City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 24, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: FELIPE HERNANDEZ, FIRE AND EMS CHIEF
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading, and Final Passage of an Ordinance to amend and reordain Chapter 3 (EMERGENY SERVICES) of Title 4 (PUBLIC SAFETY). [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Should the City Council update the Emergency Services Code to better align with federal, state, and local emergency management statutes and principles?
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council consider the proposed ordinance (Attachment 2) on the second reading.
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 (VDEM) in 2000 (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. This ordinance will formally rename the Emergency Services Code and Office of Emergency Services to the Emergency Management Code and Office of Emergency Management. Additionally, a reference to the state office of emergency services will be updated to reflect the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM...
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