  Alaska,  the                                                                    
     Alaska Commission  on Aging, the Division  of Emergency                                                                    
     Management, the Alaska State  Fair Association, and the                                                                    
     Food  Bank of  Alaska.  Additionally, this  legislation                                                                    
     has a zero  fiscal note which the  Division can explain                                                                    
     in further detail.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:05:52 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI  requested  an   explanation  of  changes  in                                                               
version B of SB 208.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SORENSON explained  that version  B addresses  some concerns                                                               
raised by  both the Fairbanks  North Star Borough and  the Alaska                                                               
Fire Chiefs Association. She read from the following:                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     The changes  on page 7,  lines 11  and 16, and  page 8,                                                                    
     line 26,  provide for emergency service  providers that                                                                    
     contract  with a  political subdivision  to be  covered                                                                    
     under this legislation.   This will specifically ensure                                                                    
     that  volunteer fire  departments  and their  volunteer                                                                    
     fire  fighters and  emergency  medical technicians  are                                                                    
     covered under the Alaska  Intrastate Mutual Aid System.                                                                    
     This issue  was of  concern to  the Alaska  Fire Chiefs                                                                    
     Association  due  to  much of  their  membership  being                                                                    
     comprised   of   fire    chiefs   of   volunteer   fire                                                                    
     departments.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     The second major change is  the deletion of language on                                                                    
     page  7,  lines 17-20.  This  change  was made  by  the                                                                    
     request of  the borough  due to  the feeling  that this                                                                    
     language  created an  unacceptable  level  of risk  for                                                                    
     local governments.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI opened public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:10:02 AM                                                                                                                    
MICHAEL O'HARE, Deputy Director,  Homeland Security and Emergency                                                               
Management,  Division of  Military and  Veterans Affairs  (DMVA),                                                               
Anchorage,  Alaska, provided  information related  to SB  208. He                                                               
noted that  DMVA has been  working with the Fairbanks  North Star                                                               
Borough   and   various   Emergency   Management   System   (EMS)                                                               
representatives to bring  the working draft to  the committee. It                                                               
primarily allows the pre-development of  the agreements to be put                                                               
into place  prior to  any disaster. If  the mutual  aid agreement                                                               
were  not in  place, each  community would  have to  sign an  aid                                                               
agreement with  all other communities.  The mutual  aid agreement                                                               
mirrors  the  National  Emergency Assistant  compact  with  other                                                               
states.                                                                                                                         
He noted  a zero fiscal  note from  DMVA. A statewide  mutual aid                                                               
committee  would be  incorporated within  the Emergency  Response                                                               
Commission.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:12:12 AM                                                                                                                    
DENNIS   BRODIGAN,   Director,   Emergency   Management   System,                                                               
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Wasilla,  Alaska, testified in support                                                               
of  SB  208. He  stated  that  the  bill  would provide  a  great                                                               
foundation  for interagency  assistance  during disaster  events.                                                               
All areas of  Alaska have a finite amount  of resources available                                                               
to them and  the legislation will go a long  way toward providing                                                               
more resources faster to local jurisdictions.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI closed public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI thanked the bill sponsor.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:14:05 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MEYER moved to report the  CS for SB 208, version B, from                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal  note. There being  no objection, CSSB 208  (STA) was                                                               
reported from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.