Section 495.
§ 495. Department; commissioner. There shall be an emergency
management department, which may also be known as the New York city
office of emergency management, the head of which shall be the
commissioner of emergency management. The commissioner shall be
appointed by the mayor. The commissioner shall also serve as the local
director of civil defense, with the powers of a local director of civil
defense.
Section 496.
§ 496. Deputies. The commissioner shall have the power to appoint and,
at pleasure, remove deputies, one to be known as first deputy
commissioner. During the absence or disability of the commissioner, the
first deputy commissioner, or if the first deputy commissioner shall be
absent or under disability, the deputy commissioner designated by the
commissioner, shall possess all the powers and perform all the duties of
the commissioner, except the power of making appointments and transfers.
Section 497.
§ 497. Powers and duties of the commissioner. The commissioner shall
have cognizance and control of the government, administration,
disposition and discipline of the department. The commissioner shall
have the powers and duties to:
a. coordinate the city's response to all emergency conditions and
potential incidents which require a multi-agency response, including but
not limited to severe weather, threats from natural hazards and natural
disasters, power and other public service outages, labor unrest other
than the keeping of the peace, water main breaks, transportation and
transit incidents, hazardous substance discharges, building collapses,
aviation disasters, explosions, acts of terrorism and such other
emergency conditions and incidents which affect public health and
safety;
b. monitor on a constant basis all potential emergency conditions and
potential incidents which may require a multi-agency response;
c. coordinate and implement training programs for public safety and
health, including emergency response drills, to prepare for emergency
conditions and potential incidents which may require a multi-agency
response;
d. prepare plans for responding to emergency conditions and potential
incidents, including but not limited to plans for the implementation of
such emergency orders as may be approved by the mayor to protect public
safety and facilitate the rapid response and mobilization of agencies
and resources;
e. make recommendations to the mayor concerning the city's emergency
response capabilities and concerning the city's capacity to address
potential emergency conditions and potential incidents;
f. increase public awareness as to the appropriate responses by
members of the public to emergency conditions and potential incidents,
and review the city's systems for disseminating information to the
public;
g. operate an emergency operations center to assist the city in
managing emergency conditions and potential incidents that may require a
multi-agency response;
h. hold regular and frequent meetings of designated emergency response
personnel of all city agencies that are determined by the commissioner
to have a direct or support role in the city's management of emergency
conditions and potential incidents which may require a multi-agency
response;
i. acquire federal and other funding for emergency management,
including but not limited to disaster relief, and civil defense, and
assist other agencies in obtaining such funding;
j. coordinate with all city agencies to ensure that all such agencies
develop and implement emergency response plans in connection with
planning major city events;
k. coordinate with state, federal and other governmental bodies to
effectuate the purposes of the department;
l. coordinate the operation of the local emergency planning committee
established pursuant to Title III of the federal Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act;
m. coordinate New York city's civil defense effort in accordance with
the provisions of the Defense Emergency Act of New York state and the
city's civil defense emergency operations plan, as such plan may be
amended from time to time;
n. perform all other functions previously performed by the former
office of emergency management and the emergency control board; and
o. promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to
implement the provisions of this chapter.
Section 498.
§ 498. Agency cooperation. The department shall be the lead agency in
the coordination and facilitation of resources in incidents involving
public safety and health, including incidents which may involve acts of
terrorism. All agencies shall provide the department promptly with all
information relevant to the performance of the emergency management
functions and shall collect and make available any information requested
by the department for use in emergency planning. All agencies further
shall promptly provide the department with all appropriate material,
equipment and resources needed for emergency management functions,
including personnel.
To the extent possible under law, Friends of Devin Balkind for Public Advocate has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to New York City Administrative Code. This work is published from: United States.
Special thanks to Benjarmin Kallos and Thom Neale who made this content publicly available as a bulk download.