By Nate Gilgeous
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore City Council introduced new legislation Monday that would make the Office of Emergency Operations a standalone agency and give the council legislative power over the office.
“The Office of Emergency Management is a small agency, but it plays a significant role in coordinating our city’s response to major emergencies, establishing plans and policies to respond to catastrophic incidents,” Council Member Mark Conway said.
The new legislation also would require the city to update its emergency operations plan for the first time in eight years.
“Over the years, the reporting requirements have fluctuated between the mayor’s office and the fire department, and the uncertainty of this fractured reporting system has resulted in significant tasks being overlooked,” said Conway who represents District 4. “One of those significant tasks has not occurred since 2013, and that is the process of updating the emergency operations plan.
The new legislation would require the office to update the plan every four years. By establishing the office as an independent agency, officials said it would bring the city in alignment with several other jurisdictions that have made their emergency operations offices standalone agencies.
“As we work to make sure we have the appropriate plans and resources in place to support our residents and guests during significant emergencies, we must embrace that the emergency operations office is our lifeline to preparedness, mitigation, and recovery phases of every emergency we face,” Conway said.
The bill was co-sponsored by council members James Torrence of District 7 and Phylicia Porter of District 10 and assigned to the Public Safety Government Operations Committee.