Staff Reports
The DeKalb County Commission gave its blessing to the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency’s participation in a statewide mutual aid agreement that will strengthen resources in time of emergency, or when a big event is planned.
The new statewide mutual aid agreement is the product of a multi-year coordinated and collaborative approach by the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers, Alabama Emergency Management Agency the Alabama County Commission Association, the Alabama League of Municipalities and the Alabama Legislature and is the first all-inclusive statewide mutual aid agreement in Alabama.
“This agreement provides a broad scope of flexibility for both counties and municipalities across the state to share and receive mutual aid resource support from adjacent jurisdiction from across the state for planned events (i.e. Rock the South (Cullman County), Hydrofest (Marshall County), Boom Days (DeKalb County) etc.) and unplanned events (emergencies and disasters regardless of scope and/or scale),” according to a statement from DCEMA.
DCEMA Director Michael Posey told commissioners that the agencies had to go to the legislature to get changes that would allow the kind of agreement they sought.
Act 2025-206 passed by the Alabama Legislation broadened and deepened the scope and definition of emergency management to more closely align with how emergency management across the state is engrained in supporting both government and the protection of citizens during blue sky days (non-emergency and non-disaster events and operations), as well as dark sky days during which emergencies and disasters have or are occurring.
“Overall, this statewide agreement creates a network across the entire state for all 67 counties, all municipalities, all tribal and territorial governments, and the private sector communities to engage in resource sharing, cost reduction for needed resources, and the provision of resources more quickly to provide operational aid regardless of if related to disasters or not,” DECMA said in a statement.
