Subject:
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Consider a Memorandum of Understanding by and between the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the City of Harrisonburg on behalf of Division 2 Search and Technical Rescue / Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team
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Presented By: City Attorney Brown
Recommendation and Review
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) has established a Technical Rescue/Urban Search and Rescue program whereby VDEM has selected several localities across the state and identified them as Regional Technical Rescue/Urban Search and Rescue teams, to provide services to the rest of the state. Harrisonburg Fire Department is part of a composite team comprised of personnel and equipment from Harrisonburg, Rockingham and Augusta counties, Staunton, and Waynesboro, with Harrisonburg being the lead agency for the team.
As a regional team, VDEM has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in both equipment and training in the past several years. However, there has never been a mechanism for localities to recover personnel costs for responses to other jurisdictions. Harrisonburg Fire has been very active in pursuing a system in which localities can recoup their personnel costs when responding to other areas. The attached agreement is the result of that effort.