Experience Gained: Mutual Aid and Automatic Aid Agreements
Volunteers are one of the most versatile and cost-effective resources in disaster response and recovery, but it is impossible to predict exactly to what extent volunteers and resources will be affected by a disaster. Accordingly, city managers and county administrators must be prepared to call on help from surrounding communities by having mutual aid agreements (MAA) or automatic aid agreements in place before a disaster strikes.
In 2011, Pulaski County, Virginia, was devastated by two successive tornadoes that ripped through the town and caused severe damage. The county responded to the situation using a mutual aid agreement, and learned a great deal about the advantages and pitfalls to both mutual aid agreements (MAA) and automatic aid agreements.
A mutual aid agreement (MAA) is a legal record allowing for a locality to provide incident command or aid in command and response in another locality as requested by that locality. Under an MAA, aid is arranged on a case-by-case basis. An automatic aid agreement, on the other hand, allows for localities to respond at time of peril or incident without being notified by the locality where incident occurred.
Neal Turner, Montgomery County emergency services coordinator notes that, when responding with mutual aid, it’s important to set expectations. Volunteers must be asked to come by the locality requesting assistance, and will be required to use their own money and resources to provide assistance.
According to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the following elements should be included in both MAA and automatic aid agreements:
- Definitions of key terms
- Procedures for requesting and providing aid
- Payment, reimbursement, and allocation of costs
- Notification procedures
- Roles and responsibilities of individual parties
- Protocols for interoperable communications
- Relationships to other MAAs
- Recognition of licensures and certifications
- Sharing agreements
- Workers’ compensation
- Liability and immunity
- Provisions to update and terminate the agreement
Having a mutual or automatic aid agreement in place is a critical component of planning for disaster response and recovery. However, keep in mind that the disaster scenario can impact the neighboring communities responsible for providing additional volunteers and resources. Claire Collins, IBTS development manager for local government solutions, recommends that localities be prepared to manage emergency needs for 72 hours without assistance from state, federal or neighboring communities. Likewise, receiving resources from mutual aid partners often takes longer than expected, so municipalities should have storage facilities containing basic supplies that can be accessed easily.
Emergency response officials in Pulaski responded to the 2011 tornadoes under a MAA, but adopted an automatic aid agreement after the tornadoes. Turner notes that one downfall of automatic aid is that it can incur unnecessary costs if people and equipment are sent without being needed. Yet he still prefers automatic aid. “It helps in coordinating and working together across jurisdictional boundaries,” which are often not seen by the public.
Emergency response officials in Pulaski responded to the 2011 tornadoes under a MAA, but adopted an automatic aid agreement after the tornadoes. Turner notes that one downfall of automatic aid is that it can incur unnecessary costs if people and equipment are sent without being needed. Yet he still prefers automatic aid. “It helps in coordinating and working together across jurisdictional boundaries,” which are often not seen by the public.