City of Alexandria, Virginia
MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 4, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: FELIPE HERNANDEZ, FIRE AND EMS CHIEF
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Chapter 3 (Emergency Services) of Title 4 (Public Safety).
BODY
ISSUE: Should the City Council update the Emergency Services chapter of City Code to align with modern titles for state and local emergency management and incorporate updated definitions to align with federal guidelines?
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council consider the proposed ordinance on first reading and schedule it for second reading, public hearing and final passage on June 14, 2025.
BACKGROUND: The Emergency Services Code was established in 1962 to create the Office of Emergency Services with the responsibility for helping the City prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies. In 1973, the Commonwealth of Virginia created the Virginia Office of Emergency Services to provide statewide coordination for disasters, both natural and man-made. In 1979, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created to provide a national framework for emergency management. In 2000, the Virginia Office of Emergency Services was renamed the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (Va. Code Ann. ? 44-146.18) to improve alignment with emergency management principles.
DISCUSSION: The Alexandria Office of Emergency Services was informally renamed to the Office of Emergency Management in the early 2000s. Updating the City Code is required to formally rename the office. The ordinance changes the name of the Emergency Services Code to the Emergency Management Code, changes the name of the Office of Emergency Services to the Office of Emergency Management, and changes the reference to a state office of emergency services to the Virginia Departm...
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